[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 216 (Tuesday, November 7, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Page 66801]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-28532]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket No. NHTSA-00-8228]


Session of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe 
World Forum for the Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 
Department of Transportation.

ACTION: Notice regarding upcoming UN/ECE WP.29 Session in Geneva, 
Switzerland.

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SUMMARY: The UN/ECE World Forum for the Harmonization of Vehicle 
Regulations (UN/ECE WP.29) will hold its one hundred and twenty second 
session on November 7-10, 2000. The purpose of this notice is to inform 
the public that NHTSA will not be ready at that session in Geneva to 
submit its recommendations concerning the establishment of priorities 
under the 1998 Global Agreement. Further, NHTSA has decided that 
holding a public meeting to discuss the upcoming November session is 
not warranted.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Julie Abraham, Director, Office of 
International Policy and Harmonization, NPP-01, National Highway 
Traffic Safety Administration, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 
20590. Telephone: (202) 366-2114. Fax: (202) 366-2559.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. NHTSA's Final Recommendations

    The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE) 
Agreement Concerning the Establishing of Global Technical Regulations 
for Wheeled Vehicles, Equipment and Parts Which Can Be Fitted and/or 
Used on Wheeled Vehicles (1998 Global Agreement) has entered into force 
on August 25, 2000. In anticipation of the agreement's entry into 
force, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) 
issued a notice on July 12, 2000, seeking public comments on its 
preliminary recommendations for the first motor vehicle safety 
technical regulations or aspects of regulations to be considered for 
establishment under the 1998 Global Agreement.
    In the notice (published July 18, 2000; 65 Fed. Reg. 44565), NHTSA 
categorized its recommendations into two main groups: (1) priority 
recommendations and (2) other recommendations. The priority items 
included generally those foreign standards and/or aspects of those 
standards that may represent best current safety practices from 
existing national and regional regulations, and whose addition to the 
existing Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) would improve 
the level of vehicle safety in the U.S. In the notice, the agency 
stated that, in allocating its resources, it will give priority to the 
recommendations in this category.
    The ``Other Recommendations'' group comprised those U.S. standards 
or aspects of those standards that may represent best current safety 
practices and should be therefore considered by other contracting 
parties to the 1998 Global Agreement in the establishment of global 
technical regulations.
    In addition to the above mentioned categories, the notice also 
referred to the suggestions that had been received by the United 
Nations' Economic Commission for Europe World Forum for Harmonization 
of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29) from the governments of Japan and the 
Russian Federation and various industry and consumer groups. These 
suggestions are posted in the NHTSA docket (NHTSA-00-7638).
    In the notice, NHTSA sought comments on its preliminary 
recommendations. It specifically asked whether any changes should be 
made to its list of preliminary recommendations and whether any of the 
standards listed in the proposals submitted to WP.29 by other 
governments and by non-governmental organizations should be added to 
NHTSA's list. In addition, NHTSA asked whether the agency's rulemaking 
priority activities under the Vehicle Safety Act and those under WP.29 
should be linked, and if so, to what extent?
    NHTSA received comments from Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, 
the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, Flat Glass Manufacturers 
Association of Japan, Honda, the International Organization of Motor 
Vehicle Manufacturers (OICA), the Rubber Manufacturers Association, and 
Toyota.
    NHTSA had anticipated completing its consideration of the public 
comments and publishing a revised list of recommendations prior to the 
November 7-10, 2000 meeting of WP.29 so that it could formally present 
its recommendations to WP.29 at that meeting. However, the agency has 
not completed its analysis of the comments and will not be ready to 
make such a proposal at the November 2000 meeting. The agency 
anticipates completing its analysis and publishing the final list prior 
to the March 2001 meeting and then submitting it at that meeting.

II. Upcoming November 7-10, 2000 WP.29 Meeting

    In its Statement of Policy on Agency Policy Goals and Public 
Participation in the Implementation of the 1998 Agreement on Global 
Technical Regulations (published August 23, 2000; 65 Fed. Reg. 51236), 
NHTSA stated that it would hold periodic public meetings on its 
activities under the 1998 Global Agreement. It said further that if the 
extent of recent and anticipated significant developments concerning 
those activities so warrant, NHTSA would hold a public meeting within 
the 60-day period before each of the three sessions of WP.29 held 
annually.
    NHTSA decided that holding a public meeting before the November 
WP.29 meeting was not warranted. Although NHTSA anticipates that the 
first meeting of the Executive Committee of the 1998 Global Agreement 
will take place during this session, that meeting will not address the 
setting of priorities or the establishing of particular standards under 
that Agreement. The meeting will focus instead on discussing the 
administrative procedures that will be followed in implementing the 
1998 Global Agreement such as the working of the Compendium, meeting 
time for the Executive Committee, etc. The technical regulations listed 
on the agenda are those being considered under the 1958 Agreement. For 
information purposes, NHTSA has placed the agenda for the November 2000 
meeting in the docket for this notice.

    Issued on November 2, 2000.
Julie Abraham,
Director, Office of International Policy and Harmonization.
[FR Doc. 00-28532 Filed 11-02-00; 8:45 am]
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