15780 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 57 / Thursday, March 24, 2016 / Notices 

1Operating Limitations at John F. Kennedy 

International Airport, 79 FR 16855 (March 26, 

2014). Operating Limitations at New York 

LaGuardia Airport, 79 FR 17223 (March 26, 2014). 

Operating Limitation at Newark Liberty 

International Airport, 79 FR 16.859 (March 26, 

2014). 

(mail or email) by April 18, 2016, so that 

the information can be made available 

to COMSTAC members for their review 

and consideration before the April 27– 

28, 2016 meeting. Written statements 

should be supplied in the following 

formats: One hard copy with original 

signature and/or one electronic copy via 

email. 

An agenda will be posted on the FAA 

Web site at www.faa.gov/go/ast. For 

specific information concerning the 

times and locations of the COMSTAC 

working group meetings, contact the 

Contact Person listed below. 

Individuals who plan to attend and 

need special assistance, such as sign 

language interpretation or other 

reasonable accommodations, should 

inform the Contact Persons listed below 

in advance of the meeting. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Michael Beavin, telephone (202) 267– 

9051; email Michael.beavin@faa.gov, 

FAA Office of Commercial Space 

Transportation, 800 Independence 

Avenue SW., Room 331, Washington, 

DC 20591. 

Complete information regarding 

COMSTAC is available on the FAA Web 

site at: http://www.faa.gov/about/office_

org/headquarters_offices/ast/advisory_

committee/. 

Issued in Washington, DC, March 18, 2016. 

George C. Nield, 

Associate Administrator for Commercial 

Space Transportation. 

[FR Doc. 2016–06690 Filed 3–23–16; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

Orders Limiting Operations at John F. 

Kennedy International Airport, 

LaGuardia Airport and Newark Liberty 

International Airport 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of availability of limited 

waiver of the slot usage requirement. 

SUMMARY: This action announces a 

limited waiver of the requirement to use 

Operating Authorizations (slots) at John 

F. Kennedy International Airport, 

LaGuardia Airport, and Newark Liberty 

International Airport due to significant 

impacts of winter weather in January 

2016. This policy is effective from 

January 22, 2016, through January 26, 

2016. Carriers who seek to obtain a 

waiver must submit information on 

flight cancellations and the slots for 

which relief is requested. 

DATES: Effective Date: Effective upon 

publication. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

questions concerning this Notice 

contact: Susan Pfingstler, System 

Operations Services, Air Traffic 

Organization, Federal Aviation 

Administration, 600 Independence 

Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20591; 

telephone (202) 267–6462; email 

susan.pfingstler@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

Under the FAA’s Orders limiting 

operations at John F. Kennedy 

International Airport (JFK), New York 

LaGuardia Airport (LGA), and Newark 

Liberty International Airport (EWR), 

slots must be used at least 80 percent of 

the time.1 This usage requirement is 

expected to accommodate routine 

cancellations under all but the most 

unusual circumstances. Slots not 

meeting the minimum usage rules will 

be withdrawn or not receive historic 

precedence for the following scheduling 

season, depending on the airport. The 

FAA may grant a waiver from the 

minimum usage requirement in highly 

unusual and unpredictable conditions 

that are beyond the control of the carrier 

and affect carrier operations for five or 

more consecutive days at JFK, LGA, and 

EWR. 

Recent weather on the East Coast 

severely disrupted aviation and other 

modes of transportation. A winter storm 

from January 22 to January 24, 2016, 

impacting the mid-Atlantic and 

Northeast regions, resulted in record 

snowfall levels in several locations, 

including the New York City area. The 

storm impacted a widespread area in the 

eastern U.S., including airports with 

regularly scheduled flights to or from 

the New York City area. The storm 

resulted in reduced airport capacity due 

to snow accumulation on runways and 

taxiways. Further, this storm covered a 

wide geographical area and impacted 

capacity and operations at outlying 

airports with service to EWR, JFK, and 

LGA. 

Carriers responded to the forecasted 

storm by proactively cancelling flights 

to avoid stranding passengers, to 

minimize the number of aircraft on the 

ground at airports affected by the storm, 

and to position aircraft and crews to 

implement network recovery plans and 

resume normal operations as soon as 

possible. Cumulative effects from the 

storm impacted operations for some 

carriers until January 26, 2016. 

FAA operational data (OPSNET) on 

the number of actual air carrier and air 

taxi operations at EWR, JFK, and LGA 

indicate flight cancellations began on 

January 22 and the impacts were most 

significant on Saturday, January 23 and 

Sunday, January 24. On January 22, 

about 20 percent of EWR and LGA 

flights were cancelled compared to 

other Fridays in January while about ten 

percent of JFK flights were cancelled. 

On January 23, EWR had 18 air carrier 

and air taxi operations, JFK had 58 and 

LGA had three. On January 24, EWR had 

67 air carrier and air taxi operations, 

JFK had 447, and LGA had 107. On 

January 25 and 26, EWR had less than 

60 percent of typical January traffic 

levels while snow removal efforts 

continued. All three airports were at 

typical operation levels by Wednesday, 

January 27. Consequently, some carriers 

have advised the FAA of plans to 

request a waiver of the minimum slot 

usage requirements due to the number 

of flight cancellations and the extent 

and duration of disruptions. 

Statement of Policy 

The FAA has determined that the 

facts described above meet the criteria 

for a limited waiver of the minimum 

slot usage requirement. The winter 

storm caused cumulative effects with 

operational disruptions that impacted 

carriers at the New York City area slot 

controlled airports lasting five 

consecutive days. The FAA believes the 

impact of this storm on air travel 

constitutes unusual and unpredictable 

circumstances. 

The FAA has determined that 

adopting a policy setting forth 

conditions for a waiver of the usage 

policy during the January 22–26, 2016, 

period is warranted in these 

circumstances. However, this waiver 

will apply only to flights that were 

scheduled to operate on one or more of 

the impacted days. A carrier seeking to 

obtain the relief consistent with this 

Notice is required to submit detailed 

information regarding scheduled flights, 

cancellations, and the associated slots at 

each airport for each day relief is 

requested, as discussed further in this 

Notice. 

As the FAA has stated previously, 

waivers to the usage requirements will 

not be granted routinely. Slot rules 

allow for up to 20 percent nonuse, 

including planned and unplanned 

cancellations. This is expected to 

accommodate weather and other 

cancellations or planned non-use of 


asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 57 / Thursday, March 24, 2016 / Notices 15781 

slots under all but the most unusual 

circumstances. Carriers should plan 

schedules in order to meet the 

minimum usage requirement. 

Consistent with this Notice, the FAA 

will treat as used, any slot allocated to 

a carrier on January 22 through 26, 

2016, for which there was a planned 

flight that was subsequently cancelled. 

A waiver will not apply to slots without 

a corresponding scheduled flight as the 

carrier should have already factored 

nonuse on those days into their usage 

plans. In order to obtain a waiver under 

this policy, a carrier must provide a list 

of the cancelled flights at each slotcontrolled airport, including the 

reported slot identification number, 

operating carrier, flight number, date, 

scheduled time of operation, scheduled 

origin or destination airport, and the 

diversion airport, if applicable. 

Carriers must submit the detailed slot 

and flight information to the FAA Slot 

Administration Office by email to 

7-awa-slotadmin@faa.gov. Carriers at 

LGA, which reported usage in midMarch, will have until April 8, 2016, to 

submit additional information to request 

a waiver under the terms of this Notice. 

At JFK and EWR, usage reports for the 

winter 2015–2016 scheduling season are 

due by April 25, 2016. Carriers at JFK 

and EWR must request a waiver request 

under this Notice by the due date of the 

reports. The FAA will review the 

submission to determine if it meets the 

terms of this limited waiver. Based on 

the submitted information, the FAA will 

respond to individual carriers via email 

confirming the slots that will be treated 

as used under this policy. 

Issued in Washington, DC, on March 21, 

2016. 

Lorelei Peter, 

Assistant Chief Counsel for Regulations. 

[FR Doc. 2016–06692 Filed 3–23–16; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Railroad Administration 

[Docket No. FRA 2016–0002–N–8] 

Proposed Agency Information 

Collection Activities; Comment 

Request 

AGENCY: Federal Railroad 

Administration (FRA), Department of 

Transportation. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and 

its implementing regulations, the 

Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) 

hereby announces that it is seeking an 

extension of the following currently 

approved information collection 

activities. On February 19, 2016, FRA 

published in the Federal Register its 

request for Emergency Clearance for 

new Form FRA F 6180.167, Bridge 

Inspection Report Public Version 

Request Form. See 81 FR 8588. The 

information collection activities 

associated with Form FRA F 6180.167 

received a six-month emergency 

approval from OMB on February 25, 

2016. FRA seeks a regular clearance 

(extension of the current approval for 

three years) to continue this effort to 

provide a means for a State or a political 

subdivision of a State to obtain a public 

version of a bridge inspection report 

generated by a railroad for a bridge 

located within their respective 

jurisdiction. Before submitting these 

information collection requirements for 

clearance by the Office of Management 

and Budget (OMB), FRA is soliciting 

public comment on specific aspects of 

the activities identified below. 

DATES: Comments must be received no 

later than May 23, 2016. 

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments 

on any or all of the following proposed 

activities by mail to either: Mr. Robert 

Brogan, Information Collection 

Clearance Officer, Office of Railroad 

Safety, Regulatory Safety Analysis 

Division, RRS–21, Federal Railroad 

Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave. 

SE., Mail Stop 17, Washington, DC 

20590, or Ms. Kimberly Toone, 

Information Collection Clearance 

Officer, Office of Information 

Technology, RAD–20, Federal Railroad 

Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave. 

SE., Mail Stop 35, Washington, DC 

20590. Commenters requesting FRA to 

acknowledge receipt of their respective 

comments must include a self-addressed 

stamped postcard stating, ‘‘Comments 

on OMB control number 2130–0586.’’ 

Alternatively, comments may be 

transmitted via facsimile to (202) 493– 

6216 or (202) 493–6497, or via email to 

Mr. Brogan at Robert.Brogan@dot.gov, or 

to Ms. Toone at Kim.Toone@dot.gov. 

Please refer to the assigned OMB control 

number in any correspondence 

submitted. FRA will summarize 

comments received in response to this 

notice in a subsequent notice and 

include them in its information 

collection submission to OMB for 

approval. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Mr. Robert Brogan, Information 

Collection Clearance Officer, Regulatory 

Safety Analysis Division, RRS–21, 

Federal Railroad Administration, 1200 

New Jersey Ave. SE., Mail Stop 25, 

Washington, DC 20590 (telephone: (202) 

493–6292) or Ms. Kimberly Toone, 

Information Collection Clearance 

Officer, Office of Information 

Technology, RAD–20, Federal Railroad 

Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave. 

SE., Mail Stop 35, Washington, DC 

20590 (telephone: (202) 493–6132). 

(These telephone numbers are not tollfree.) 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 

(PRA), Public Law 104–13, sec. 2, 109 

Stat. 163 (1995) (codified as revised at 

44 U.S.C. 3501–3520), and its 

implementing regulations, 5 CFR part 

1320, require Federal agencies to 

provide notice to the public for 

comment on information collection 

activities before seeking approval for 

reinstatement or renewal by OMB. 44 

U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A); 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), 

1320.10(e)(1), 1320.12(a). Specifically, 

FRA invites interested respondents to 

comment on the following summary of 

proposed information collection 

activities regarding (i) whether the 

information collection activities are 

necessary for FRA to properly execute 

its functions, including whether the 

activities will have practical utility; (ii) 

the accuracy of FRA’s estimates of the 

burden of the information collection 

activities, including the validity of the 

methodology and assumptions used to 

determine the estimates; (iii) ways for 

FRA to enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information being 

collected; and (iv) ways for FRA to 

minimize the burden of information 

collection activities on the public by 

automated, electronic, mechanical, or 

other technological collection 

techniques or other forms of information 

technology (e.g., permitting electronic 

submission of responses). See 44 U.S.C. 

3506(c)(2)(A)(I)–(iv); 5 CFR 

1320.8(d)(1)(I)–(iv). FRA believes that 

soliciting public comment will promote 

its efforts to reduce the administrative 

and paperwork burdens associated with 

the collection of information mandated 

by Federal regulations. In summary, 

FRA reasons that comments received 

will advance three objectives: (i) Reduce 

reporting burdens; (ii) ensure that it 

organizes information collection 

requirements in a ‘‘user friendly’’ format 

to improve the use of such information; 

and (iii) accurately assess the resources 

expended to retrieve and produce 

information requested. See 44 U.S.C. 

3501. 

Below is a brief summary of the 

currently approved information 

collection request that FRA will submit 

for clearance by OMB as required under 

the PRA: 


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