[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 205 (Wednesday, October 24, 2007)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 60307-60309]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 07-5254]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Transportation Security Administration

49 CFR Parts 1540, 1544, and 1560

[Docket No. TSA-2007-28572]
RIN 1652-AA45


Secure Flight Program

AGENCY: Transportation Security Administration, DHS.

ACTION: Proposed Rule: Extension of Comment Period.

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SUMMARY: The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is extending 
the comment period on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking regarding the 
Secure Flight Program published on August 23, 2007. TSA has decided to 
grant, in part, two requests for an extension of the comment period and 
will extend the comment period for thirty (30) days. The comment period 
will now end on November 21, 2007, instead of October 22, 2007.

DATES: The comment period for the proposed rule at 72 FR at 48356, 
August 23, 2007, is extended until November 21, 2007.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by the TSA docket number 
to this rulemaking, to the Federal Docket Management System (FDMS), a 
government-wide, electronic docket management system, using any one of 
the following methods:
    Electronically: You may submit comments through the Federal 
eRulemaking portal at http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online 
instructions for submitting comments.
    Mail, In Person, or Fax: Address, hand-deliver, or fax your written 
comments to the Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., West Building Ground 
Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001; Fax 202-493-2251. The 
Department of Transportation (DOT), which maintains and processes TSA's 
official regulatory dockets, will scan the submission and post it to 
FDMS.
    See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for format and other information 
about comment submissions.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kevin Knott, Policy Manager, Secure

[[Page 60308]]

Flight, Office of Transportation Threat Assessment and Credentialing, 
TSA-19, Transportation Security Administration, 601 South 12th Street, 
Arlington, VA 22202-4220, telephone (240) 568-5611.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Comments Invited

    TSA invites interested persons to participate in this action by 
submitting written comments, data, or views. We also invite comments 
relating to the economic, environmental, energy, or federalism impacts 
that might result from this action. See ADDRESSES above for information 
on where to submit comments.
    With each comment, please identify the docket number at the 
beginning of your comments. TSA encourages commenters to provide their 
names and addresses. The most helpful comments reference a specific 
portion of the document, explain the reason for any recommended change, 
and include supporting data. You may submit comments and material 
electronically, in person, by mail, or fax as provided under ADDRESSES, 
but please submit your comments and material by only one means. If you 
submit comments by mail or delivery, submit them in an unbound format, 
no larger than 8.5 by 11 inches, suitable for copying and electronic 
filing.
    If you want TSA to acknowledge receipt of comments submitted by 
mail, include with your comments a self-addressed, stamped postcard on 
which the docket number appears. We will stamp the date on the postcard 
and mail it to you.
    TSA will file in the public docket all comments received by TSA, 
except for comments containing confidential information and sensitive 
security information (SSI),\1\ TSA will consider all comments received 
on or before the closing date for comments and will consider comments 
filed late to the extent practicable. The docket is available for 
public inspection before and after the comment closing date.
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    \1\ ``Sensitive Security Information'' or ``SSI'' is information 
obtained or developed in the conduct of security activities, the 
disclosure of which would constitute an unwarranted invasion of 
privacy, reveal trade secrets or privileged or confidential 
information, or be detrimental to the security of transportation. 
The protection of SSI is governed by 49 CFR part 1520.
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Handling of Confidential or Proprietary Information and Sensitive 
Security Information (SSI) Submitted in Public Comments

    Do not submit comments that include trade secrets, confidential 
commercial or financial information, or SSI to the public regulatory 
docket. Please submit such comments separately from other comments on 
the action. Comments containing this type of information should be 
appropriately marked as containing such information and submitted by 
mail to the address listed in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section.
    Upon receipt of such comments, TSA will not place the comments in 
the public docket and will handle them in accordance with applicable 
safeguards and restrictions on access. TSA will hold documents 
containing SSI, confidential business information, or trade secrets in 
a separate file to which the public does not have access, and place a 
note in the public docket that TSA has received such materials from the 
commenter. However, if TSA determines that portions of these comments 
may be made publicly available, TSA may include a redacted version of 
the comment in the public docket. If TSA receives a request to examine 
or copy information that is not in the public docket, TSA will treat it 
as any other request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 
U.S.C. 552) and the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS'') FOIA 
regulation found in 6 CFR part 5.

Reviewing Comments in the Docket

    Please be aware that anyone is able to search the electronic form 
of all comments received into any of our dockets by the name of the 
individual submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted 
on behalf of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may 
review the applicable Privacy Act Statement published in the Federal 
Register on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477), or you may visit http://DocketInfo.dot.gov.
    You may review TSA's electronic public docket on the Internet at 
http://www.regulations.gov. In addition, DOT's Docket Management 
Facility provides a physical facility, staff, equipment, and assistance 
to the public. To obtain assistance or to review comments in TSA's 
public docket, you may visit this facility between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays, or call (202) 366-
9826. This docket operations facility is located in the West Building 
Ground Floor, Room W12-140 at 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, 
DC 20590.

Availability of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Comments Received

    You can get an electronic copy using the Internet by--
    (1) Searching the electronic Federal Docket Management System 
(FDMS) Web page at http://www.regulations.gov;
    (2) Accessing the Government Printing Office's Web page at http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html; or
    (3) Visiting TSA's Security Regulations Web page at http://www.tsa.gov and accessing the link for ``Research Center'' at the top 
of the page.
    In addition, copies are available by writing or calling the 
individual in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section. Make sure to 
identify the docket number of this rulemaking.

Comment Period Extension

    On August 23, 2007, TSA published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking 
(NPRM) on the Secure Flight Program (see 72 FR 48356, August 23, 2007). 
The NPRM had a 60-day comment period that would end on October 22, 
2007. In a request dated September 28, 2007, the Air Transport 
Association of America (ATA) requested that the deadline for filing 
comments on the Secure Flight NPRM be extended from October 22, 2007 to 
December 21, 2007. In a request dated October 4, 2007, the 
International Air Transport Association (IATA) similarly requested that 
the deadline for filing comments on the Secure Flight NPRM be extended 
until January 21, 2008.
    TSA has decided to grant, in part, ATA and IATA's requests for an 
extension and will extend the comment period for thirty (30) days. The 
comment period will now be a total of 90 days and will end on November 
21, 2007. This extension will allow the aviation industry and other 
interested entities and individuals additional time to complete their 
comments on the NPRM.
    With this extension, the comment period for the Secure Flight NPRM 
will be the same as the comment period that U.S. Customs and Border 
Protection (CBP) provided for the NPRM on Passenger Manifests for 
Commercial Aircraft Arriving in and Departing From the United States; 
Passenger and Crew Manifests for Commercial Vessels Departing From the 
United States (``Pre-Departure APIS''). 71 FR 43681 (Aug. 23, 2006) 
(extending the original comment period from 30 days to 90 days). As 
discussed in the Secure Flight NPRM, the Pre-Departure APIS rulemaking 
is related to the Secure Flight NPRM in that together, the two 
rulemakings explain the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS') 
proposed unified approach to watchlist matching for international and 
domestic passenger flights.


[[Page 60309]]


    Issued in Arlington, Virginia, on October 18, 2007.
Gale Rossides,
Acting Deputy Administrator.
[FR Doc. 07-5254 Filed 10-19-07; 3:33 pm]
BILLING CODE 9110-05-P