[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 75 (Tuesday, April 19, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21936-21938]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-9399]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration


Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee--New Task

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of new task assignment for the Aviation Rulemaking 
Advisory Committee (ARAC).

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SUMMARY: The FAA assigned the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee 
(ARAC) a new task to provide advice and recommendations to the FAA 
about how to prioritize rulemaking projects. This task addresses, in 
part, one of the Department of Transportation's Future of Aviation 
Advisory Committee (FAAC) recommendations. This notice informs the 
public of a new ARAC activity and solicits membership for the new 
Rulemaking Prioritization Working Group.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Katherine Haley, Office of Rulemaking, 
Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence Avenue, SW., 
Washington, DC 20591; telephone: 202-493-5708, facsimile: 202-267-5075; 
e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    The FAA established ARAC to provide advice and recommendations to 
the FAA Administrator on the FAA's rulemaking activities. ARAC's 
objectives are to improve the development of the FAA's regulations by 
providing

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information, advice, and recommendations related to aviation issues.
    On April 16, 2010, the Secretary of the Department of 
Transportation established the Future of Aviation Advisory Committee 
(FAAC) to provide information, advice and recommendations to ensure the 
competitiveness of the United States aviation industry and its 
capability to address the evolving transportation needs, challenges and 
opportunities of the United States and global economies. As a result, 
the FAAC developed 23 recommendations which were submitted on December 
15, 2010. The Rulemaking Prioritization Working Group will specifically 
address, in part, Recommendation 22: ``The Secretary should 
quickly review the existing regulatory and safety initiative calendar 
and provide parameters and criteria for the FAA to prioritize its 
current and future rulemaking program. This review should include 
industry, or at a minimum seek industry input, and the results should 
be made publicly available * * *.''
    The objective of the Rulemaking Prioritization Working Group is to 
provide advice and recommendations on developing a framework and 
methodologies to assist the FAA in assessing and sequencing potential 
rulemaking projects. The FAA will provide the Rulemaking Prioritization 
Working Group with a subset of issues to test the prototype. These 
issues are potential rulemaking projects from the FAA's four-year 
regulatory look-ahead.
    When developing the prototype, the working group should review 
models and methodologies as references, including the Commercial 
Aviation Safety Team (CAST) methodology. In 1998, the FAA founded the 
CAST to develop an integrated, data-driven strategy to reduce the 
commercial aviation fatality risk in the United States and promote new 
government and industry safety initiatives throughout the world. The 
CAST methodology identifies top safety areas through the analysis of 
accident and incident data.
    The working group should use the CAST methodology as a reference 
and not limit the criteria to safety. While safety is a critical 
factor, the working group should consider all drivers that influence 
the need to consider rulemaking; e.g., safety, capacity, cost, 
environmental impacts, harmonization, operations, and other needs.
    The March 2011 ARAC Executive Committee meeting included a 
presentation of solicited ideas and proposed actions for the Executive 
Committee members to consider. This notice advises the public that the 
FAA has assigned, and the Executive Committee has accepted, a task to 
develop a report including recommendations on how to prioritize 
rulemaking projects.

The Task

    The FAA has tasked the ARAC working group to provide advice and 
recommendations on developing a framework and methodologies to assist 
the FAA in assessing and sequencing potential rulemaking projects.
    The working group is expected to develop a report containing 
recommendations on how the agency should prioritize rulemaking 
projects. This report should document both majority and minority 
positions on the findings and the rationale for each position. Any 
disagreements should be documented, including the rationale for each 
position and the reasons for the disagreement. In developing its 
recommendations, the working group shall:
    1. Review FAAC Recommendation 22, which can be found at 
http://www.dot.gov/faac/FAAC_Recommendations.pdf.
    2. Define a process to evaluate rulemaking projects.
    3. Evaluate and consider the parameters and criteria of the risk 
assessment methodology, ensuring the most effective project receives 
the highest priority. This includes considering all drivers of 
rulemaking; e.g., safety, capacity, cost, environmental impacts, 
harmonization, operations, and other needs.
    4. Explore models and/or methodologies that would be helpful in 
developing the risk assessment methodology. This includes reviewing the 
CAST methodology, which can be found at http://www.cast-safety.org/index.cfm.
    5. Develop a classification system to rank rulemaking projects.
    6. Develop a model to use as a prototype and test it with the 
subset of issues the FAA provides.
    7. Consider ARAC's role after the FAA implements the rulemaking 
prioritization methodology.
    Schedule: The recommendations must be forwarded to the ARAC 
Executive Committee for review and approval no later than December 
2011. The working group may be assigned additional tasks leading to 
implementation of parameters and criteria that will assist the FAA in 
prioritizing its rulemaking program by December 2012.

ARAC Acceptance of Task

    The ARAC Executive Committee has accepted the task and assigned it 
to the Rulemaking Prioritization Working Group. The working group 
serves as staff to ARAC and assists in the analysis of the assigned 
task. ARAC must review and approve the working group's recommendations. 
If ARAC accepts the working group's recommendations, it will send them 
to the FAA.

Working Group Activity

    The Rulemaking Prioritization Working Group must comply with the 
procedures adopted by ARAC. As part of the procedures, the working 
group must:
    1. Recommend a work plan for completion of the task, including the 
rationale supporting such a plan, for consideration at the next ARAC 
Executive Committee meeting held following publication of this notice.
    2. Provide a status report at each meeting of the ARAC Executive 
Committee.
    3. Draft the recommendation report and required analyses and/or any 
other related materials or documents.
    4. Present the final recommendations to the ARAC Executive 
Committee for review and approval.

Participation in the Working Group

    The Rulemaking Prioritization Working Group will be comprised of 
technical experts having an interest in the assigned task. A working 
group member need not be a representative or a member of the full 
committee. The FAA would like a wide range of members to ensure all 
aspects of rulemaking are considered in development of the 
recommendations.
    If you wish to become a member of the Rulemaking Prioritization 
Working Group, write the person listed under the caption FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT expressing that desire. Describe your interest in 
the task and state the expertise you would bring to the working group. 
We must receive all requests by May 9, 2011. The Executive Committee 
and the FAA will review the requests and advise you whether or not your 
request is approved.
    If you are chosen for membership on the working group, you must 
actively participate in the working group by attending all meetings, 
and providing written comments when requested to do so. You must devote 
the resources necessary to support the working group in meeting any 
assigned deadlines. You must keep your management chain and those you 
may represent advised of working group activities and decisions

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to ensure the proposed technical solutions do not conflict with your 
sponsoring organization's position when the subject is presented to 
ARAC for approval. Once the working group has begun deliberations, 
members will not be added or substituted without the approval of the 
FAA and the working group chair.
    The Secretary of Transportation determined the formation and use of 
ARAC is necessary and in the public interest in connection with the 
performance of duties imposed on the FAA by law.
    ARAC meetings are open to the public. However, ARAC Rulemaking 
Prioritization Working Group meetings are not open to the public, 
except to the extent individuals with an interest and expertise are 
selected to participate. The FAA will make no public announcement of 
working group meetings.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2011.
Pamela Hamilton-Powell,
Executive Director, Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee.
[FR Doc. 2011-9399 Filed 4-18-11; 8:45 am]
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