[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 9 (Wednesday, January 14, 2026)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 1494-1495]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2026-00537]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
49 CFR Parts 523, 531, 533, 536, and 537
[NHTSA-2025-0491, NHTSA-2025-0490]
RIN 2127-AM76
The Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles Rule III for
Model Years 2022 to 2031 Passenger Cars and Light Trucks
AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),
Transportation.
ACTION: Proposed rule; extension of comment period.
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SUMMARY: NHTSA is announcing a 15-day extension of the comment period
for the proposed rule entitled The Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient
(SAFE) Vehicles Rule III for Model Years 2022 to 2031 Passenger Cars
and Light Trucks, published in the December 5, 2025 issue of the
Federal Register. NHTSA is also extending the comment period for the
Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (Draft SEIS) that
accompanies the proposed rule. The comment period was to end on January
20, 2026 (45 days after publication of the proposed rule in the Federal
Register). This document extends the comment period to February 4 to
allow the public additional time to comment on the proposed rule. NHTSA
is denying requests for additional public hearings based on the number
of testifiers that signed up to testify for NHTSA's virtual public
hearing, which was announced via Federal Register notice on December
12, 2025 and held on January 7, 2026.
DATES: The comment period for the proposed rule (90 FR 56438) published
December 5, 2025, is extended. Comments on the proposed rule and Draft
SEIS must be received by February 4. Late-filed comments may be
considered so far as possible without incurring additional expense or
delay.
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: U.S. Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building Ground Floor,
Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
Hand Delivery or Courier: 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West
Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET,
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
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 http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal
information provided. Please see the Privacy Act discussion below.
Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or
comments received, go to http://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 decision-making process.
DOT posts these comments, without edit, including any personal
information the commenter provides, to www.regulations.gov, as
described in the system of records notice (DOT/ALL-14 FDMS), which can
be reviewed at www.transportation.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.
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 49 CFR 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 him 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
[[Page 1495]]
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.
Paperwork Reduction Act: Comments on the proposed information
collection requirements should be submitted to: Office of Management
and Budget at www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. To find this
information collection, select ``Currently under Review--Open for
Public Comment'' or use the search function. It is requested that
comments sent to the OMB also be sent to the NHTSA rulemaking docket
identified in the heading of this document.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For technical and policy issues,
Joseph Bayer, CAFE Program Division Chief, Office of Rulemaking,
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue
SE, Washington, DC 20590; email: [email protected]. For legal issues,
Hannah Fish, NHTSA Office of the Chief Counsel, National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington,
DC 20590; email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On December 5, 2025, NHTSA published in the
Federal Register a proposed rule titled ``The Safer Affordable Fuel-
Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles Rule III for Model Years 2022 to 2031
Passenger Cars and Light Trucks.'' \1\ The public comment period for
the proposed rule was scheduled to end on January 20, 2026.
Additionally, the public comment period for NHTSA's Draft SEIS for the
proposed rule likewise was scheduled to end on January 20, 2026. NHTSA
also published a notice in the Federal Register on December 12, 2025
announcing a virtual public hearing to be held on January 7, 2026,
potentially extending into January 8, 2026 if needed.\2\ NHTSA received
four requests to extend the comment period (received by the agency's
dockets) as of the date of this notice. These requesters also asked
that the agency hold additional public hearings to allow more
opportunities for oral presentation of public comments, in additional
locations. A summary of these requests is as follows:
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\1\ 90 FR 56438 (Dec. 5, 2025).
\2\ 90 FR 57726 (Dec. 12, 2025).
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Extension length Public hearing
Requester Date submitted Docket ID No. requested requests
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Attorneys General of the States of December 10, 2025............. NHTSA-2025-0491-0154................ At least 45 days (at Significantly
New York, Maryland, Colorado, least a total of 90 increase the number
Delaware, Hawai`i, Maine, days for comment of public hearings,
Massachusetts, Minnesota, New period). including additional
Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode virtual hearings as
Island, Washington, and Wisconsin, well as in-person
and the Chief Legal Officer of the hearings at every
City of New York. NHTSA regional
office (including
NHTSA headquarters
in Washington, DC).
Zero Emission Transportation December 19, 2025............. NHTSA-2025-0491-1260................ At least 45 days (at Several additional
Association (ZETA). least a total of 90 public hearings,
days for comment including in-person
period). and virtual options.
The Center for Biological December 22, 2025............. NHTSA-2025-0490-0015, NHTSA-2025- At least 45 days (at At least two
Diversity, Environmental Defense 0491-1355. least a total of 90 additional public
Fund, Natural Resources Defense days for comment hearings.
Council, and Sierra Club. period).
Paul Billings, individual.......... January 7, 2026............... Public Hearing comment.............. At least 45 days (at None provided.
least a total of 90
days for comment
period).
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In support of their requests for longer comment periods and
additional public hearings, all requesters cited the time needed for
careful analysis and review, the technically complex changes from prior
analyses, and the potential significance of the proposed rule's
potential effects on the U.S. economy, consumers, human health, and the
environment.
After thorough consideration of these requests, NHTSA is extending
the public comment period for the proposed rule, as well as for the
Draft SEIS, by 15 days to February 4, 2026--a total of 60 days. The
agency believes that this amount of time should be adequate for
commenters to review fully and comment meaningfully on the proposed
rule and on the Draft SEIS. This length of time comports with prior
NHTSA CAFE comment periods \3\ and comment periods for other
significant rules,\4\ while balancing the public interest in timely
completion of the final rule.
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\3\ 86 FR 49602 (Sept. 3, 2021); 88 FR 56128 (Aug. 17, 2023).
\4\ See, e.g., Regulations.gov, Learn About the Regulatory
Process, https://www.regulations.gov/learn (``In a typical case, an
agency will allow 60 days for public comment. However, in some
cases, they provide either shorter or longer comment periods.'').
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NHTSA is denying requests for additional public hearings and for
hearings in additional locations. NHTSA reserved two days for the
agency's virtual public hearing to accommodate all potential requests
to testify, but the agency received requests to testify that only
covered part of one day. Given the number of requestors to testify, and
that a virtual public hearing format allows the most flexibility for
diverse public comments from commenters in multiple locations across
the country, NHTSA did not need to extend the virtual public hearing
into the additional day, nor did the agency schedule additional in-
person public hearings. In addition, given the ongoing opportunity for
written comment, the requesters have not demonstrated a need for
additional public hearings.
Issued on January 9, 2026 in Washington, DC, under authority
delegated in 49 CFR 1.95.
Jonathan Morrison,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2026-00537 Filed 1-13-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P