Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 9 / Friday, January 12, 2001 / Notices 2947

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Office of the Secretary

Reports, Forms and Recordkeeping

Requirements; Agency Information

Collection Activity Under OMB Review

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, DOT.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: In compliance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44

U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice

announces that the Information

Collection Request (ICR) abstracted

below has been forwarded to the Office

of Management and Budget (OMB) for

renewal and comment. The ICR

describes the nature of the information

collection and its expected cost and

burden. The Federal Register Notice

with a 60-day comment period soliciting

comments on the following collection of

information was published on

September 12, 2000 [FR 65, page 55072].

No comments were received.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on

or before February 12, 2001, to:

Attention DOT/OST Desk Officer, Office

of Information and Regulatory Affairs,

Office of Management and Budget,

Docket Library, Room 10102, 725 17th

Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Delores King, Air Carrier Fitness

Division, X–56, Office of Aviation

Analysis; Office of the Secretary; US

Department of Transportation, 400 7th

Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590–

0002. Telephone (202) 366–2343.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Office of the Secretary (OST).

Title: Aircraft Accident Liability

Insurance.

OMB Control Number: 2106–0030.

Affected Public: All US and foreign

direct air carriers must have accident

liability insurance coverage to obtain or

exercise authority to operate aircraft in

interstate or foreign service.

Annual Estimated Burden: 2762.5

hours.

Comments are invited on: whether the

proposed collection of information is

necessary for the proper performance of

the functions of the Department,

including whether the information will

have practical utility; the accuracy of

the Department’s estimate of the burden

of the proposed information collection;

ways to enhance the quality, utility, and

clarity of the information to be

collected; and ways to minimize the

burden of the collection of information

on respondents, including the use of

automated collection techniques or

other forms of information technology.

Issued in Washington, DC on January 8,

2001.

Michael Robinson,

Information Resource Management, United

States Department of Transportation.

[FR Doc. 01–1096 Filed 1–11–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–62–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Coast Guard

[CGD08–00–036]

Houston/Galveston Navigation Safety

Advisory Committee Meeting

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of meetings.

SUMMARY: The Houston/Galveston

Navigation Safety Advisory Committee

(HOGANSAC) and its working

committees will meet to discuss

waterway improvements, aids to

navigation, Houston/Galveston-area

projects impacting safety on the

Houston Ship Channel, and various

other navigation safety matters in the

Houston/Galveston area. All meetings

will be open to the public.

DATES: The next meeting of HOGANSAC

will be held on Thursday, January 25,

2001 from 9 a.m. to approximately 12

p.m. The meeting of the Committee’s

working groups will be held on

Thursday, January 11, 2001 at 9 a.m.

ADDRESSES: The full Committee meeting

will be held in the boardroom of the

Port of Houston Authority. The Port

building is located at 111 East Loop

North, Houston, Texas. The working

group meeting will be held in the offices

of the Galveston/Texas City Pilots, 1301

Pelican Island No. 2, Galveston, Texas.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Captain Wayne Gusman, Executive

Director of HOGANSAC, telephone

(713) 671–5199, or Commander Peter

Simons, Executive Secretary of

HOGANSAC, telephone (713) 671–5164.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice of

this meeting is given pursuant to the

Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5

U.S.C. App. 2.

Agendas of the Meetings

Houston/Galveston Navigation Safety

Advisory Committee (HOGANSAC)

The tentative agenda includes the

following:

(1) Opening remarks by the

Committee Sponsor (RADM Pluta) (or

the Committee Sponsor’s

representative), Executive Director

(CAPT Gusman) and Chairman (Tim

Leitzell).

(2) Approval of the September 12,

2000 minutes.

(3) Old Business

(a) Dredging projects.

(b) Barge lanes.

(c) Electronic navigation.

(d) AtoN Knockdown Working Group.

(e) Facility Information Guide.

(f) Recreational boater education

initiative.

(4) New Business.

(a) State of the Waterway address.

(b) Update of Port Hurricane

Readiness Plan.

Working Committee Meeting

The tentative agenda for the working

committee meeting includes the

following:

(1) Presentation by each work group

of its accomplishments and plans for the

future.

(2) Review and discuss the work

completed by each work group. Work

groups were formed to examine the

following issues: hurricane contingency

plan, PORTS funding/TCOON

operability, dredging and related issues,

barge lanes, electronic navigation

systems, port emergency

communications committee/internet

site, AtoN knockdowns, VTS radio

frequency congestion. All work groups

may not necessarily report out at this

session. Further, work group reports

may not necessarily include discussions

on all issues within the particular work

group’s area of responsibility. All

meetings are open to the public. Please

note that the meetings may adjourn

early if all business is finished.

Members of the public may make

presentations, oral or written, at either

meeting.

Information on Services for the

Handicapped

For information on facilities or

services for the handicapped or to

request special assistance at the

meetings, contact the Executive Director

or Executive Secretary.

Dated: 21 December 2000.

Paul J. Pluta,

Rear Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard Commander,

Eighth Coast Guard District.

[FR Doc. 01–1095 Filed 1–11–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–15–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

Commercial Routes for the Grand

Canyon National Park Special Flight

Rules Area

AGENCY: Federal Aviation

Administration, DOT.

2948 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 9 / Friday, January 12, 2001 / Notices

ACTION: Notice of availability; extension

of comment period.

SUMMARY: This notice extends the

comment period on a notice of

availability published December 13,

2000, (65 FR 78072) on commercial

routes for the Grand Canyon National

Park (GCNP) Special Flight Rules Area

(SFRA). The commercial routes were

not published in the Federal Register

because they are on very large and very

detailed charts, but were available from

the FAA by request. The modifications

in the routes are related to safety

concerns identified by air tour operators

and evaluated by the Federal Aviation

Administration (FAA). With this notice,

the FAA extends the comment period

on the modifications of these routes,

until January 26, 2001, so that interested

persons who were unable to comment

on the routes due to the holiday season

may do so.

DATES: Comments must be received on

or before January 26, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Comments on the proposed

commercial air tour routes may be

delivered or mailed, in duplicate to:

Federal Aviation Administration,

Attention: Gary Davis, Air

Transportation Division, Flight

Standards Service, AFS–201, Rm 831,

800 Independence Avenue SW.,

Washington, DC 20591. Comments also

may be faxed to Mr. Davis at 202–267–

5229. Comments may be examined at

the above address between 9 a.m. and 4

p.m. weekdays, except Federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Howard Nesbitt, Special Assistant for

National Parks, Flight Standards

Service, 800 Independence Avenue SW.,

Washington, DC 20591, Telephone (202)

493–4981.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FAA

did not publish the commercial routes

in the original notice of availability in

the Federal Register because they are on

very large and very detailed charts that

would not publish well in the Federal

Register. You may obtain a copy of the

commercial routes by contacting Denise

Cashmere at (202) 267–3717, by faxing

a request to (202) 267–5229, or by

sending a request in writing to the

Federal Aviation Administration, Air

Transportation Division, AFS–200, 800

Independence Avenue SW.,

Washington, DC 20591. You may

comment on the suggested route

modifications as you desire, but you

must identify that you are commenting

on the commercial routes for Grand

Canyon National Park. The FAA will

consider all comments received on or

before January 26, 2001. The FAA will

consider late-filed comments to the

extent practicable.

History

On April 4, 2000, the Federal

Aviation Administration published two

final rules, the Modification of the

Dimensions of the Grand Canyon

National Park Special Flight Rules Area

and Flight Free Zones (Air Space

Modification), and the Commercial Air

Tour Limitation in the Grand Canyon

National Park Special Flight Rules Area

(Commercial Air Tour Limitation). See

65 FR 17736; 65 FR 17708; April 4,

2000. The FAA also simultaneously

published a notice of availability of

Commercial Routes for the Grand

Canyon National Park (Routes Notice).

See 65 FR 17698, April 4, 2000. The

Commercial Air Tour Limitations final

rule became effective on May 4, 2000.

The Air Space Modification final rule

and the routes set forth in the Routes

Notice were scheduled to become

effective December 1, 2000. The

effective date of the Air Space

Modification final rule and the new

routes was extended to provide the air

tour operators ample opportunity to

train on the new route system during

the non-tour season. The Final

Supplemental Environmental

Assessment for Special Flight Rules in

the Vicinity of Grand Canyon National

Park (SEA) was completed on February

22, 2000, and the Finding of No

Significant Impact was issued on

February 25, 2000.

On May 8, 2000, The United States

Air Tour Association (USATA) and

seven air tour operators (hereinafter

collectively referred to as the Air Tour

Providers) filed a petition for review of

the two final rules before the United

States Court of Appeals for the District

of Columbia Circuit. The FAA, the

Department of Transportation, the

Department of Interior, the National

Park Service (NPS) and various federal

officials were named as respondents in

this action. On May 30, 2000, the Air

Tour Providers filed a motion for stay

pending review before the Court of

Appeals. The federal respondents in this

case filed a motion for summary denial

on grounds that petitioners had not

exhausted their administrative

remedies. The Court granted the federal

respondents summary denial on July 19,

2000. The Grand Canyon Trust, the

National Parks and Conservation

Association, the Sierra Club, the

Wilderness Society, Friends of the

Grand Canyon and Grand Canyon River

Guides, Inc. (hereinafter will be

collectively referred to as The Trust)

filed a petition for review of the same

rules on May 22, 2000. The Court, by

motion of the federal respondents,

consolidated that case with that of the

Air Tour Providers. The Hualapai

Indian Tribe of Arizona filed a motion

to intervene in the Air Tour Providers

petition for review on June 23, 2000.

The Court granted that motion on July

19, 2000.

On July 31, 2000, the Air Tour

Providers filed a motion for stay before

the FAA. Both the Hualapai Indian

Tribe and the Trust filed oppositions to

the Air Tour Providers’ stay motion. On

October 11, 2000, (65 FR 60352) the

FAA published a disposition of the stay

request, denying the stay. On October

25, 2000, the Air Tour Providers filed a

Motion for Stay and Emergency Relief

Pending Review of an Agency Order

with the Court of Appeals. The federal

respondents filed their Opposition to

Petitioner’s Motion for Stay Pending

Review and Notification of

Administrative Stay of Route and

Airspace Rules on November 2, 2000.

The FAA then issued an administrative

stay of the routes and airspace until

December 28, 2000, so that it could

further investigate some new safety

allegations raised by the Air Tour

Providers during the course of litigation

(65 FR 69846 and 65 FR 69848;

November 20, 2000). On December 28,

2000, the FAA delayed implementation

of changes in the airspace for GCNP

SFRA until April 1, 2001, pending

resolution of safety issues in the east

end of GCNP. A companion document

delayed implementation of the new

route structure also until April 1, 2001.

On December 13, 2000, the FAA

published a new Notice of Availability

to the Commercial Routes in the Grand

Canyon National Park Special Flight

Rules Area suggesting some route

modifications on the east end to address

the concerns raised by the air tour

operators (65 FR 78072). The comment

period to this Notice expires on January

12, 2001.

Discussion

In response to the Notice of

Availability published December 13,

2000, the FAA has received a request

from the United States Air Tour

Association (USATA) to extend the

commend period for 30–60 days.

USATA states that ‘‘air tour providers

are currently reviewing the proposed

route structure and early indications

from them are that they still have some

significant and substantial concerns

with the new routes.’’ However, USATA

states that ‘‘due to the inevitable

disruptions due to the holidays,

vacations and the inability of the air

tour operators to yet be able to work

closely with the Flight Standards

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 9 / Friday, January 12, 2001 / Notices 2949

District Office in Las Vegas and actually

fly the proposed routes, a full, fair,

complete and objective evaluation

simply is not possible by the January 12,

2001 deadline.’’

The FAA is very interested in

receiving the air tour operators’

comments to the Notice of Availability

and welcomes the operators’ interest in

aviation safety. Thus, the FAA is

extending the comment period to the

Notice of Availability until January 26,

2001. The FAA believes that this

extension accounts for the time lost due

to the holidays and provides the air tour

operators with two additional weeks to

complete any route reviews and prepare

written comments. Given that the

suggested route modifications were not

extensive (and in fact the modification

to the Dragon Corridor reverts the

turnaround back to its present location),

the FAA believes the additional 15–45

days requested by the air tour operators

is unnecessary.

Issued in Washington, DC on January 8,

2001.

Gregory L. Michael,

Acting Director, Flight Standards Service.

[FR Doc. 01–1066 Filed 1–9–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–13–M

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

RTCA Special Committee 186;

Automatic Dependent Surveillance—

Broadcast (ADS–B)

Pursuant to section 10(a)(2) of the

Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub.

L. 92–463, 5 U.S.C., Appendix 2), notice

is hereby given for Special Committee

(SC)–186 meeting to be held February

5–8, 2001, starting at 9 a.m. The meeting

will be held at the Sheraton Four Points

Barcelo Hotel, 10220 North Metro

Parkway East, Phoenix, AZ 85051.

The agenda will include: February 5:

Working Group (WG)–4, Airborne

Separation Assurance (ASA) Minimum

Aviation System Performance Standards

(MASPS); February 6, 7: WG–1,

Operations and Implementation; WG–4,

ASA MASPS; February 8: Plenary

Session: (1) Welcome and Introductory

Remarks; (2) Review of Meeting Agenda;

(3) Review and Approval of the Previous

Meeting Minutes, RTCA Paper No. 394–

00/SC186–175; (4) Briefing—FAA ADS–

B ‘‘Big Picture’’ Roadmap; (5) Briefing—

ASDE–X Program; (6) Briefing—OCG–3

Memphis Op Eval–PM Status and Plans;

(7) Briefing—DOD Requirements

Process; (8) Eurocae WG–51 Status

Report; (9) SC–186 Activity Reports for

the following Working Groups: (a) WG–

1, Operations & Implementation; (b)

WG–2, Traffic Information Services—

Broadcast (TIS–B); (c) WG–3, 1090 MHz

Minimum Operational Performance

Standards (MOPS); (d) WG–4,

Application Technical Requirements; (e)

WG–5, Universal Access Transceiver

(UAT) MOPS; (f) Ad Hoc MASPS

Working Group (DO–242); (10) Review

Action Items/Work Program; (11) Other

Business; (12) Date and Location of Next

Meeting; (13) Closing.

Attendance is open to the interested

public but limited to space availability.

With the approval of the chairman,

members of the public may present oral

statements at the meeting. Persons

wishing to present statements or obtain

information should contact the RTCA

Secretariat, 1140 Connecticut Avenue,

NW., Suite 1020, Washington, DC

20036; (202) 833–9339 (phone); (202)

833–9434 (fax); or the on-site contact,

Greg Stayton at (602) 436–1234 (phone),

(602) 436–5500 (fax) or greg.stayton@1–

3com.com (email). Members of the

public may present a written statement

to the committee at any time.

Issued in Washington, DC, on January 3,

2001.

Janice L. Peters,

Designated Official.

[FR Doc. 01–1094 Filed 1–11–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–13–M

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

[Policy Statement Number ACE–00–

23.1155–01]

Issuance of Policy Memorandum, InFlight Operation of Propellers at Pitch

Settings Below the Flight Regime for

14 CFR Part 23/CAR 3 Airplanes

AGENCY: Federal Aviation

Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of policy statement.

SUMMARY: This document announces an

FAA general statement of policy for

certification of normal, utility, acrobatic,

and commuter category turbine powered

airplanes with propeller beta mode

pitch settings.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Randy Griffith, Federal Aviation

Administration, Small Airplane

Directorate, Regulations and Policy

Branch, ACE–111, 901 Locust, Room

301, Kansas City, Missouri 64106;

telephone (816) 329–4126; fax (816)

329–4090; email:

<randy.griffith@faa.gov>.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

This notice announces the following

policy statement, ACE–00–23.1155–01.

The purpose of this statement is to

address certification of normal, utility,

acrobatic, and commuter category

turbine powered airplanes with

propeller beta mode pitch settings.

What Is the General Effect of This

Policy?

The FAA is presenting this

information as a set of guidelines

suitable for use. However, we do not

intend that this policy set up a binding

norm; it does not form a new regulation

and the FAA would not apply or rely on

it as a regulation.

The FAA Aircraft Certification Offices

(ACO’s) and Flight Standards District

Offices (FSDO’s) that certify changes in

type design and approve alterations in

normal, utility, and acrobatic category

airplanes should try to follow this

policy when appropriate. Applicants

should expect the certificating officials

would consider this information when

making findings of compliance.

As with all advisory material, this

statement of policy identifies one way,

but not the only way, of compliance.

General Discussion of Comments

Has FAA Taken Any Action to This

Point?

We issued a notice of policy

statement, request for comments. This

proposed policy appeared in the

Federal Register on September 1, 2000

(65 FR 53340) and the public comment

period closed October 2, 2000.

Was the Public Invited To Comment?

The FAA encouraged interested

people to join in making this proposed

policy. We received comments from 5

different commenters. Commenters

included manufacturers and aviation

regulatory authorities.

Two commenters did not provide

recommendations specific to the policy.

The first agreed with the content. The

second provided information and safety

concerns on the possible rulemaking

discussed in the background to the

policy. We have noted the second’s

comment, which will be considered if

we determine that rulemaking should be

pursued.

Two commenters recommended that

FAA consider for part 23 the material

that was recently prepared for 14 CFR

part 25 under the Powerplant

Installation Harmonization Working

Group (PPIHWG), as the same risks and

considerations apply. We disagree that

the same risks and considerations for

part 25 airplanes directly relate to part