Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 15 / Tuesday, January 26, 2021 / Notices 7169 

The complete application is available 

for review identified in the DOT docket 

as MARAD–2021–0002 at http://

www.regulations.gov. Interested parties 

may comment on the effect this action 

may have on U.S. vessel builders or 

businesses in the U.S. that use U.S.-flag 

vessels. If MARAD determines, in 

accordance with 46 U.S.C. 12121 and 

MARAD’s regulations at 46 CFR part 

388, that the issuance of the waiver will 

have an unduly adverse effect on a U.S.- 

vessel builder or a business that uses 

U.S.-flag vessels in that business, a 

waiver will not be granted. Comments 

should refer to the vessel name, state the 

commenter’s interest in the waiver 

application, and address the waiver 

criteria given in section 388.4 of 

MARAD’s regulations at 46 CFR part 

388. 

Public Participation 

How do I submit comments? 

Please submit your comments, 

including the attachments, following the 

instructions provided under the above 

heading entitled ADDRESSES. Be advised 

that it may take a few hours or even 

days for your comment to be reflected 

on the docket. In addition, your 

comments must be written in English. 

We encourage you to provide concise 

comments and you may attach 

additional documents as necessary. 

There is no limit on the length of the 

attachments. 

Where do I go to read public comments, 

and find supporting information? 

Go to the docket online at http://

www.regulations.gov, keyword search 

MARAD–2021–0002 or visit the Docket 

Management Facility (see ADDRESSES for 

hours of operation). We recommend that 

you periodically check the Docket for 

new submissions and supporting 

material. 

Will my comments be made available to 

the public? 

Yes. Be aware that your entire 

comment, including your personal 

identifying information, will be made 

publicly available. 

May I submit comments confidentially? 

If you wish to submit comments 

under a claim of confidentiality, you 

should submit three copies of your 

complete submission, including the 

information you claim to be confidential 

business information, to the Department 

of Transportation, Maritime 

Administration, Office of Legislation 

and Regulations, MAR–225, W24–220, 

1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, 

Washington, DC 20590. Include a cover 

letter setting forth with specificity the 

basis for any such claim and, if possible, 

a summary of your submission that can 

be made available to the public. 

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. 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. 

(Authority: 49 CFR 1.93(a), 46 U.S.C. 55103, 

46 U.S.C. 12121) 

Dated: January 21, 2021. 

By Order of the Associate Administrator 

for Strategic Sealift in lieu of the 

Administrator. 

T. Mitchell Hudson, Jr., 

Secretary, Maritime Administration. 

[FR Doc. 2021–01652 Filed 1–25–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–81–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Maritime Administration 

[Docket No. MARAD–2021–0003] 

Requested Administrative Waiver of 

the Coastwise Trade Laws: Vessel 

PA860 (Motor Vessel); Invitation for 

Public Comments 

AGENCY: Maritime Administration, DOT. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Secretary of 

Transportation, as represented by the 

Maritime Administration (MARAD), is 

authorized to grant waivers of the U.S.- 

build requirements of the coastwise 

trade laws to allow the carriage of no 

more than twelve passengers for hire on 

vessels, which are three years old or 

more. A request for such a waiver has 

been received by MARAD. The vessel, 

and a brief description of the proposed 

service, is listed below. 

DATES: Submit comments on or before 

February 25, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

identified by DOT Docket Number 

MARAD–2021–0003 by any one of the 

following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov. Search 

MARAD–2021–0003 and follow the 

instructions for submitting comments. 

• Mail or Hand Delivery: Docket 

Management Facility is in the West 

Building, Ground Floor of the U.S. 

Department of Transportation. The 

Docket Management Facility location 

address is: U.S. Department of 

Transportation, MARAD–2021–0003, 

1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West 

Building, Room W12–140, Washington, 

DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., 

Monday through Friday, except on 

Federal holidays. 

Note: If you mail or hand-deliver your 

comments, we recommend that you 

include your name and a mailing 

address, an email address, or a 

telephone number in the body of your 

document so that we can contact you if 

we have questions regarding your 

submission. 

Instructions: All submissions received 

must include the agency name and 

specific docket number. All comments 

received will be posted without change 

to the docket at www.regulations.gov, 

including any personal information 

provided. For detailed instructions on 

submitting comments, see the section 

entitled Public Participation. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Russell Haynes, U.S. Department of 

Transportation, Maritime 

Administration, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE, Room W23–461, 

Washington, DC 20590. Telephone 202– 

366–3157, Email Russell.Haynes@

dot.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: As 

described by the applicant the intended 

service of the vessel PA860 is: 

—Intended Commercial Use of Vessel: 

‘‘Whale watching tours’’ 

—Geographic Region Including Base of 

Operations: ‘‘California’’ (Base of 

Operations: Long Beach, California) 

—Vessel Length and Type: 28.3′ Motor 

Vessel 

The complete application is available 

for review identified in the DOT docket 

as MARAD–2021–0003 at http://

www.regulations.gov. Interested parties 

may comment on the effect this action 

may have on U.S. vessel builders or 

businesses in the U.S. that use U.S.-flag 

vessels. If MARAD determines, in 

accordance with 46 U.S.C. 12121 and 

MARAD’s regulations at 46 CFR part 

388, that the issuance of the waiver will 

have an unduly adverse effect on a U.S.- 

vessel builder or a business that uses 

U.S.-flag vessels in that business, a 

waiver will not be granted. Comments 

should refer to the vessel name, state the 

commenter’s interest in the waiver 

7170 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 15 / Tuesday, January 26, 2021 / Notices 

1 Globally, including the United States, the deaths 

of at least 30 people are attributable to these 

rupturing Takata inflators. 

2The May 2015 Consent Order is available at: 

https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.dot.gov/files/ 

documents/consent-order-takata-05182015_0.pdf. 

3Recall Nos. 15E–040, 15E–041, 15E–042, and 

15E–043. 

4The twelve vehicle manufacturers affected by 

the May 2015 recalls were: BMW of North America, 

LLC; FCA US, LLC (formerly Chrysler); Daimler 

Trucks North America, LLC; Daimler Vans USA, 

LLC; Ford Motor Company; General Motors, LLC; 

American Honda Motor Company; Mazda North 

American Operations; Mitsubishi Motors North 

America, Inc.; Nissan North America, Inc.; Subaru 

of America, Inc.; and Toyota Motor Engineering and 

Manufacturing. 

application, and address the waiver 

criteria given in section 388.4 of 

MARAD’s regulations at 46 CFR part 

388. 

Public Participation 

How do I submit comments? 

Please submit your comments, 

including the attachments, following the 

instructions provided under the above 

heading entitled ADDRESSES. Be advised 

that it may take a few hours or even 

days for your comment to be reflected 

on the docket. In addition, your 

comments must be written in English. 

We encourage you to provide concise 

comments and you may attach 

additional documents as necessary. 

There is no limit on the length of the 

attachments. 

Where do I go to read public comments, 

and find supporting information? 

Go to the docket online at http://

www.regulations.gov, keyword search 

MARAD–2021–0003 or visit the Docket 

Management Facility (see ADDRESSES for 

hours of operation). We recommend that 

you periodically check the Docket for 

new submissions and supporting 

material. 

Will my comments be made available to 

the public? 

Yes. Be aware that your entire 

comment, including your personal 

identifying information, will be made 

publicly available. 

May I submit comments confidentially? 

If you wish to submit comments 

under a claim of confidentiality, you 

should submit three copies of your 

complete submission, including the 

information you claim to be confidential 

business information, to the Department 

of Transportation, Maritime 

Administration, Office of Legislation 

and Regulations, MAR–225, W24–220, 

1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, 

Washington, DC 20590. Include a cover 

letter setting forth with specificity the 

basis for any such claim and, if possible, 

a summary of your submission that can 

be made available to the public. 

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. 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. 

(Authority: 49 CFR 1.93(a), 46 U.S.C. 55103, 

46 U.S.C. 12121) 

* * * * * 

Dated: January 21, 2021. 

By Order of the Associate Administrator 

for Strategic Sealift in lieu of the 

Administrator. 

T. Mitchell Hudson, Jr., 

Secretary, Maritime Administration. 

[FR Doc. 2021–01653 Filed 1–25–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–81–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

National Highway Traffic Safety 

Administration 

[Docket No. NHTSA–2017–0092] 

Mazda North American Operations; 

Denial of Petition for 

Inconsequentiality 

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic 

Safety Administration (NHTSA), 

Department of Transportation. 

ACTION: Denial of petition. 

SUMMARY: On July 10, 2017, Takata 

Corporation (‘‘Takata’’) filed a defect 

information report (‘‘DIR’’) in which it 

determined that a safety-related defect 

exists in phase-stabilized ammonium 

nitrate (‘‘PSAN’’) driver-side air bag 

inflators that it manufactured with a 

calcium sulfate desiccant and supplied 

to Ford Motor Company (‘‘Ford’’), 

Mazda North American Operations 

(‘‘Mazda’’), and Nissan North America 

Inc. (‘‘Nissan’’) for use in certain 

vehicles. Mazda’s vehicles identified by 

Takata’s DIR were designed by Ford and 

were built on the same platform and 

using the same air bag inflators as one 

of the affected Ford vehicles. Mazda 

petitioned the Agency for a decision 

that the equipment defect determined to 

exist by Takata is inconsequential as it 

relates to motor vehicle safety in the 

Mazda vehicles affected by Takata’s 

DIR, and that Mazda should therefore be 

relieved of its notification and remedy 

obligations under the National Traffic 

and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966 

and its applicable regulations. After 

reviewing the petition, NHTSA has 

concluded that Mazda has not met its 

burden of establishing that the defect is 

inconsequential to motor vehicle safety, 

and denies the petition. 

ADDRESSES: For further information 

about this decision, contact Stephen 

Hench, Office of Chief Counsel, 

National Highway Traffic Safety 

Administration, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE, W41–229, Washington, DC 

20590 (Tel. 202.366.2262). 

For general information about 

NHTSA’s investigation into Takata air 

bag inflator ruptures and the related 

recalls, visit https://www.nhtsa.gov/ 

takata. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background 

The Takata air bag inflator recalls 

(‘‘Takata recalls’’) are the largest and 

most complex vehicle recalls in U.S. 

history. These recalls currently involve 

19 vehicle manufacturers and 

approximately 67 million Takata air bag 

inflators in tens of millions of vehicles 

in the United States alone. The recalls 

are due to a design defect, whereby the 

propellant used in Takata’s air bag 

inflators degrades after long-term 

exposure to high humidity and 

temperature cycling. During air bag 

deployment, this propellant degradation 

can cause the inflator to over-pressurize, 

causing sharp metal fragments (like 

shrapnel) to penetrate the air bag and 

enter the vehicle compartment. To date, 

these rupturing Takata inflators have 

resulted in the deaths of 18 people 

across the United States 1 and over 400 

alleged injuries, including lacerations 

and other serious consequences to 

occupants’ face, neck, and chest areas. 

In May 2015, NHTSA issued, and 

Takata agreed to, a Consent Order,2 and 

Takata filed four defect information 

reports (‘‘DIRs’’) 3 for inflators installed 

in vehicles manufactured by twelve 4

vehicle manufacturers. Recognizing that 

these unprecedented recalls would 

involve many challenges for vehicle 

manufacturers and consumers, NHTSA 

began an administrative proceeding in 

June 2015 providing public notice and 

seeking comment (Docket Number 

NHTSA–2015–0055). This effort 

culminated in NHTSA’s establishment