Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 12 / Tuesday, January 21, 2025 / Notices 7233 

Andrew Lieb 

Andrew Lieb, 22, holds a class D 

driver’s license in Ohio. 

Braden Williford 

Braden Williford, 31, holds a class D 

driver’s license in Utah. 

IV. Request for Comments 

In accordance with 49 U.S.C. 31136(e) 

and 31315(b), FMCSA requests public 

comment from all interested persons on 

the exemption petitions described in 

this notice. We will consider all 

comments received before the close of 

business on the closing date indicated 

under the DATES section of the notice. 

Larry W. Minor, 

Associate Administrator for Policy. 

[FR Doc. 2025–01311 Filed 1–17–25; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–EX–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Transit Administration 

[Docket FTA–2025–0001] 

Notice of Establishment of Emergency 

Relief Docket for Calendar Year 2025 

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration 

(FTA), Department of Transportation 

(DOT). 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: By this notice, the Federal 

Transit Administration (FTA) is 

establishing an Emergency Relief Docket 

for calendar year 2025, so grantees and 

subgrantees affected by a national or 

regional emergency or disaster may 

request temporary relief from FTA 

administrative and statutory 

requirements. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Diane Alexander, Attorney-Advisor, 

Office of Chief Counsel, Federal Transit 

Administration, phone: (202) 366–3101, 

or email, diane.alexander@dot.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant 

to 49 CFR 601.42, FTA is establishing 

the Emergency Relief Docket for 

calendar year 2025. In the case of a 

national or regional emergency or 

disaster, or in anticipation of such an 

event, when FTA requirements impede 

a grantee or subgrantee’s ability to 

respond to the emergency or disaster, a 

grantee or subgrantee may submit a 

request for relief from specific FTA 

requirements. 

If FTA determines that a national or 

regional emergency or disaster has 

occurred, or in anticipation of such an 

event, FTA will place a message on its 

web page (https://www.transit.dot.gov) 

indicating the Emergency Relief Docket 

has been opened and including the 

docket number. 

All petitions for relief from FTA 

administrative or statutory requirements 

must be posted in the docket in order to 

receive consideration by FTA. The 

docket is publicly available and can be 

accessed 24 hours a day, seven days a 

week, via the internet at https://

www.regulations.gov/. Any grantee or 

subgrantee submitting petitions for 

relief or comments to the docket must 

include the agency name (Federal 

Transit Administration) and docket 

number FTA–2025–0001. 

Interested parties may consult 49 CFR 

part 601, subpart D for information on 

FTA’s emergency procedures for public 

transportation systems. FTA strongly 

encourages grantees and subgrantees to 

contact their FTA regional office and 

notify FTA of the intent to submit a 

petition to the docket. 

A grantee or subgrantee seeking relief 

has three avenues for submitting a 

petition. First, a grantee or subgrantee 

may submit a petition for waiver of FTA 

requirements to https://

www.regulations.gov/, for posting in the 

docket (FTA–2025–0001). Alternatively, 

a grantee or subgrantee may submit a 

petition in duplicate (two copies) to the 

FTA Administrator, via U.S. mail or 

hand delivery to Federal Transit 

Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave. 

SE, Washington, DC 20590; via fax to 

(202) 366–3472; or via email to 

diane.alexander@dot.gov; or via U.S. 

mail or hand delivery to the DOT 

Docket Management Facility, 1200 New 

Jersey Ave. SE, Room W12–140, 

Washington, DC 20590. Thirdly, in the 

event that a grantee or subgrantee needs 

to request immediate relief and does not 

have access to electronic means to 

request that relief, the grantee or 

subgrantee may contact any FTA 

regional office or FTA headquarters and 

request that FTA staff submit the 

petition on its behalf. 

Federal public transportation law at 

49 U.S.C. 5324(d) provides that a grant 

awarded under section 5324, or under 

49 U.S.C. 5307 or 49 U.S.C. 5311, that 

is made to address an emergency shall 

be subject to the terms and conditions 

the Secretary determines are necessary. 

This language allows FTA to waive 

certain statutory, as well as 

administrative, requirements. An FTA 

grantee or subgrantee receiving financial 

assistance under 49 U.S.C. 5324, 5307, 

or 5311 that is affected by a national or 

regional emergency or disaster may 

request a waiver of provisions of chapter 

53 of title 49 of the United States Code 

in connection with such financial 

assistance, when a grantee or subgrantee 

demonstrates that the requirement(s) 

will limit a grantee’s or subgrantee’s 

ability to respond to a national or 

regional emergency or disaster. 

Pursuant to 49 CFR 601.42, a grantee 

or subgrantee must include certain 

information when requesting a waiver of 

statutory or administrative 

requirements. A petition for relief shall: 

(a) Include the agency name (Federal 

Transit Administration) and docket 

number FTA–2025–0001; 

(b) Identify the grantee or subgrantee 

and its geographic location, 

(c) Identify the section of chapter 53 

of title 49 of the United States Code, or 

the portion of an FTA policy statement, 

circular, guidance document or rule, 

from which the grantee or subgrantee 

seeks relief; 

(d) Specifically address how a 

requirement in chapter 53 of title 49 of 

the United States Code, or an FTA 

requirement in a policy statement, 

circular, agency guidance or rule, will 

limit a grantee’s or subgrantee’s ability 

to respond to a national or regional 

emergency or disaster; and 

(e) Specify if the petition for relief is 

one-time or ongoing, and if ongoing 

identify the time period for which the 

relief is requested. The time period may 

not exceed three months; however, 

additional time may be requested 

through a second petition for relief. 

Pursuant to 49 CFR 601.46, a petition 

for relief from administrative 

requirements will be conditionally 

granted for a period of three (3) business 

days from the date it is submitted to the 

Emergency Relief Docket. FTA will 

review the petition after the expiration 

of the three business days and review 

any comments submitted regarding the 

petition. FTA may contact the grantee or 

subgrantee that submitted the request 

for relief, or any party that submits 

comments to the docket, to obtain more 

information prior to making a decision. 

FTA shall then post a decision to the 

Emergency Relief Docket. FTA’s 

decision will be based on whether the 

petition meets the criteria for use of 

these emergency procedures, the 

substance of the request, and any 

comments submitted regarding the 

petition. If FTA does not respond to the 

request for relief to the docket within 

three business days, the grantee or 

subgrantee may assume its petition is 

granted for a period not to exceed three 

months until and unless FTA states 

otherwise. 

A petition for relief from statutory 

requirements will not be conditionally 

granted and requires a written decision 

from the FTA Administrator. Further, 

grantees seeking a waiver from Buy 

America requirements must follow the 

procedures in 49 CFR 661.7 and 661.9. 


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7234 Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 12 / Tuesday, January 21, 2025 / Notices 

1 49 U.S.C. 30112(a)(1). 

2 49 U.S.C. 30112(b); 49 U.S.C. 30113; 49 U.S.C. 

30114. 

3 49 U.S.C. 30113. 

4 49 CFR 1.95. 

5 49 U.S.C. 30113(b)(3). 

6 49 U.S.C. 30113(b)(3)(A). 

Buy America waivers will not be 

granted through the Emergency Relief 

Docket. 

An FTA decision, either granting or 

denying a petition, shall be posted in 

the Emergency Relief Docket and shall 

reference the document number of the 

petition to which it relates. FTA 

reserves the right to reconsider any 

decision made pursuant to these 

emergency procedures based upon its 

own initiative, based upon information 

or comments received subsequent to the 

three business day comment period, or 

at the request of a grantee or subgrantee 

upon denial of a request for relief. FTA 

shall notify the grantee or subgrantee if 

FTA plans to reconsider a decision. 

Pursuant to FTA’s Charter Rule at 49 

CFR 604.2(f), grantees and subgrantees 

may assist with evacuations or other 

movement of people that might 

otherwise be considered charter 

transportation when that transportation 

is in response to an emergency declared 

by the President, governor or mayor, or 

in an emergency requiring immediate 

action prior to a formal declaration, 

even if a formal declaration of an 

emergency is not eventually made by 

the President, governor or mayor. 

Therefore, a request for relief is not 

necessary in order to provide this 

service. However, if the emergency lasts 

more than 45 calendar days and the 

grantee will continue to provide service 

that would otherwise be considered 

charter service, the grantee or 

subgrantee shall follow the procedures 

set out in this notice. 

The contents of this document do not 

have the force and effect of law and are 

not meant to bind the public in any 

way. This document is intended only to 

provide clarity to the public regarding 

existing requirements under the law or 

agency policies. Grantees and 

subgrantees should refer to FTA’s 

regulations, including 49 CFR part 601, 

for requirements for submitting a 

request for emergency relief. 

Veronica Vanterpool, 

Deputy Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 2025–01251 Filed 1–17–25; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–57–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

National Highway Traffic Safety 

Administration 

[Docket No. NHTSA–2025–0002] 

Legacy Limousines and Luxury 

Coaches; Grant of Petition for 

Temporary Exemption From Shoulder 

Belt Requirement for Side-Facing 

Seats on Motorcoaches 

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic 

Safety Administration (NHTSA), 

Department of Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Notice of grant of a petition for 

temporary exemption. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with our 

regulations, NHTSA is granting a 

petition from Legacy Limousines and 

Luxury Coaches for a temporary 

exemption from the requirement to 

install Type 2 seat belts (i.e., shoulder 

belts) at side-facing locations in the 

company’s motorcoaches. The petitioner 

is a final-stage manufacturer of 

entertainer-type motorcoaches, seeking 

temporary exemption from the shoulder 

belt requirement of Federal Motor 

Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 

208, ‘‘Occupant crash protection,’’ for 

side-facing seats on motorcoaches. The 

granted exemption permits the 

petitioner to install Type 1 seat belts 

(lap belt only) at side-facing seating 

positions, instead of the Type 2 seat 

belts (lap and shoulder belts) required 

by FMVSS No. 208. After reviewing the 

petition and the comments received, the 

agency has determined that the 

requested exemption is warranted to 

enable the petitioner to sell a vehicle 

whose overall level of safety or impact 

protection is at least equal to that of a 

nonexempted vehicle. 

DATES: This exemption applies to the 

petitioner’s motorcoaches produced 

from January 21, 2025 until January 21, 

2027. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sara 

R. Bennett, Office of the Chief Counsel, 

National Highway Traffic Safety 

Administration, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590. 

Telephone: (202) 366–2992; Fax: (202) 

366–3820. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background 

II. Authority and Procedures for Temporary 

Exemption 

III. FMVSS No. 208 

IV. Legacy Limousine and Luxury Coaches’ 

Petition 

V. Public Participation 

I. Background 

This notice grants a petition 

submitted by Legacy Limousines and 

Luxury Coaches from the shoulder belt 

requirement of Federal Motor Vehicle 

Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 208, 

‘‘Occupant crash protection,’’ for sidefacing seats on motorcoaches. 

As background, NHTSA is responsible 

for promulgating and enforcing Federal 

motor vehicle safety standards (FMVSS) 

designed to improve motor vehicle 

safety. Generally, a manufacturer may 

not manufacture for sale, sell, offer for 

sale, or introduce or deliver for 

introduction into interstate commerce a 

vehicle that does not comply with all 

applicable FMVSS.1 There are limited 

exceptions to this general prohibition.2

One path permits manufacturers to 

petition NHTSA for an exemption for 

noncompliant vehicles under a 

specified set of statutory bases.3 The 

details of these bases, and under which 

basis Legacy Limousines and Luxury 

Coaches’ petition is granted, are 

provided in the sections of this notice 

that follow. 

II. Authority and Procedures for 

Temporary Exemption 

The National Traffic and Motor 

Vehicle Safety Act (Safety Act), codified 

at 49 U.S.C. chapter 301, authorizes the 

Secretary of Transportation to exempt 

motor vehicles, on a temporary basis 

and under specified circumstances, and 

on terms the Secretary considers 

appropriate, from a FMVSS or bumper 

standard. This authority is set forth at 

49 U.S.C. 30113. The Secretary has 

delegated the authority for 

implementing this section to NHTSA.4

The Safety Act authorizes the 

Secretary to grant, in whole or in part, 

a temporary exemption to a vehicle 

manufacturer if the Secretary makes one 

of four specified findings.5 The 

Secretary must also look 

comprehensively at the request for 

exemption and find that the exemption 

is consistent with the public interest 

and with the objectives of the Safety 

Act.6

The Secretary must evaluate the 

petition for exemption under at least 

one of the following bases: 

(ii) Compliance would cause 

substantial economic hardship, and the 

manufacturer tried to comply in good 

faith; 

(ii) the exemption would make easier 

the development or field evaluation of 

a new motor vehicle safety feature, and 


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