4362 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 15 / Tuesday, January 23, 2024 / Notices 

available in a central system for 

analysis. 

Brendan Garvin, 

Director of Management and Budget, Bureau 

of Global Health Diplomacy and Security, 

Department of State. 

[FR Doc. 2024–01151 Filed 1–22–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4710–10–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Railroad Administration 

[Docket No. FRA–2024–0001] 

Establishment of an Emergency Relief 

Docket for Calendar Year 2024 

AGENCY: Federal Railroad 

Administration (FRA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Notice of establishment of 

public docket. 

SUMMARY: This Notice announces the 

establishment of FRA’s emergency relief 

docket (ERD) for calendar year 2024. 

The designated ERD for calendar year 

2024 is docket number FRA–2024–0001. 

ADDRESSES: See SUPPLEMENTARY

INFORMATION section for further 

information regarding submitting 

petitions and/or comments to docket 

number FRA–2024–0001. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On May 

19, 2009, FRA published a direct final 

rule establishing ERDs and the 

procedures for handling petitions for 

emergency waivers of safety rules, 

regulations, or standards during an 

emergency situation or event. 74 FR 

23329. That direct final rule became 

effective on July 20, 2009, and made 

minor modifications to 49 CFR 211.45 

in FRA’s Rules of Practice in 49 CFR 

part 211. Section 211.45(b) provides that 

each calendar year FRA will establish 

an ERD in the publicly accessible DOT 

docket system (available at 

www.regulations.gov). Section 211.45(b) 

further provides that FRA will publish 

a notice in the Federal Register 

identifying by docket number the ERD 

for that year. FRA established the ERD 

and emergency waiver procedures to 

provide an expedited process for FRA to 

address the needs of the public and the 

railroad industry during emergency 

situations or events. This Notice 

announces the designated ERD for 

calendar year 2024 is docket number 

FRA–2024–0001. 

As detailed in § 211.45, if the FRA 

Administrator determines an emergency 

event as defined in 49 CFR 211.45(a) has 

occurred, or that an imminent threat of 

such an emergency occurring exists, and 

public safety would benefit from 

providing the railroad industry with 

operational relief, the emergency waiver 

procedures of 49 CFR 211.45 will go 

into effect. In such an event, the FRA 

Administrator will issue a statement in 

the ERD indicating the emergency 

waiver procedures are in effect and FRA 

will make every effort to post the 

statement on its website at 

railroads.dot.gov. Any party desiring 

relief from FRA regulatory requirements 

as a result of the emergency should 

submit a petition for emergency waiver 

under 49 CFR 211.45(e) and (f). Specific 

instructions for filing petitions for 

emergency waivers under 49 CFR 

211.45 are found at 49 CFR 211.45(f). 

Specific instructions for filing 

comments in response to petitions for 

emergency waivers are at 49 CFR 

211.45(h). 

Privacy 

Anyone can search the electronic 

form of any written communications 

and comments received into any of our 

dockets by the name of the individual 

submitting the comment (or signing the 

document, if submitted on behalf of an 

association, business, labor union, etc.). 

Under 5 U.S.C. 553(c), DOT solicits 

comments from the public to better 

inform its processes. 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. See also https://

www.regulations.gov/privacy-notice for 

the privacy notice of regulations.gov. 

Issued in Washington, DC. 

John Karl Alexy, 

Associate Administrator for Railroad Safety, 

Chief Safety Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2024–01209 Filed 1–22–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–06–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Railroad Administration 

[Docket Number FRA–2018–0072] 

Petition for Extension of Waiver of 

Compliance 

Under part 211 of title 49 Code of 

Federal Regulations (CFR), this 

document provides the public notice 

that on December 14, 2023, North 

County Transit District (NCTD) 

petitioned the Federal Railroad 

Administration (FRA) for an extension 

of a waiver of compliance from certain 

provisions of the Federal railroad safety 

regulations contained at 49 CFR part 

240 (Qualification and Certification of 

Locomotive Engineers) and part 242 

(Qualification and Certification of 

Conductors). The relevant Docket 

Number is FRA–2018–0072. 

Specifically, NCTD requests relief 

required to continue participation in 

FRA’s Confidential Close Call Reporting 

System (C3RS) Program. NCTD seeks to 

continue shielding reporting employees 

from mandatory punitive sanctions that 

would otherwise arise as provided in 

§§ 240.117(e)(1)–(4); 240.305(a)(1)–(4) 

and (a)(6); 240.307; 242.403(b), (c), 

(e)(1)–(4), (e)(6)–(11), (f)(1)–(2); and 

242.407. The C3RS Program encourages 

certified operating crew members to 

report close calls and protects the 

employees and the railroad from 

discipline or sanctions arising from the 

incidents reported per the C3RS 

Implementing Memorandum of 

Understanding. 

A copy of the petition, as well as any 

written communications concerning the 

petition, is available for review online at 

www.regulations.gov. 

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 parties desire 

an opportunity for oral comment and a 

public hearing, 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 at www.regulations.gov. 

Follow the online instructions for 

submitting comments. 

Communications received by March 

25, 2024 will be considered by FRA 

before final action is taken. Comments 

received after that date will be 

considered if practicable. 

Anyone can search the electronic 

form of any written communications 

and comments received into any of our 

dockets by the name of the individual 

submitting the comment (or signing the 

document, if submitted on behalf of an 

association, business, labor union, etc.). 

Under 5 U.S.C. 553(c), DOT solicits 

comments from the public to better 

inform its processes. 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 https://

www.transportation.gov/privacy. See 

also https://www.regulations.gov/ 


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