28496 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 100 /Tuesday, May 26, 1998 / Proposed Rules

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Mine Safety and Health Administration

30 CFR Parts 56, 57, 62, 70, and 71

Health Standards for Occupational

Noise Exposure in Coal, Metal and

Nonmetal Mines

AGENCY: Mine Safety and Health

Administration, Labor.

ACTION: Proposed rule; Notice of

preliminary determination of no

significant environmental impact;

request for comments; limited reopening

of rulemaking record.

SUMMARY: This notice announces the

preliminary determination by the Mine

Safety and Health Administration

(MSHA) that the proposed rule for

occupational noise exposure in coal,

metal and nonmetal mines will have no

significant environmental impact.

MSHA is reopening the rulemaking

record for the limited purpose of

receiving comment on its preliminary

determination.

DATES: Submit written comments on or

before June 25, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be

transmitted by electronic mail, fax or

mail. Comments by electronic mail must

be clearly identified as such and sent to

this e-mail address:

comments@msha.gov. Comments by fax

must be clearly identified as such and

sent to: Mine Safety and Health

Administration, Office of Standards,

Regulations and Variances, 703–235–

5551. Send mail comments to: Mine

Safety and Health Administration,

Office of Standards, Regulations and

Variances, Room 631, 4015 Wilson

Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia 22203–

1984. Interested persons are encouraged

to supplement written comments with

computer files or disks; please contact

the Agency with any questions about

format.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Patricia W. Silvey, Director, Office of

Standards, Regulations and Variances,

703–235–1910.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On

December 17, 1996, MSHA published a

proposed rule in the Federal Register

(61 FR 66348) revising its health

standards for occupational noise

exposure in coal, metal and nonmetal

mines. The Agency concluded that the

existing rules are inadequate to prevent

the occurrence of occupational noiseinduced hearing loss among miners

(NIHL).

The National Environmental Policy

Act (NEPA) of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et.

seq.), requires each Federal agency to

consider the environmental effects of

proposed actions and to prepare an

Environmental Impact Statement on

major actions significantly affecting the

quality of the human environment.

MSHA has reviewed the proposed

standard in accordance with the

requirements of the NEPA, the

regulation of the Council on

Environmental Quality (40 CFR Part

1500), and the Department of Labor’s

NEPA procedures (29 CFR Part 11). As

a result of this review, MSHA has

preliminarily determined that this

proposed standard will have no

significant environmental impact.

Commenters are encouraged to submit

their comments on this determination

on or before June 25, 1998.

Dated: May 19, 1998.

J. Davitt McAteer,

Assistant Secretary for Mine Safety and

Health.

[FR Doc. 98–13895 Filed 5–22–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4510–43–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

49 CFR Parts 216, 223, 229, 231, 232,

and 238

[FRA Docket No. PCSS–1, Notice No. 4]

RIN 2130–AA95

Passenger Equipment Safety

Standards

AGENCY: Federal Railroad

Administration (FRA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of Entries in the Docket.

SUMMARY: FRA is issuing this notice to

inform all interested parties that written

comments and other documents

specifically addressing issues related to

the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking

(NPRM) on Passenger Equipment Safety

Standards have recently been placed in

the public docket for the rulemaking.

These recent entries in the docket are

available for public examination.

ADDRESSES: The public docket for the

rulemaking is available for examination

during regular business hours in FRA’s

Office of Chief Counsel, Seventh Floor,

1120 Vermont Avenue, N.W.,

Washington, D.C. Written comments

concerning the rulemaking should

identify the docket number and must be

submitted in triplicate to the Docket

Clerk, Office of Chief Counsel, Federal

Railroad Administration, 400 Seventh

Street, S.W., Mail Stop 10, Washington,

D.C. 20590.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Daniel Alpert, Trial Attorney, Office of

Chief Counsel, FRA, 400 Seventh Street,

S.W., Mail Stop 10, Washington, D.C.

20590 (telephone: 202–632–3186); or

Thomas Herrmann, Trial Attorney,

Office of Chief Counsel, FRA, 400

Seventh Street, S.W., Mail Stop 10,

Washington, D.C. 20590 (telephone:

202–632–3178).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On

September 23, 1997, FRA published an

NPRM on Passenger Equipment Safety

Standards in the Federal Register. See

62 FR 49728. The proposed rule

contained requirements concerning

equipment design and performance

criteria related to passenger and crew

survivability in the event of a passenger

train accident; the inspection, testing,

and maintenance of passenger

equipment; and the safe operation of

passenger train service. The proposed

rule was designed to address the safety

of passenger train service in an

environment where technology is

advancing, and equipment is being

designed for operation at higher speeds.

The NPRM sought to amend existing

regulations concerning special notice for

repairs, safety glazing, locomotive

safety, safety appliances, and railroad

power brakes as applied to passenger

equipment.

The NPRM stated that written

comments on the rulemaking had to be

received on or before November 24,

1997, and that written comments

received after that date would be

considered by FRA and the Passenger

Equipment Safety Standards Working

Group to the extent possible without

incurring substantial additional expense

or delay. The NPRM also stated that the

docket would remain open until the

proceedings of the Working Group

concluded. The Working Group

concluded its meetings on January 6,

1998.

Subsequent to the formal close of the

comment period, various entries have

been made in the docket, many of which

have been available for public

examination for some time. However,

due to the length of time that has passed

since the formal close of the comment

period and the completion of the

Working Group meetings, FRA would

like to notify all interested parties of the

following recent entries in the docket:

• Minutes of the Passenger

Equipment Safety Standards Working

Group meeting held on December 15–

16, 1997.

• Minutes of the Passenger

Equipment Safety Standards Working

Group meeting held on January 6, 1998.

• A letter dated April 2, 1998 from

William W. Millar, President, American