[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 12 (Tuesday, January 20, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2772-2773]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-00749]


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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 a continuation of task assignment for the Aviation 
Rulemaking Advisory Committee (ARAC).

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SUMMARY: The FAA assigned the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee 
(ARAC) a continuation of task to a previously established working 
group. This continuation of task requests the working group to provide 
cost and benefit data for the proposed implementation of the ARAC 
recommendations submitted in 2012 regarding the FAA's approach to 
update, reorganize and improve the level of safety requirements for the 
flammability of materials for transport category airplanes. This notice 
informs the public of a continuation to a previous ARAC activity, 
reinstates the Materials Flammability Working Group, and does not 
solicit membership.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeff Gardlin, Airframe/Cabin Safety 
Branch, ANM-115, Transport Airplane Directorate, Federal Aviation 
Administration, 1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, Washington 98057, 
telephone (425) 227-2136, facsimile (425) 227-1149; email 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

ARAC Acceptance of Task

    As a result of the December 18, 2014, ARAC meeting, the FAA 
assigned and ARAC accepted and designated this task to the Transport 
Airplane and Engine (TAE) Subcommittee, reinstating the Materials 
Flammability Working Group. The Materials Flammability Working Group 
will serve as staff to the ARAC, through the TAE Subcommittee, and will 
provide advice and recommendations on the assigned task. The TAE 
Subcommittee will review and approve the recommendation report and will 
send the approved recommendation report to the ARAC for acceptance. 
After ARAC accepts the recommendation report, it will submit the 
recommendation report to the FAA.

Background

    The FAA established the ARAC to provide information, advice, and 
recommendations on aviation related issues that could result in 
rulemaking to the FAA Administrator, through the Associate 
Administrator of Aviation Safety.
    On August 27, 2010 [75 FR 52807], the FAA tasked ARAC to consider 
the merits and make recommendations for improvement of an approach 
drafted by the FAA that would simplify compliance demonstrations, and 
upgrade the level of safety for flammability throughout the airplane. 
The objective of the proposed approach was to completely revisit the 
flammability requirements and take advantage of the wealth of data 
available from FAA research and advances in material fire safety to 
provide a simpler regulation that provides a higher level of safety for 
transport category airplanes.
    The flammability requirements for interior materials on transport 
category airplanes have evolved significantly over the years to become 
more threat-based. By ``threat-based,'' the FAA means the flammability 
requirements use a more realistic test method based on the type of fire 
hazard most critical for the components in question. Historically, 
these requirements have been based on an analysis of the type of 
threat, the usage of the potentially flammable material (e.g., 
sidewall), and the material type (e.g., elastomeric materials). This 
approach has led to problems, including multiple requirements applying 
to the same component; conflicting requirements for the same component 
depending on what material it is made from; and ambiguous requirements 
for components not explicitly listed in Sec.  25.853 or Appendix F part 
I of part 25. These ambiguous requirements for components not 
explicitly listed have resulted in the requirements of Sec.  25.853 or 
Appendix F, part I of part 25 becoming obsolete whenever materials 
change, or incomplete when components have been developed after the 
regulation and Appendix F of part 25 were issued.
    The Materials Flammability Working Group completed the task, and 
the ARAC submitted the recommendations to the FAA in August 2012. The 
Materials Flammability Working Group believed the proposed threat-based 
organization for the flammability regulations was logical, practical 
and a more effective framework for regulation going forward than the 
current published regulations. The Materials Flammability Working Group 
believed the resulting regulation draft, along with appropriate 
advisory material, would ultimately be simpler and more easily 
understood and enforced. In order to proceed with rulemaking to 
implement the recommendations, the FAA is tasking the ARAC to provide 
cost and benefit data associated with implementation.

The Task

    The Materials Flammability Working Group will provide advice and 
recommendations to the ARAC, through the TAE Subcommittee, on the costs 
and benefits of implementing the recommendations previously submitted 
by the Materials Flammability Working Group in August 2012. The 
recommendation report can be found at: http://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/rulemaking/committees/arac/.
    The Materials Flammability Working Group is tasked to:
    1. Review the Materials Flammability Working Group Recommendation 
Report dated July 9, 2012 and submitted in August 2012, along with 
subsequent research results to be provided to the Materials 
Flammability Working Group by the FAA.
    2. Provide quantitative cost data for each recommendation, if 
applicable, along with assumptions and rationale for the cost data. The 
FAA will provide key assumptions to assist with cost estimation.
    3. Provide quantitative economic benefit data for each 
recommendation, if applicable.
    4. Provide service data regarding incidents (precursors) or 
accidents related to materials flammability that would be mitigated in 
the future by implementation of each recommendation.
    5. Develop a report containing recommendations on the findings and 
results of the tasks explain above.
    a. The recommendation report should document both majority and 
dissenting positions on the findings and the rationale for each 
position.
    b. Any disagreements should be documented, including the rationale 
for position and the reasons for the disagreements.

[[Page 2773]]

    6. The Materials Flammability Working Group may be reinstated to 
assist the ARAC, through the TAE Subcommittee, by responding to the 
FAA's questions or concerns after the recommendation report has been 
submitted.

Schedule

    The recommendation report should be submitted to the FAA for review 
and acceptance no later than 8 months from publication of the tasking 
statement in the Federal Register.

Working Group Activity

    The Materials Flammability Working Group must comply with the 
procedures adopted by the ARAC and are as follows:
    1. Conduct a review and analysis of the assigned tasks and any 
other related materials or documents.
    2. Draft and submit the recommendation report based on the review 
and analysis of the assigned tasks.
    3. Present the recommendation report at the TAE Subcommittee 
meeting.

Participation in the Working Group

    The reinstated Materials Flammability Working Group is comprised of 
technical experts having an interest in the assigned task. A working 
group member need not be a member representative of the ARAC or the TAE 
Subcommittee. The FAA is not soliciting membership for the reinstated 
Materials Flammability Working Group. The provisions of the August 13, 
2014, Office of Management and Budget guidance, ``Revised Guidance on 
Appointment of Lobbyists to Federal Advisory Committees, Boards, and 
Commissions'' (79 FR 47482), continues the ban on registered lobbyists 
participating on Agency Boards and Commissions if participating in 
their ``individual capacity.'' The revised guidance now allows 
registered lobbyists to participate on Agency Boards and Commissions in 
a ``representative capacity'' for the ``express purpose of providing a 
committee with the views of a nongovernmental entity, a recognizable 
group of persons or nongovernmental entities (an industry, sector, 
labor unions, or environmental groups, etc.) or state or local 
government.'' (For further information see Lobbying Disclosure Act of 
1995 (LDA) as amended, 2 U.S.C 1603, 1604, and 1605.)
    The members of the Materials Flammability Working Group must 
actively participate by attending all meetings, and providing written 
comments when requested. The members must devote the resources 
necessary to support the Materials Flammability Working Group in 
meeting any assigned deadlines. The members must keep management and 
those represented advised of the Materials Flammability Working Group 
activities and decisions to ensure the proposed technical solutions 
does not conflict with the position of the member's represent.
    The Secretary of Transportation determined the formation and use of 
the 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, meetings of the 
Materials Flammability Working Group are not open to the public. The 
FAA will make no public announcement of working group meetings.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on January 14, 2015.
Lirio Liu,
Designated Federal Officer, Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee.
[FR Doc. 2015-00749 Filed 1-16-15; 8:45 am]
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