[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 92 (Monday, May 14, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Page 27171]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-9169]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration


Petition for Waiver of Compliance

    In accordance with Part 211 of Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations 
(CFR), notice is hereby given that the Federal Railroad Administration 
(FRA) received a request for a waiver of compliance from certain 
requirements of its safety standards. The individual petition is 
described below, including the party seeking relief, the regulatory 
provisions involved, the nature of the relief being requested, and the 
petitioner's arguments in favor of relief.

Union Pacific Railroad Company

[Waiver Petition Docket Number FRA-2007-28049]

    The Union Pacific Railroad Company (UP) seeks a waiver of 
compliance with the Locomotive Safety Standards of 49 CFR 229.123, 
which requires each lead locomotive to be equipped with an end plate, 
pilot plate, or snow plow that extends across both rails at a maximum 
clearance of 6 inches. UP requests the waiver for four locomotive hump 
sets utilized in hump yard service in Houston, Texas. UP also requests 
that they be able to use these locomotives for transfer movements 
between Settagast Yard and Englewood Yard, a distance of less than 1 
mile, at a speed not to exceed 10 mph. The railroad indicates that due 
to the height of the retarders, it is not uncommon for locomotive 
pilots to strike the retarders. If the waiver is granted, UP would 
increase the height of the pilot plates on locomotives assigned to hump 
yard service in Houston to eight and three-fourths inches. With the 
exception of transfer movements between Settagast and Englewood yards, 
the locomotives would be restricted to trailing position outside the 
hump yard and when moving over the railroad for service or 
reassignment.
    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 (FRA-2007-28049) and must be submitted to the 
Docket Clerk, DOT Docket Management Facility, Room PL-401 (Plaza 
Level), 400 7th Street SW., Washington, DC 20590. Communications 
received within 45 days of the date of this notice will be considered 
by FRA before final action is taken. Comments received after that date 
will be considered as far as practicable. All written communications 
concerning these proceedings are available for examination during 
regular business hours (9 a.m.-5 p.m.) at the above facility. All 
documents in the public docket are also available for inspection and 
copying on the Internet at the docket facility's Web site at http://dms.dot.gov.
    Anyone is able to search the electronic form of all comments 
received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual 
submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf 
of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review DOT's 
complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published on 
April 11, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 70; Pages 19477-78). The Statement 
may also be found at http://dms.dot.gov.

    Issued in Washington, DC on May 7, 2007.
Grady C. Cothen, Jr.,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety Standards and Program 
Development.
[FR Doc. E7-9169 Filed 5-11-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P