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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 246 (Monday, December 23, 2024)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 104508-104509]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-30596]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

49 CFR Part 211

[Docket No. FRA-2024-0033, Notice No. 2]
RIN 2130-AC97

Federal Railroad Administration's Procedures for Waivers and 
Safety-Related Proceedings

AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), U.S. Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM); extension of comment 
period.

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SUMMARY: On October 29, 2024, FRA published an NPRM proposing to update 
FRA's procedures for waivers and safety-related proceedings to define 
the two components of the statutory waiver and suspension standard, 
``in the public interest'' and ``consistent with railroad safety.'' By 
this notice, FRA is extending the NPRM's comment period by 15 days.

DATES: The comment period for the NPRM published on October 29, 2024, 
89 FR 85895, is extended until January 15, 2025.

ADDRESSES: 
    Comments: Comments related to Docket No. FRA-2024-0033 may be 
submitted by going to www.regulations.gov and following the online 
instructions for submitting comments.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name 
and docket number or Regulatory Identification Number (RIN) for this 
rulemaking. All comments received will be posted without change to 
www.regulations.gov; this includes any personal information. Please see 
the Privacy Act heading in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of 
this document for Privacy Act information related to any submitted 
comments or materials.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments received, go to www.regulations.gov and follow the online 
instructions for accessing the docket.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Veronica Chittim, Senior Attorney, 
Office of the Chief Counsel, at [email protected], 202-480-3410; 
or Lucinda Henriksen, Senior Advisor, Office of Railroad Safety, at 
[email protected], 202-657-2842.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In a November 13, 2024, letter, the American 
Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) requested a 60-
day extension of the NPRM's comment period.\1\ ASLRRA stated it needs 
additional time to thoroughly review the NPRM and ``consult with its 
member railroads on the feasibility of the process changes proposed in 
the NPRM for small businesses.''
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    \1\ https://www.regulations.gov/document/FRA-2024-0033-0002.
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    In a November 25, 2024, letter, the Association of American 
Railroads (AAR) petitioned for a 60-day extension of the NPRM's comment 
period.\2\ AAR noted that it must ``address four proposed rules at the 
same time while operating under resource constraints due to holiday 
travel schedules that prevent them from giving any of the four NPRMs 
the attention that they deserve.''
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    \2\ https://www.regulations.gov/document/FRA-2024-0033-0004.
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    The comment period for this NPRM is scheduled to close on December 
30, 2024.\3\ As FRA is granting an extension

[[Page 104509]]

for 15 days in response to ASLRRA's and AAR's requests, the comment 
period is now extended to January 15, 2025.
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    \3\ https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/10/29/2024-24586/federal-railroad-administrations-procedures-for-waivers-and-safety-related-proceedings.
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Privacy Act

    In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(c), DOT solicits comments from the 
public to better inform its rulemaking process. DOT posts these 
comments, without edit, to www.regulations.gov, as described in the 
system of records notice, DOT/ALL-14 FDMS, accessible through 
www.dot.gov/privacy. To facilitate comment tracking and response, we 
encourage commenters to provide their name, or the name of their 
organization; however, submission of names is completely optional. 
Whether or not commenters identify themselves, all timely comments will 
be fully considered. If you wish to provide comments containing 
proprietary or confidential information, please contact the agency for 
alternate submission instructions.

    Authority: 49 U.S.C. 20103, 20107, 20114, 20306, 20502-20504, 
and 49 CFR 1.89.

    Issued in Washington, DC.

Allison Ishihara Fultz,
Chief Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2024-30596 Filed 12-20-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P
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