Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 118 / Tuesday, June 19, 2001 / Notices 32975

Overflights Advisory Group (NPOAG).

The NPOAG is formed to provide

continuing advice and counsel with

respect to commercial air tour

operations over and near national parks.

This notice informs the public of the

members initially selected to serve on

the advisory group and next actions of

the advisory group.

DATES: The National Parks Overflights

Advisory Group was established on

April 5, 2001; this notice announces

those members initially selected to serve

as the Advisory Group.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Howard Nesbitt, Flight Standards

Service, Federal Aviation

Administration, 800 Independence

Ave., SW., Washington, DC 20591,

telephone: (202) 493–4981, or Marvin

Jensen, Soundscapes Office, National

Park Service, 1201 Oak Ridge Drive,

Suite 200, Ft. Collins, Colorado, 80525,

telephone: (970) 225–3563.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

The National Parks Air Tour

Management Act of 2000 (the Act) was

enacted on April 5, 2000, as Public Law

106–181. The Act applies to

‘‘commercial air tour operations’’

occurring over a unit of the national

park system or tribal lands within or

abutting a national park. The Act

defines a commercial air tour operation

and lists the factors that the

Administrator may consider in

determining whether or not an operator

is conducting a commercial air tour

operation. See Section 803 of the Act, to

be codified at 49 U.S.C. section

40128(f)(4)(B). Once defined as a

commercial air tour operation, that

operation would be subject to the air

tour management plan (ATMP) for that

park. The process for the development

of an ATMP will be delineated in future

rulemaking which will codify the Act.

In the meantime, to meet the mandate

of the public law, the FAA and NPS

publish this notice announcing the

initial selections of membership on the

Advisory Group who will serve to

advise and counsel the persons

implementing the regulations when they

are adopted.

Advisory Group Requirements of Pub.

L. 106–181

The Act requires the establishment of

the advisory group within 1 year after

its enactment. The advisory group is to

be comprised of a balanced group of

representatives of general aviation;

commercial air tour operations;

environmental concerns; and Indian

tribes. The Administrator and the

Director (or their designees) are to serve

as ex officio members of the group.

Representatives of the Administrator

and Director will serve alternating 1-

year terms as chairman of the advisory

group. The Administrator’s

representative will serve the first term,

which will terminate at the end of the

calendar year following the year in

which the advisory group is established.

The advisory group will ‘‘provide

advice, information, and

recommendations to the Administrator

and the Director—

(1) on the implementation of this title

[the Act] and the amendments made by

this title;

(2) on commonly accepted quiet

aircraft technology for use in

commercial air tour operations over a

national park or tribal lands, which will

receive preferential treatment in a given

air tour management plan;

(3) on other measures that might be

taken to accommodate the interests of

visitors to national parks; and

(4) at the request of the Administrator

and the Director, safety, environmental,

and other issues related to commercial

air tour operations over a national park

or tribal lands.’’

Members of the advisory group may

be allowed certain travel expenses as

authorized by section 5703 of title 5,

United States Code, for intermittent

Government service.

Request for Public Participation in the

Advisory Group

On March 12, 2001, the FAA and NPS

invited members of the public who are

interested in serving on the advisory

group to contact persons listed under

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

Eleven requests were received. The FAA

and NPS have selected the following

persons to serve initially on the

Advisory Group: Joseph Corrao,

Helicopter Association International;

Andrew Cebula, Aircraft Owners and

Pilots Association; David Kennedy,

National Air Transportation

Association; Chip Dennerlein, National

Parks Conservation Association; Charles

Maynard, Friends of the Great Smoky

Mountain National Park; and Boyd

Evison, former National Park

Superintendent and Regional Director.

Ms. Germane White will represent the

Confederated Salish and Kootani.

After the issuance of a final regulation

implementing the Act, the agencies will

consider other requests for membership

on the Advisory Group. This may

include persons who may, after the

issuance of final rules implementing the

Act, find that they have an interest to

serve in an advisory role in the

implementation of the regulations. At

this time, however, the agencies find

that the persons selected will serve as a

balanced representation of the various

interests of the national parks.

Next Actions of the Advisory Group

The FAA and NPS anticipate the

Advisory Group may wish to hold at

least one session before the issuance of

final regulations on the legislation to

establish organizational and

administrative rules of conduct. The

public will be informed of any such

meetings by notice in the Federal

Register.

Issued in Washington, DC on June 12,

2001.

Jane F. Garvey,

Administrator.

[FR Doc. 01–15419 Filed 6–18–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–13–M

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

[Summary Notice No. PE–2001–45]

Petitions for Exemption; Summary of

Petitions Received

AGENCY: Federal Aviation

Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of petitions for

exemption received.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to FAA’s rulemaking

provisions governing the application,

processing, and disposition of petitions

for exemption part 11 of Title 14, Code

of Federal Regulations (14 CFR), this

notice contains a summary of certain

petitions seeking relief from specified

requirements of 14 CFR. The purpose of

this notice is to improve the public’s

awareness of, and participation in, this

aspect of FAA’s regulatory activities.

Neither publication of this notice nor

the inclusion or omission of information

in the summary is intended to affect the

legal status of any petition or its final

disposition.

DATES: Comments on petitions received

must identify the petition docket

number involved and must be received

on or before July 10, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Send comments on any

petition to the Docket Management

System, U.S. Department of

Transportation, Room Plaza 401, 400

Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC

20590–0001. You must identify the

docket number FAA–2000–XXXX at the

beginning of your comments. If you

wish to receive confirmation that FAA

received your comments, include a selfaddressed, stamped postcard.

32976 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 118 / Tuesday, June 19, 2001 / Notices

You may also submit comments

through the Internet to http://

dms.dot.gov. You may review the public

docket containing the petition, any

comments received, and any final

disposition in person in the Dockets

Office between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.,

Monday through Friday, except Federal

holidays. The Dockets Office (telephone

1–800–647–5527) is on the plaza level

of the NASSIF Building at the

Department of Transportation at the

above address. Also, you may review

public dockets on the Internet at

http://dms.dot.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Forest Rawls (202) 267–8033, Sandy

Buchanan-Sumter (202) 267–7271, or

Vanessa Wilkins (202) 267–8029, Office

of Rulemaking (ARM–1), Federal

Aviation Administration, 800

Independence Avenue, SW.,

Washington, DC 20591.

This notice is published pursuant to

14 CFR 11.85 and 11.91.

Issued in Washington, DC, on June 14,

2001.

Donald P. Byrne,

Assistant Chief Counsel for Regulations.

Petitions for Exemption

Docket No.: FAA–2001–9679.

Petitioner: Lufthansa Tecnik AG.

Section of 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR

25.785(j).

Description of Relief Sought: To

provide relief from that portion of 14

CFR 25.785(j) which requires a firm

handhold along each aisle to enable

persons to steady themselves while

using the aisles in moderately rough air.

The petitioner requests this exemption

for the Boeing Model 737–700IGW,

equipped with an executive interior, to

be used in a private, not for hire,

operation.

Docket No.: ANM–2001–6919.

Petitioner: Dassault Falcon Jet

Corporation.

Section of 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR

25.813(e).

Description of Relief Sought: To allow

the petitioner to install a latchable

sliding door which can be stored in a

cabin partition during takeoffs, landings

and emergency conditions on its Falcon

900 and 900EX aircraft operated in

accordance with part 91 and part 135.

When latched, the door permits totally

free access to the cabin aisle and

emergency exits.

[FR Doc. 01–15420 Filed 6–18–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–13–M

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

Notice of Public Hearing

In accordance with 49 CFR 211.9 and

211.41, notice was published January

18, 2001 that the Federal Railroad

Administration (FRA) has received a

request for a waiver of compliance with

certain requirements of the Federal

safety laws and regulations. (See Docket

Number FRA–2000–8268, Item 3,

available for inspection on the Internet

at the docket facility’s Web site at http:/

/dms.dot.gov) It has subsequently been

determined that a Public Hearing should

be held relative to this request. The

petition is described below, including

the party seeking relief, the regulatory

provisions involved, the nature of the

relief being requested, and the

petitioner’s arguments in favor of relief.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway

Company

[Waiver Petition Docket Number FRA–2000–

8268]

Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway

(BNSF) seeks a permanent waiver of

compliance from certain requirements

of 49 CFR Part 229 (Railroad

Locomotive Safety Standards) for a

select group of C–44–9W locomotives,

road numbers BNSF 700–799, 960–

1123, 4300–4999, and 5370–5499.

Specifically, BNSF requests a waiver

from 49 CFR 229.23(a), which requires

that the interval between any two

periodic inspections may not exceed 92

days. BNSF proposes to extend this

interval to 122 days on this group of

locomotives.

In support of this proposal BNSF

states: ‘‘These locomotives contain the

industry’s latest technology in the areas

of safety and reliability, are

microprocessor controlled and equipped

with New York Air Brake Corporation

computer controlled brakes.’’ They cite

calender day inspections and other

inspections that are done every 3 to 4

days which will help ensure safe

operation. Since April 1, 1999 they have

been performing periodic inspections

every 61 days. They estimate that they

have had a 0.87 % defect rate after 61

days. In conclusion BNSF states:

‘‘Extending the periodic maintenance

interval from 92 to 122 days will not

adversely effect the safety or

performance of C44–9W locomotives.’’

Interested parties were invited to

participate in these proceedings by

submitting written views, data, or

comments. Although the formal

comment period closed on March 5,

2001, written comments received after

that date will be considered as far as

practicable. In addition, the FRA has

determined that a public hearing is

necessary before a final decision is

made on this proposal.

Accordingly, a public hearing is

hereby set for 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday,

July 18, 2001, at the National Weather

Service, National Training Center

Auditorium, 7220 NW 101st Terrace,

Kansas City, Missouri 64153. Interested

parties are invited to present oral

statements at the hearing.

The hearing will be an informal one

and will be conducted in accordance

with Rule 25 of the FRA Rules of

Practice (49 CFR 211.25), by a

representative designated by the FRA.

The hearing will be a nonadversary

proceeding and, therefore, there will be

no cross-examination of persons

presenting statements. The FRA

representative will make an opening

statement outlining the scope of the

hearing. After all initial statements have

been completed, those persons wishing

to make brief rebuttal statements will be

given the opportunity to do so in the

same order in which they made their

initial statements. Additional

procedures, if necessary for the conduct

of the hearing, will be announced at the

hearing.

All communications concerning these

proceedings should identify the

appropriate docket number, (e.g.,

Waiver Petition Docket Number FRA–

2000–8268) and must be submitted to

the DOT Docket Management Facility,

Room PL–401 (Plaza Level), 400

Seventh Street, SW, Washington, D.C.

20590. All written communications

concerning these proceedings are

available for examination during regular

business hours (9 a.m.–5 p.m.) at the

above facility. All documents in the

public docket are also available for

inspection and copying on the Internet

at the docket facility’s web site at

http://dms.dot.gov.

Issued in Washington, DC on June 13,

2001.

Grady C. Cothen, Jr.,

Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety

Standards and Program Development.

[FR Doc. 01–15406 Filed 6–18–01; 8:45 am]

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