[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 61 (Thursday, March 28, 2024)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 21468-21469]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-06610]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

29 CFR Part 1910

[Docket No. OSHA-2007-0073]
RIN 1218-AC91


Emergency Response Standard

AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), DOL.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM); extension of comment 
period.

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SUMMARY: OSHA is extending the period for submitting comments by 45 
days to allow stakeholders interested in the NPRM on Emergency Response 
additional time to review the NPRM and collect information and data 
necessary for comment.

DATES: The comment period for the NPRM that was published at 89 FR 7774 
on February 5, 2024, is extended. Comments on any aspect of the NPRM 
must be submitted by June 21, 2024.

ADDRESSES: 
    Written comments: You may submit comments and attachments, 
identified by Docket No. OSHA-2007-0073, electronically at 
www.regulations.gov, which is the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Follow 
the online instructions for making electronic submissions. The Federal 
e-Rulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov is the only way to submit 
comments on this NPRM.
    Instructions: All submissions must include the agency's name and 
the docket number for this rulemaking (Docket No. OSHA-2007-0073). All 
comments, including any personal information you provide, are placed in 
the public docket without change and may be made available online at 
www.regulations.gov. Therefore, OSHA cautions commenters about 
submitting information they do not want made available to the public or 
submitting materials that contain personal information (either about 
themselves or others), such as Social Security Numbers and birthdates.
    Docket: To read or download comments or other material in the 
docket, go to Docket No. OSHA-2007-0073 at www.regulations.gov. All 
comments and submissions are listed in the www.regulations.gov index;

[[Page 21469]]

however, some information (e.g., copyrighted material) is not publicly 
available to read or download through that website. All comments and 
submissions, including copyrighted material, are available for 
inspection through the OSHA Docket Office. Documents submitted to the 
docket by OSHA or stakeholders are assigned document identification 
numbers (Document ID) for easy identification and retrieval. The full 
Document ID is the docket number plus a unique four-digit code. OSHA is 
identifying supporting information in this NPRM by author name and 
publication year, when appropriate. This information can be used to 
search for a supporting document in the docket at www.regulations.gov. 
Contact the OSHA Docket Office at 202-693-2350 (TTY number: 877-889-
5627) for assistance in locating docket submissions.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 
    Press inquiries: Contact Frank Meilinger, Director, Office of 
Communications, U.S. Department of Labor; telephone: (202) 693-1999; 
email: [email protected].
    General and technical information: Contact Mark Hagemann, Director, 
Office of Safety Systems, Directorate of Standards and Guidance, 
Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of 
Labor; telephone (202) 693-2222; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    On February 5, 2024, OSHA issued an NPRM to initiate rulemaking to 
update the existing Fire Brigades standard. The proposed rule would 
expand the scope of OSHA's standard to include a broad range of hazards 
emergency responders encounter during emergency response activities and 
would bring the standard in line with the Federal Emergency Management 
Agency's (FEMA) National Response Framework. It would also modernize 
the standard to align with the current industry consensus standards 
issued by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) on the safe 
conduct of emergency response activities.
    The public comment period for the NPRM was to close on May 6, 2024, 
90 days after publication of the NPRM. However, OSHA received requests 
from stakeholders to extend the comment period by an additional 30 days 
(Document ID 0419); 60 days (see, e.g., Document ID 0426, 0428, 0439, 
0440); and 90 days (see, e.g., Document ID 0420, 0434, 0437, 0453). 
Stakeholders explained that they need additional time to carefully 
review the questions in the NPRM and gather data.
    OSHA agrees to an extension of the public comment period and 
believes a 45-day extension is sufficient and appropriate in order to 
balance the agency's need for stakeholder input with the agency's 
desire to proceed with the rulemaking in a timely manner. Therefore, 
OSHA is extending the public comment period until June 21, 2024.
    Additionally, several commenters submitted requests for a public 
hearing on the NPRM (see, e.g., Document ID 0435, 0444, 0456, 0459, 
0463). OSHA plans to hold a virtual public hearing after the close of 
the comment period to allow stakeholders from all over the country to 
participate. OSHA will publish a separate notice at a future date to 
announce the details of the public hearing.

Authority and Signature

    Douglas L. Parker, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational 
Safety and Health, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue 
NW, Washington, DC 20210, authorized the preparation of this document 
pursuant to the following authorities: Sections 4, 6, and 8 of the 
Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (29 U.S.C. 653, 655, 657); 
Secretary of Labor's Order 8-2020 (85 FR 58393 (Sept. 18, 2020)); 29 
CFR part 1911; and 5 U.S.C. 553.

    Signed at Washington, DC.
Douglas L. Parker,
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 2024-06610 Filed 3-27-24; 8:45 am]
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