[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 161 (Monday, August 22, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51474-51476]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-18103]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket No. NHTSA-2022-0067]


General Motors--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 five requests to extend the comment period for 
a notice NHTSA published on July 21,

[[Page 51475]]

2022, seeking comment on NHTSA's receipt of a petition for temporary 
exemption from General Motors (GM). GM'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 GM'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 43959 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 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 GM seeking exemption from 
portions of six FMVSS (87 FR 43595). GM's petition sought exemption 
from portions of FMVSS No. 102; Transmission shift position sequence, 
starter interlock, and transmission braking effect, FMVSS No. 104; 
Windshield wiping and washing systems, FMVSS No. 108; Lamps, reflective 
devices, and associated equipment, FMVSS No. 111; Rear visibility, 
FMVSS No. 201; Occupant protection in interior impact, and FMVSS No. 
208; Occupant crash protection. The notice sought public comment 
regarding the merits of GM'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 five 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), and the League of American Bicyclists.
    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 Ford Motor Company (Ford) that was published on the 
same day as the GM 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

[[Page 51476]]

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, including the locus of GM's 
testing, 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 Ford Motor Company (Ford) that was published on the 
same day as the GM 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 Ford Motor Company (Ford) that was published on the same day as 
the GM 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 and the League of 
American Bicyclists on August 10, 2022 and August 11, 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. 2022-18103 Filed 8-18-22; 11:15 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P