[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 45 (Wednesday, March 10, 2021)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 13684-13685]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-04933]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
49 CFR Part 571
[Docket No. NHTSA-2020-0109]
RIN 2127-AM04
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Test Procedures;
Reopening of Comment Period
AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),
Department of Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Reopening of comment period.
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SUMMARY: In response to a request from the Alliance for Automotive
Innovation (Auto Innovators), NHTSA is announcing a reopening of the
comment period on an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM)
published December 10, 2020. The ANPRM requests public comment on
whether any test procedure for any Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard (FMVSS) may be a candidate for replacement, repeal, or
modification, for reasons other than for considerations
[[Page 13685]]
relevant only to automated driving systems (ADS). The comment period
for the ANPRM was originally scheduled to end on February 8, 2021. It
will now be reopened and will end on April 9, 2021.
DATES: The comment period for the ANPRM published on December 10, 2020
at 85 FR 79456 is reopened and extended to April 9, 2021.
ADDRESSES: Comments must be submitted by one of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting
comments.
Mail: Docket Management Facility, M-30, U.S. Department of
Transportation, West Building, Ground Floor, Rm. W12-140, 1200 New
Jersey Avenue SE, 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. Eastern
Time, Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. To be sure
someone is there to help you, please call (202) 366-9322 before coming.
Fax: (202) 493-2251.
Regardless of how you submit your comments, you must include the
docket number identified in the heading of this document.
Note that all comments received, including any personal information
provided, will be posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov.
Please see the ``Privacy Act'' heading below.
You may call the Docket Management Facility at (202) 366-9322. For
access to the docket to read background documents or comments received,
go to http://www.regulations.gov or the street address listed above. We
will continue to file relevant information in the docket as it becomes
available. To be sure someone is there to help you, please call (202)
366-9322 before coming. We will continue to file relevant information
in the Docket as it becomes available.
Privacy Act: In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(c), DOT solicits
comments from the public to inform its decision-making process. DOT
posts these comments, without edit, including any personal information
the commenter provides, to http://www.regulations.gov, as described in
the system of records notice (DOT/ALL-14 FDMS), which can be reviewed
at https://www.transportation.gov/privacy. 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.).
You may review DOT's complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal
Register published on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477-78).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For technical issues, you may contact
Ms. Mary Versailles, Office of Rulemaking, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE,
Washington, DC 20590; [email protected]. For legal issues, you
may contact Ms. Callie Roach, Attorney-Advisor, Vehicle Rulemaking and
Harmonization, Office of Chief Counsel, (202) 597-1312, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590; [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On December 10, 2020, NHTSA published an
ANPRM to obtain public comments on whether any test procedure for any
FMVSS may be a candidate for replacement, repeal, or modification, for
reasons other than for considerations relevant only to automated
driving systems (ADS) (85 FR 79456). The ANPRM provided examples of
test procedures found in FMVSS Nos. 103, 104, 105/135, 121, and 126 to
facilitate responses and asked commenters to consider whether the
agency should make changes to these test procedures or to any other
test procedure. The ANPRM also asked commenters to provide research,
evidence, and data to support why such change may be necessary. The
ANPRM stated that the closing date for comments was February 8, 2021.
NHTSA received on January 14, 2021 a petition from Auto Innovators
for a 30-day extension of the comment period. The request states that
additional time is necessary to permit Auto Innovators to conduct a
comprehensive review of the extensive number of regulations and FMVSS
that contain detailed test procedures, including standards that
reference industry standards. Auto Innovators also notes that its
efforts to organize group meeting have been hampered by working
inefficiencies induced by COVID meeting restrictions. The request can
be found in the docket for the ANPRM identified in the heading of this
document.
In accordance with NHTSA's rulemaking procedures in 49 CFR part
553, subpart B, the agency is granting this request to reopen and
extend the comment period. We have determined that the requestors have
shown good cause for an extension, and that the extension is consistent
with the public interest (49 CFR 553.19). A 30-day reopening and
extension appropriately balances NHTSA's interest in providing the
public with sufficient time to comment on the notice with its interest
in proceeding with this rulemaking in a timely manner. Accordingly,
NHTSA is reopening and extending the comment period to the date shown
in the DATES section of this document.
Issued in Washington, DC pursuant to authority delegated in 49
CFR 1.95 and 501.8.
Raymond R. Posten,
Associate Administrator for Rulemaking.
[FR Doc. 2021-04933 Filed 3-9-21; 8:45 am]
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