10798 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 36 / Thursday, February 23, 2012 / Notices 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

Aviation Rulemaking Advisory 

Committee 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of withdrawal of task 

assignment to the Aviation Rulemaking 

Advisory Committee (ARAC). 

SUMMARY: The FAA has withdrawn a 

task assigned to the Aviation 

Rulemaking Advisory Committee 

(ARAC) concerning all weather 

operations. This notice is to inform the 

public of the FAA’s decision to 

withdraw this task. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Brenda D. Courtney, Manager, Aircraft 

and Airport Rules Division, Office of 

Rulemaking, Federal Aviation 

Administration, 800 Independence 

Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20591, 

brenda.courtney@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

The FAA established ARAC to 

provide advice and recommendations to 

the FAA Administrator on the FAA’s 

rulemaking activities. This includes 

obtaining advice and recommendations 

on the FAA’s commitments to 

harmonize Title 14 of the Code of 

Federal Regulations (14 CFR) with its 

partners in Europe and Canada. 

On November 26, 2003, the FAA 

published a notice in the Federal 

Register (68 FR 66524) informing the 

public of ARAC’s acceptance of a new 

task, and its decision to assign the task 

to the All Weather Operations 

Harmonization Working Group. Over 

the years since assigning this task to 

ARAC, the working group has provided 

support to the FAA, other civil aviation 

authorities and the International Civil 

Aviation Organization (ICAO). This 

collaborative effort has brought about 

standardized and harmonized systems 

and processes such as the Enhanced 

Flight Vision System and use of radar 

altimeters in Europe. The working group 

has also provided support to the ICAO 

Operations Panel and provided updates 

to the All Weather Operations Manual 

for ICAO. These efforts are important to 

the FAA and other civil aviation 

authorities; however, they are not tasks 

typically assigned to ARAC. As such, 

the FAA has decided to continue these 

efforts under a different venue. We 

anticipate establishing a separate 

committee charged to work 

collaboratively among the international 

aviation community, the FAA and other 

civil aviation authorities to ensure 

regulatory standards and policies 

related to all weather operations 

activities are standardized and 

harmonized in the interest of safety, and 

global economic efficiencies. 

Withdrawal of the all weather 

operations task completes the activities 

that were assigned to ARAC’s Air 

Carrier Operations Technical Subject 

Area. Because the FAA does not intend 

to assign any additional tasks to this 

technical area, the Air Carrier 

Operations Technical Subject Area is 

closed. The FAA has vetted the 

withdrawal of this task and our decision 

to close the Air Carrier Operations 

Technical Subject Area with the ARAC. 

Issued in Washington, DC, on February 13, 

2012. 

Pamela Hamilton-Powell, 

Executive Director, Aviation Rulemaking 

Advisory Committee. 

[FR Doc. 2012–3891 Filed 2–22–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Railroad Administration 

[Docket Number FRA–2001–10237] 

Petition for Waiver of Compliance 

In accordance with Part 211 of Title 

49 of the Code of Federal Regulations 

(CFR), this document provides the 

public notice that by a document dated 

February 1, 2012, the Port of Los 

Angeles, with the cooperation and input 

of Pacific Harbor Line (PHL), has 

petitioned the Federal Railroad 

Administration (FRA) for an extension 

of its waivers of compliance from 

certain provisions of the Federal 

railroad safety regulations contained at 

49 CFR part 217, Railroad Operating 

Rules; part 220, Railroad 

Communications; part 221, Rear End 

Marking Device—Passenger, Commuter 

and Freight Trains; part 223, Safety 

Glazing Standards—Locomotives, 

Passenger Cars and Cabooses; part 225, 

Railroad Accidents/Incidents: Reports 

Classification, and Investigations; part 

228, Hours of Service of Railroad 

Employees; Recordkeeping and 

Reporting; Sleeping Quarters; part 228, 

Subpart A—General, and Subpart B— 

Records and Reporting; part 229, 

Railroad Locomotive Safety Standards; 

part 231, Railroad Safety Appliance 

Standards; part 238, Passenger 

Equipment Safety Standards; and part 

239, Passenger Train Emergency 

Preparedness. FRA assigned the petition 

Docket Number FRA–2001–10237. 

The Port of Los Angeles explained 

that their request is consistent with the 

waiver process for shared use. See 

Statement of Agency Policy Concerning 

Jurisdiction Over the Safety of Railroad 

Passenger Operations and Waivers 

Related to Shared Use of the Tracks of 

the General Railroad System by Light 

Rail and Conventional Equipment, 65 

FR 42529 (July 10, 2000); see also Joint 

Statement of Agency Policy Concerning 

Shared Use of the Tracks of the General 

Railroad System by Conventional 

Railroads and Light Rail Transit 

Systems, 65 FR 42626 (July 10, 2000). 

The Port of Los Angeles received its 

initial waiver and permission from FRA 

on May 8, 2002. The Port of Los Angeles 

was granted a 5-year extension of the 

terms and conditions of the original 

waiver on April 24, 2007. 

The Port of Los Angeles stated in its 

most recent petition that it desires to 

continue the operation of the Red Car 

Line under the same rules, procedures, 

and directives as originally prescribed 

and granted by FRA. The Port of Los 

Angeles operates the ‘‘Waterfront Red 

Car Line’’ over 1.5 miles of PHL track, 

located in the Port of Los Angeles. 

Freight and vintage trolley operations 

are temporally separated on this portion 

of track. PHL no longer services 

Westway Terminal’s tank farm on this 

portion of track. 

A copy of the petition, as well as any 

written communications concerning the 

petition, is available for review online at 

www.regulations.gov and in person at 

the U.S. Department of Transportation’s 

(DOT) Docket Operations Facility, 1200 

New Jersey Avenue SE., W12–140, 

Washington, DC 20590. The Docket 

Operations Facility is open from 9 a.m. 

to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 

except Federal holidays. 

Interested parties are invited to 

participate in these proceedings by 

submitting written views, data, or 

comments. FRA does not anticipate 

scheduling a public hearing in 

connection with these proceedings since 

the facts do not appear to warrant a 

hearing. If any interested party desires 

an opportunity for oral comment, they 

should notify FRA, in writing, before 

the end of the comment period and 

specify the basis for their request. 

All communications concerning these 

proceedings should identify the 

appropriate docket number and may be 

submitted by any of the following 

methods: 

• Web site: http:// 

www.regulations.gov. Follow the online 

instructions for submitting comments. 

• Fax: 202–493–2251. 

• Mail: Docket Operations Facility, 

U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 

New Jersey Avenue SE., W12–140, 

Washington, DC 20590. 

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