[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 73 (Wednesday, April 15, 2020)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 20889]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-07802]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Office of the Secretary

14 CFR Part 382

[Docket No. DOT-OST-2018-0068]
RIN No. 2105-AE63


Traveling by Air With Service Animals

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary (OST), U.S. Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Denial of request for extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Transportation (Department or DOT) is 
denying the requests to extend the comment period on the Department's 
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on Traveling by Air with Service 
Animals. The NPRM was published in the Federal Register on February 5, 
2020.

DATES: The closing date for comments on the NPRM published February 5, 
2020 (85 FR 06448) on Traveling by Air with Service Animals is April 6, 
2020.

ADDRESSES: You may review the requests to extend the public comment 
period and other comments received under Docket Number OST 2018-0068 
through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Maegan Johnson, Senior Attorney, 
Office of Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, Washington, DC, 20590, 202-
366-9342, 202-366-7152 (fax), [email protected] (email). You may 
also contact Blane Workie, Assistant General Counsel, Office of 
Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings, Department of Transportation, 
1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, Washington, DC, 20590, 202-366-9342, 202-366-
7152 (fax), [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On January 22, 2020, the Department 
announced the issuance of the NPRM on Traveling by Air with Service 
Animals and placed a copy of the NPRM on the Department's website at 
https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/latest-news and on the 
Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov. On February 
5, 2020, the NPRM was published in the Federal Register and interested 
parties were asked to provide comments on or before April 6, 2020. The 
NPRM also stated that late-filed comments will be considered to the 
extent practicable.
    By written request, dated March 30, 2020, U.S. Support Animals 
asked the Department to extend the comment period on the NPRM by an 
additional 90 days to July 6, 2020. U.S. Support Animals asserts that 
numerous individuals with concerns about the NPRM have not yet 
commented because they have been focusing on altering their everyday 
routines in response to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) public 
health emergency. Additionally, on April 2, 2020, the American 
Association of Airport Executives and Airports Council International--
North America jointly requested a 30-day extension of the comment 
period, stating that the industry is consumed with responding to the 
COVID-19 public health emergency and that airports need this additional 
time to provide meaningful and substantive feedback on the Department's 
proposed rule.
    The Department has carefully considered the requests to extend the 
comment period on the NPRM, beyond the published 60-day comment period, 
which is longer than the generally prescribed length of the comment 
period for significant regulations under the Department's rules at 49 
CFR 5.13(i)(3). While the Department recognizes that COVID-19 has 
disrupted the lives of many Americans, the Department finds that the 
strong interest in the timely issuance of this priority rulemaking 
outweighs the need to provide the public with additional time to 
comment. The Department also notes that it has already received 
thousands of comments on the NPRM since its publication, including a 
steady stream of comments from the public while the country is 
responding to the COVID-19 public health emergency. For the reasons 
stated above, and given that the Department intends to consider late-
filed comments to the extent practicable as indicated in the NPRM, the 
requests to extend the comment period on the Traveling by Air with 
Service Animals NPRM are denied.

    Issued this 6th day of April 2020, in Washington, DC under 
authority delegated in 49 CFR 1.27(n).
Christina G. Aizcorbe,
Deputy General Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2020-07802 Filed 4-14-20; 8:45 am]
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