Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 245 / Friday, December 20, 2024 / Notices 104285 

Public Comments Invited: You are 

asked to comment on any aspect of this 

information collection, including (a) 

Whether the proposed collection of 

information is necessary for FAA’s 

performance; (b) the accuracy of the 

estimated burden; (c) ways for FAA to 

enhance the quality, utility and clarity 

of the information collection; and (d) 

ways that the burden could be 

minimized without reducing the quality 

of the collected information. The agency 

will summarize and/or include your 

comments in the request for OMB’s 

clearance of this information collection. 

OMB Control Number: 2120–0774. 

Title: Safety Assurance System (SAS) 

External Portal. 

Form Numbers: List of the following 

web-based forms: 

• Submitting a Preapplication 

Statement of Intent (PASI) Form (FAA 

Form 8400–6) (14 CFR parts 121, 135 

and 141); 

• Submitting an Application for 

Repair Station (FAA Form 8310–3) (14 

CFR part 145); 

• Submitting an Application for 

Aviation Maintenance School Certificate 

and Ratings Application (FAA Form 

8310–6) (14 CFR part 147). 

Type of Review: Renewal of an 

information collection. 

Background: The SAS external portal 

is a web-based tool developed for 14 

CFR part 121, 135, 141, 142, 145 and 

147 applicants and certificate holders 

(also referred to as external users) to 

exchange information with Flight 

Standards employees, primarily the 

Certification Project Managers (CPMs), 

Principal Inspectors (PIs) and Training 

Center Program Managers (TCPMs). SAS 

external portal creates the ability for our 

external users to collaborate and 

communicate with their FS counterparts 

in the execution of the following 

functions: 

• Submitting a Preapplication 

Statement of Intent (PASI) Form (FAA 

Form 8400–6) (14 CFR parts 121, 135 

and 141); 

• Submitting an Application for 

Repair Station (FAA Form 8310–3) (14 

CFR part 145); 

• Submitting an Application for 

Aviation Maintenance School Certificate 

and Ratings Application (FAA Form 

8310–6) (14 CFR part 147); 

• Submitting a Letter of Intent (14 

CFR part 142); 

• Submitting Element Design (ED) 

data collection tools (DCTs); and, 

• Sharing of other documentation as 

needed. 

Benefits to the certificate holder or 

applicant to use the external portal 

include: 

• Ease of submission and expedited 

processing and tracking of documents/ 

requests; 

• Documents/requests are sent 

directly to the FS employees, which 

eliminates wait time for the entry of 

information by the PI/CPM; and, 

• Access to DCTs. 

Respondents: Applicant 

respondents—922; Certificate Holder 

respondents—7892. 

Frequency: On occasion. 

Estimated Average Burden per 

Response: Applicant respondents—135 

hours; Certificate Holder respondents— 

90 hours. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden: 

Applicants $7,027,935; Certificate 

Holders $40,104,456. 

Issued in Herndon, VA, on December 10, 

2024. 

Derek A. Lockhart, 

Automation & Policy Team Leader, System 

Approach for Safety Oversight (SASO) 

Program Office, AFS–910. 

[FR Doc. 2024–29464 Filed 12–19–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Transit Administration 

[Docket No. FTA–2024–0018] 

Notice of Proposed Buy America 

Waiver for Battery Electric Minibuses 

and Request for Comment 

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, 

DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed Buy America 

waiver and request for comment. 

SUMMARY: The Federal Transit 

Administration (FTA) has received 

multiple requests for a Buy America 

waiver for battery electric minibuses 

based on the non-availability of Buy 

America-compliant vehicles. FTA is 

proposing a general non-availability 

waiver of limited duration for vehicles 

in this class that meet certain criteria. 

FTA seeks public and industry 

comment on whether FTA should grant 

the waiver or a modified version of the 

waiver. 

DATES: Comments must be received by 

January 6, 2025. Late-filed comments 

will be considered only to the extent 

practicable. 

ADDRESSES: Please submit all comments 

electronically to the Federal 

eRulemaking Portal. Go to https://

www.regulations.gov and follow the 

instructions for submitting comments. 

Instructions: All submissions must 

refer to the Federal Transit 

Administration and the docket number 

of this notice. Note that all submissions 

received, including any personal 

information provided, will be posted 

without change and will be available to 

the public on https://

www.regulations.gov. You may review 

DOT’s complete Privacy Act Statement 

in the Federal Register published April 

11, 2000 (65 FR 19477), or at https://

www.transportation.gov/privacy. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Jason Pollock, FTA Attorney-Advisor, at 

(202) 923–6403 or Jason.Pollock@

dot.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

purpose of this notice is to seek public 

comment on whether FTA should grant 

a non-availability waiver for the 

procurement of battery electric 

minibuses. 

Background 

Under FTA’s Buy America statute, 

FTA may obligate funds for a project to 

procure rolling stock only if the cost of 

components and subcomponents 

produced in the United States is more 

than 70 percent of the cost of all 

components of the rolling stock, and 

final assembly of the rolling stock 

occurs in the United States. 49 U.S.C. 

5323(j)(2)(C). A manufacturer of rolling 

stock must submit to pre-award and 

post-delivery audits and independent 

inspections to verify its compliance 

with Buy America. 49 U.S.C. 5323(m). 

FTA may waive Buy America for an 

item, among other reasons, if a 

compliant version is not produced in a 

sufficient and reasonably available 

amount or is not of a satisfactory 

quality. 49 U.S.C. 5323(j)(2)(B) (‘‘nonavailability waiver’’). FTA cannot deny 

a request for a non-availability waiver 

unless FTA can provide the waiver 

applicant with a written certification 

that asserts the item is produced in the 

United States in a sufficient and 

reasonably available amount; the item 

produced in the United States is of a 

satisfactory quality; and includes a list 

of known manufacturers in the United 

States from which the item can be 

obtained. 49 U.S.C. 5323(j)(6). 

In 2023, FTA received 3 applications 

on behalf of 16 transit operators for nonavailability waivers to purchase the 

Karsan e-Jest battery electric minibus. 

The 3 applicants are the Heart of Iowa 

Regional Transit Authority on behalf of 

10 transit agencies in California, Iowa, 

and Washington; the Greater Attleboro 

Taunton Regional Transit Authority in 

Massachusetts on behalf of 5 transit 

agencies in Massachusetts; and Alabama 

A&M University. Combined, the 3 

applications seek a minimum order of 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
104286 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 245 / Friday, December 20, 2024 / Notices 

1The number of passengers a vehicle is designed 

to transport is based on the number of designated 

seats in the vehicle and does not include areas 

suitable, or even designed for, standing passengers. 

See 49 CFR 383.5 and Federal Motor Carrier Safety 

Administration guidance: https://

www.fmcsa.dot.gov/registration/commercialdrivers-license/one-definition-cmv-vehicledesigned-transport-16-or-more. 

57 and a potential maximum order of 

261 vehicles. 

After reviewing available electric 

propulsion minibuses, FTA has not 

identified a vehicle that meets all the 

requesters’ specifications and FTA’s 

Buy America rolling stock standard. 

Because of the apparent growing interest 

in vehicles of this type, as evidenced by 

these requests and letters of support 

from over 150 transit agencies across the 

country, and to foster competition and 

encourage on-shoring of vehicle 

manufacturing to the United States, FTA 

is proposing a general waiver available 

to any FTA funding recipient and not 

constrained to any particular 

manufacturer’s offering. The proposed 

waiver builds on FTA’s previous efforts 

through the Clean Bus Manufacturing 

Roundtable to encourage the transition 

to zero emission vehicles by allowing 

federal participation in the purchase of 

vehicles that provide public 

transportation services in areas where 

full-sized zero emissions buses are not 

used due to lower passenger counts. 

Further, the waiver builds on FTA’s 

efforts to encourage domestic 

manufacturing on-shoring by having a 

limited duration and phase-in period to 

give manufacturers sufficient time to 

establish domestic sourcing and 

manufacturing capabilities that meet 

FTA’s Buy America rolling stock 

standard in the smaller bus (aka 

minibus) market. 

Additionally, FTA consulted the 

National Institute of Standards and 

Technology’s Manufacturing Extension 

Partnership to conduct supplier 

scouting for any battery electric minibus 

supplier capable of meeting FTA’s Buy 

America requirements and the 

requesters’ specifications. Supplier 

scouting identified no such suppliers. 

Proposed Waiver 

FTA proposes issuing a general nonavailability waiver of FTA’s Buy 

America rolling stock requirements for 

any vehicle with all of the following 

characteristics. 

• The vehicle is powered by a battery 

electric propulsion system. 

• The vehicle has, or is capable of 

having, low-floor entry. 

• The vehicle is of unibody or 

monocoque construction (i.e., not bodyon-chassis). 

• The vehicle has a gross vehicle 

weight rating or gross vehicle weight of 

less than 11,794 kg (26,001 pounds) and 

is designed to transport fewer than 16 

seated passengers including the driver.1

• The vehicle is not required to report 

to the National Highway Traffic Safety 

Administration under the American 

Automobile Labelling Act. FTA 

previously issued a partial Buy America 

waiver for vehicles subject to AALA 

reporting (Notice of Partial Buy America 

Waiver for Vans and Minivans, 87 FR 

64534 (Oct. 25, 2022)), and does not 

intend to alter the terms of that current 

waiver by this proposed action. 

To encourage potential market 

entrants to build the requisite domestic 

supply chains and establish a final 

assembly facility in the United States, 

FTA proposes that the waiver would 

phase out over time. For a contract for 

a vehicle meeting all the above 

requirements awarded more than two 

years after the effective date of the 

waiver, this waiver would only apply 

where vehicle final assembly occurs in 

the United States. This waiver would 

expire three years after it is finalized, or 

upon FTA’s publication of a Federal 

Register notice rescinding the waiver 

after determining that a fully Buy 

America-compliant vehicle has become 

available, whichever occurs first. 

Impacts of the Waiver 

The availability of electric minibuses 

will contribute to the reduction of 

greenhouse gas emissions and 

environmental justice. 

Beginning with a 2022 Dear Colleague 

Letter on Cutaway Rebuild Useful Life, 

FTA has acknowledged and made 

efforts to address supply constraints and 

delivery delays of body-on-chassis 

vehicles experienced by FTA recipients. 

One of the requesters for this proposed 

waiver reported waiting times of 24–36 

months to receive delivery of body-onchassis vehicles. This proposed waiver 

continues FTA’s efforts to relieve delays 

experienced by transit operators due to 

limited chassis availability for transit 

vehicles by responding to recipients’ 

requests for vehicles of unibody or 

monocoque construction. The 

requesters’ specification for a unibody 

or monocoque construction and zeroemission propulsion would make a new 

vehicle type available for FTA 

recipients to provide zero-emission 

public transportation services on routes 

or in operations that are most efficiently 

served by minibuses due to lower 

passenger counts. 

Request for Comment 

This notice satisfies FTA’s 

requirement to publish any proposed 

Buy America waiver in the Federal 

Register and provide the public with a 

reasonable period of time for notice and 

comment. 49 U.S.C. 5323(j)(3) and 

section 70937(b)(1) of Public Law 117– 

58. 

FTA seeks public and industry 

comment from all interested parties. In 

particular, FTA seeks comment 

regarding whether the waiver should be 

approved, and, if so, whether it should 

be modified from FTA’s proposal and 

why. Relevant information and 

comments will help FTA fully establish 

the facts surrounding the waiver 

requests and FTA’s proposal and inform 

its ultimate decision on whether to grant 

the waiver. 

Veronica Vanterpool, 

Deputy Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 2024–30448 Filed 12–19–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–57–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Maritime Administration 

[Docket No. MARAD–2024–0162] 

Coastwise Endorsement Eligibility 

Determination for a Foreign-Built 

Vessel: CLAPOTIS (SAIL); Invitation 

for Public Comments 

AGENCY: Maritime Administration, DOT. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Secretary of 

Transportation, as represented by the 

Maritime Administration (MARAD), is 

authorized to issue coastwise 

endorsement eligibility determinations 

for foreign-built vessels which will carry 

no more than twelve passengers for hire. 

A request for such a determination has 

been received by MARAD. By this 

notice, MARAD seeks comments from 

interested parties as to any effect this 

action may have on U.S. vessel builders 

or businesses in the U.S. that use U.S.- 

flag vessels. Information about the 

requestor’s vessel, including a brief 

description of the proposed service, is 

listed below. 

DATES: Submit comments on or before 

January 21, 2025. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

identified by DOT Docket Number 

MARAD–2024–0162 by any one of the 

following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

https://www.regulations.gov. Search 

MARAD–2024–0162 and follow the 

instructions for submitting comments. 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1