[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 161 (Monday, August 22, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51476-51477]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-18102]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket No. NHTSA-2022-0066]


Ford Motor Company--Receipt of Petition for Temporary Exemption 
From Various Requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards 
for an Automated Driving System-Equipped Vehicle; Request for Comments; 
Extension of Comment Period

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 
Department of Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: NHTSA received six requests to extend the comment period for a 
notice NHTSA published on July 21, 2022, seeking comment on NHTSA's 
receipt of a petition for temporary exemption from Ford Motor Company 
(Ford). Ford's petition seeks a temporary exemption from various 
requirements of the Federal motor vehicle safety standards (FMVSS) for 
a vehicle equipped with an automated driving system (ADS). In 
accordance with statutory and administrative provisions, NHTSA 
published a notice announcing receipt of Ford's petition and seeking 
public comment. The comment period for the notice was scheduled to end 
on August 22, 2022. NHTSA is extending the comment period for the July 
21, 2022 notice by 30 days.

DATES: The comment period for the notice published on July 21, 2022 at 
87 FR 43602 is extended to September 21, 2022.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments to the docket number identified in 
the heading of this document by any 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) 366-9332 before 
coming.
     Fax: 202-493-2251.
    Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and 
docket number. Note that all comments received will be posted without 
change to https://www.regulations.gov, including any personal 
information provided. Please see the Privacy Act discussion below. 
NHTSA will consider all comments received before the close of business 
on the comment closing date indicated above. To the extent possible, 
NHTSA will also consider comments filed after the closing date.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments received, go to https://www.regulations.gov at any time or to 
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 
Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
except Federal Holidays. Telephone: 202-366-9826.
    Privacy Act: In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(c), DOT solicits 
comments from the public to better inform its rulemaking process. DOT 
posts these comments, without edit, to www.regulations.gov, as 
described in the system of records notice, DOT/ALL-14 FDMS, accessible 
through www.dot.gov/privacy. In order to facilitate comment tracking 
and response, we encourage commenters to provide their name, or the 
name of their organization; however, submission of names is completely 
optional. Whether or not commenters identify themselves, all timely 
comments will be fully considered. If you wish to provide comments 
containing proprietary or confidential information, please contact the 
agency for alternate submission instructions.
    Confidential Business Information: If you wish to submit any 
information under a claim of confidentiality, you must submit your 
request directly to NHTSA's Office of the Chief Counsel. Requests for 
confidentiality are governed by part 512. NHTSA is currently treating 
electronic submission as an acceptable method for submitting 
confidential business information to the agency under part 512. If you 
would like to submit a request for confidential treatment, you may 
email your submission to Dan Rabinovitz in the Office of the Chief 
Counsel at [email protected] or you may contact Dan for a 
secure file transfer link. At this time, you should not send a 
duplicate hardcopy of your electronic CBI submissions to DOT 
headquarters. If

[[Page 51477]]

you claim that any of the information or documents provided to the 
agency constitute confidential business information within the meaning 
of 5 U.S.C. 552(b)(4), or are protected from disclosure pursuant to 18 
U.S.C. 1905, you must submit supporting information together with the 
materials that are the subject of the confidentiality request, in 
accordance with part 512, to the Office of the Chief Counsel. Your 
request must include a cover letter setting forth the information 
specified in our confidential business information regulation (49 CFR 
512.8) and a certificate, pursuant to Sec.  512.4(b) and part 512, 
appendix A. In addition, you should submit a copy, from which you have 
deleted the claimed confidential business information, to the Docket at 
the address given above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Callie Roach, Office of the Chief 
Counsel, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1200 New 
Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590. Telephone: 202-366-2992; Fax: 
202-366-3820.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On July 21, 2022, in accordance with 
statutory and administrative provisions, NHTSA published a notice 
announcing receipt of a petition from Ford seeking exemption from 
portions of seven FMVSS (87 FR 43602). Ford's petition sought exemption 
from portions of FMVSS No. 101, Controls and Displays; No. 102, 
Transmission Shift Position Sequence, Starter Interlock, and 
Transmission Braking Effect; No. 108, Lamps, Reflective Devices, and 
Associated Equipment; No. 111, Rear Visibility; No. 126, Electronic 
Stability Control Systems; No. 135, Light Vehicle Brake Systems; and 
No. 138, Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems. The notice sought public 
comment regarding the merits of Ford's exemption and on potential terms 
and conditions that should be applied to the temporary exemption if 
granted. The comment period for the notice is scheduled to end on 
August 22, 2022.

Comment Period Extension Requests

    NHTSA received six requests to extend the comment period on the 
notice by 60 days. NHTSA received a joint request from the Advocates 
for Highway and Auto Safety and the Center for Auto Safety and 
individual requests from the San Francisco Municipal Transportation 
Agency (SFMTA), the City of Oakland Department of Transportation 
(OakDOT), the National Association of City Transportation Officials 
(NACTO), the League of American Bicyclists, and America Walks.
    The Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety and the Center for Auto 
Safety submitted a joint letter on August 4, 2022, requesting a 60-day 
extension of the comment period. The requestors state that the novel 
petition at issue raises numerous complex technical and policy issues 
involving vehicle safety that necessitate significant analysis. The 
requesters further state that extending the comment period will permit 
them to provide NHTSA with comprehensive input on the many substantial 
questions raised. The requestors state that extending the public 
comment period is in the public interest and will provide the public 
with sufficient time to provide specific and thorough feedback to the 
agency in a timely manner.\1\
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    \1\ The requestors note that they are also seeking an extension 
of the comment period for a notice regarding a part 555 petition 
submitted by General Motors (GM) that was published on the same day 
as the Ford notice and that also has a comment period that ends on 
August 22, 2022. NHTSA will address this request separately.
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    SFMTA submitted a letter on August 8, 2022, requesting a 60-day 
extension of the comment period. SFMTA's request like the joint 
requesters', states that the petition raises numerous complex technical 
and policy issues involving vehicle safety that necessitate significant 
analysis. SFMTA also states that extending the comment period will 
permit them to provide comprehensive input on the many substantial 
questions raised. Further, SFMTA notes that, as the City of San 
Francisco is the location with the most intensive testing of automated 
vehicles to date, they have valuable insights to offer and stand to be 
significantly affected by the outcome of the petition.\2\
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    \2\ SFMTA also notes that they are also seeking an extension of 
the comment period for a notice regarding a part 555 petition 
submitted by General Motors (GM) that was published on the same day 
as the Ford notice and that also has a comment period that ends on 
August 22, 2022. NHTSA will address this request separately.
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    OakDOT submitted an email on August 10, 2022 requesting a 60-day 
extension of the comment period.\3\ OakDOT stated that they do not 
believe the comment period provides sufficient time for an adequate 
response. OakDOT further stated that, as a local jurisdiction that is 
charged with ensuring safety of their transportation system, they 
request additional time to allow cities like theirs to fully assess 
potential safety impacts and provide valuable comments.
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    \3\ OakDOT's email also requested a 60-day extension of the 
comment period for a notice regarding a part 555 petition submitted 
by General Motors (GM) that was published on the same day as the 
Ford notice and that also has a comment period that ends on August 
22, 2022. NHTSA will address this request separately.
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    Similar requests were also received from NACTO, the League of 
American Bicyclists, and America Walks on August 10, 2022, August 11, 
2022, and August 15, 2022, respectively.

Agency Decision

    After consideration of the requests, NHTSA has decided to grant an 
extension of the comment period. The agency has determined that an 
extension is consistent with the public interest. NHTSA agrees that 
allowing additional time for the public to provide comments would be in 
the public interest. Therefore, NHTSA is granting the aforementioned 
requests to extend the comment period; however, NHTSA is extending it 
only for 30 days. A 30-day extension appropriately balances NHTSA's 
interest in providing the public with sufficient time to comment on the 
notice, with its interest to issue a final decision on the petition in 
an expeditious manner.
    Authority: 49 U.S.C. 30113 and 30166; delegation of authority at 49 
CFR 1.95.

    Issued in Washington, DC, under authority delegated in 49 CFR 
1.95.
Steven S. Cliff,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2022-18102 Filed 8-18-22; 11:15 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P