[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 46 (Friday, March 7, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12499-12500]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-4521]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration


Petition for Special Approval of Alternative Compliance

    In accordance with Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 
238.21, notice is hereby given that the Federal Railroad Administration 
(FRA) has received a request for special approval of alternative 
compliance, under 49 CFR 238.230, from the American Public 
Transportation Association (APTA). The individual petition is described 
below, including the party seeking relief, the regulatory provisions 
involved, the nature of the relief being requested, and the 
petitioner's arguments in favor of relief.

American Public Transportation Association

[Docket Number FRA-2007-0010]

    APTA seeks FRA approval of an industrywide safety appliance 
standard for all newly manufactured passenger cars, in accordance with 
49 CFR 238.230(d). This section provides a process by which a railroad 
or a railroad's recognized representative may request approval of 
safety appliance arrangements on any passenger car considered a car of 
special construction under 49 CFR 231.18. Asserting that it has become 
difficult to apply FRA's safety appliance regulations, contained in 49 
CFR part 231, to modern passenger equipment, on September 4, 2007, APTA 
petitioned FRA for approval of

[[Page 12500]]

APTA Standard SS-M-016-06, ``Standard for Safety Appliances for Rail 
Passenger Cars,'' as an alternative means to comply with 49 CFR part 
231.
    APTA has submitted a final copy of APTA Standard SS-M-016-06, 
together with a table that compares the APTA standard to FRA's safety 
appliance regulations contained in 49 CFR part 231 and drawings 
(referred to as plates) that reflect placement of safety appliances in 
accordance with the APTA standard. An annex has also been included in 
the APTA standard, which contains a sample car inspection checklist 
that could be used by railroads and car builders for quality control 
and to confirm proper design and installation of the safety appliances 
on newly manufactured passenger cars. All of these documents are 
available in Docket Number FRA-2007-0010, the docket for this 
proceeding, which can be accessed online at http://www.regulations.gov.
    Written comments on this petition must be received by April 7, 
2008. Comments received after that date will be considered to the 
extent possible without incurring additional expenses or delays. You 
may submit written comments and related information (identified by 
Docket Number FRA-2007-0010) by any of the following methods:
    Web site: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online 
instructions for submitting comments.
    Mail: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., West Building Ground 
Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590.
    Hand Delivery or Courier: West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. EST, Monday 
through Friday, except Federal holidays.
    Fax: 202-493-2251.
    FRA anticipates being able to resolve this petition without a 
public, oral hearing. However, if FRA receives a specific request for a 
public, oral hearing prior to April 7, 2008, one will be scheduled, and 
FRA will publish a supplemental notice in the Federal Register to 
inform interested parties of the date, time, and location of any such 
hearing.
    Anyone is able to search the electronic form of all comments 
received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual 
submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf 
of an association, business, labor union, etc.). Note that all comments 
received will be posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov, 
including any personal information provided. You may review DOT's 
complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published on 
April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477-78), or you may visit http://DocketsInfo.dot.gov.

    Issued in Washington, DC on March 4, 2008.
Grady C. Cothen, Jr.,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety Standards and Program 
Development.
[FR Doc. E8-4521 Filed 3-6-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P