67620 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 250 / Monday, December 31, 2001 / Notices

either meeting. If you would like to

make an oral presentation at either

meeting, please notify the Assistant

Executive Director on or before January

15, 2002.

Information on Services for Individuals

With Disabilities

For information on facilities or

services for individuals with disabilities

or to request special assistance at the

meetings, contact the Assistant

Executive Director as soon as possible.

Dated: December 21, 2001.

Howard L. Hime,

Acting Director of Standards, Marine Safety

and Environmental Protection.

[FR Doc. 01–32030 Filed 12–28–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–15–U

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

[Docket No. FAA–2001–111229]

Firearms, Less-Than-Lethal Weapons,

and Emergency Services on

Commercial Air Flights

ACTION: Request for comments.

SUMMARY: The FAA is requesting

comments on issues related to pilots

carrying firearms into the cockpit and

flight deck crewmembers carrying lessthan-lethal weapons on aircraft

providing air transportation or intrastate

air transportation. We are also

requesting comments on issues related

to provision of emergency services on

commercial air flights during

emergencies by law enforcement

officers, firefighters, and emergency

medical technicians. This action is part

of an effort to develop recommendations

for possible future action by the

Department of Transportation.

DATES: Send you comments to reach us

on or before February 14, 2002.

ADDRESSES: Mail your comments to—

Public Docket Office, Department of

Transportation, 400 Seventh Street,

SW., Room PL–401, Washington, DC

20590–0001.

Or send your comments through the

Internet to—http://dms.dot.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kent

Stephens, Manager, Air Carrier

Operations Branch, AFS–220, Air

Transportation Division, Flight

Standards Service, Federal Aviation

Administration, 800 Independence

Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20591;

telephone (202) 267–9518.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Your Comments Are Welcome

We invite your comments on the

issues described in this notice. The most

useful comments are those that are

specific and related to issues raised by

the notice. Factual information that

supports your ideas and suggestions is

extremely helpful in evaluating the

issues and determining what future

actions we should undertake.

To ensure consideration, you must

identify the Rules Docket number in

your comments, and you must submit

comments to one of the addresses

specified under the ADDRESSES section

of this preamble. We will consider all

communications received on or before

the closing date for comments. All

comments submitted will be available,

both before and after the closing date for

comments, in the Rules Docket for

examination by interested persons. We

will file in the Rules Docket a report

that summarizes each public contact

related to the substance of this notice.

You may review the public docket

containing comments on this notice in

person in the Dockets Office between 9

a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through

Friday, except Federal holidays. The

Dockets Office is on the plaza level of

the Nassif Building at the Department of

Transportation at the address specified

in the ADDRESSES section. Also, you may

review the docket on the Internet at

http://dms.dot.gov.

If you want us to acknowledge receipt

of your comments submitted in

response to this notice, you must

include with your comments a selfaddressed, stamped postcard on which

you identify the Rules Docket number of

this notice. We will date stamp the

postcard and return it to you.

Availability of Documents

You can get an electronic copy of this

notice using the Internet through FAA’s

web page at http://www.faa.gov/avr/

arm/nprm/nprm.htm or through the

Federal Register’s web page at http://

www.access.gpo.gov/suldocs/aces/

aces140.htm

You can get a paper copy by

submitting a request to the Federal

Aviation Administration, Office of

Rulemaking, ARM–1, 800 Independence

Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20591, or

by calling (202) 267–9680. Make sure to

identify the docket number of this

rulemaking.

Background

As a result of the events of September

11, 2001, Congress passed and the

President signed the Aviation and

Transportation Security Act (ATSA), a

comprehensive measure designed to

protect the security of the Nation’s air

transportation system. See Pub. L. 107–

71, 115 Stat. 597, November 19, 2001.

The Department of Transportation is

this notice is seeking public comment to

assist it in developing recommendations

for possible future actions to implement

the following three sections of ASTA.

Sec. 126 of ATSA amends section

44903 of Title 49 of the United States

Code to provide in part that the

Secretary of Transportation, after

receiving recommendations from the

National Institute of Justice, may

authorize members of flight deck crews

on aircraft providing air transportation

or intrastate air transportation to carry a

less-than-lethal weapon. If the Secretary

grants authority to carry a less-thanlethal weapon, the Secretary must—

• Prescribe rules requiring that any

such crew member be trained in the

proper use of the weapon, and

• Prescribe guidelines setting forth

the circumstances under which such

weapons may be used.

Sec. 128 of ATSA provides that the

pilot of a passenger aircraft operated by

an air carrier in air transportation or

intrastate air transportation is

authorized to carry a firearm into the

cockpit if—

• The Under Secretary for

Transportation Security approves;

• The air carrier approves;

• The firearm is approved by the

Under Secretary; and

• The pilot has received proper

training for the use of the firearm, as

determined by the Under Secretary.

Sect. 131 of ATSA, in part, provides

that the Under Secretary for

Transportation Security must carry out

a program to permit law enforcement

officers, firefighters, and emergency

medical technicians to provide

emergency services on commercial air

flights during emergencies. To carry out

the program, the Under Secretary for

Transportation Security must establish

requirements for qualifications and

training of providers of emergency

services. If one of these individuals

meets such qualifications and training

requirements, ASTA provides that he or

she may not be held liable for damages.

As noted above, he FAA plans to

develop a set of recommendations to the

Department of Transportation for

carrying out these portions of ATSA. As

a preliminary step, we are asking for

public comment on a number of issues

that we have identified as potentially

being addressed in the

recommendations. We plan to consider

any comments we receive in response to

this request for comments in developing

specific recommendations. If the

Department of Transportation conducts

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 250 / Monday, December 31, 2001 / Notices 67621

rulemaking on these issues, there will

be another round of public comment.

We invite the public to send us

information and comments relating to

the following issues:

1. Whether pilots and other flight

crew members should carry firearms of

less-than-lethal weapons, and if so,

whether it should be on a voluntary

basis;

2. Whether and how the weapons

should be stored on the aircraft or

carried on board;

3. The types and numbers of lessthan-lethal weapons that should be

carried on aircraft for use by qualified

flight deck crew members;

4. The types of restraining devices or

other kinds of equipment that should be

on aircraft;

5. The types and numbers of firearms

that should be carried on aircraft for use

by qualified pilots and the types of

ammunition;

6. The amount and type of weapons

training that we should require,

including whether there should be

initial and recurrent training.

7. How the less-than-lethal weapons

and firearms should be carried, stored,

maintained (if necessary), and accessed

on the aircraft.

8. What types of aircraft modifications

we should require when aircraft are

equipped with less-than-lethal weapons

or firearms, such as modifications to

ventilation or avionics systems;

9. Whether the qualifications for using

less-than-lethal weapons or firearms

should be integrated into the existing

systems for establishing and

maintaining airman qualifications, such

as pilot certificates and ratings;

10. The circumstances under which

less-than-lethal weapons may be used;

11. How to identify individuals who

are willing to provide emergency

services on commercial flights;

12. Whether to maintain a registry of

some or all of these individuals;

13, The minimum qualifications of

those who would provide emergency

services on commercial air flights; and

14. The type of training providers of

emergency services on commercial air

flights should have.

We invite the public to raise any

additional issues or concerns related to

these issues, including any other factors

that we should consider addressing in

our recommendations.

Issued in Washington, DC, on December

21, 2001.

James J. Ballough,

Director, Flight Standards Service.

[FR Doc. 01–32040 Filed 12–28–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–13–M

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

Aviation Rulemaking Advisory

Committee Meeting on Air Carrier and

General Aviation Maintenance Issues

AGENCY: Federal Aviation

Administration (FAA) (DOT).

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

SUMMARY: The Federal Aviation

Administration (FAA) is issuing this

notice to advise the public of a meeting

of the FAA Aviation Rulemaking

Advisory Committee to discuss Air

Carrier and General Aviation

Maintenance Issues. Specifically the

committee will discuss two tasks

concerning quality assurance and

ratings for aeronautical repair stations.

DATES: The meeting will be held on

January 9, 2002, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Arrange for teleconference capability

and presentations by January 3, 2002.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at

the General Aviation Manufacturers

Association, 1400 K Street, NW., Suite

801, Washington, DC 20005.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Vanessa R. Wilkins, Federal Aviation

Administration, Office of Rulemaking

(ARM–207), 800 Independence Avenue,

SW., Washington, DC 20591, telephone

(202) 267–8029; fax (202) 267–5075.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant

to § 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory

Committee Act (Pub. L. 92–463; 5 U.S.C.

App II), notice is hereby given of a

meeting of the Aviation Rulemaking

Advisory Committee to discuss air

carrier and general aviation

maintenance issues to be held on

January 9, 2002, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

at the General Aviation Manufacturers

Association, 1400 K Street, NW., Suite

801, Washington, DC 20005.

Meeting Agenda

• Opening remarks and committee

administration

• Discussion of quality system

elements relating to a quality assurance

program

• Break

• Discussion of current regulatory

requirements relating to quality system

elements

• Lunch

• Discussion of quality assurance/

system elements missing from current

regulatory requirements

• Break

• Discussion of repair station ratings

• Adjourn

Attendance is open to the interested

public, but will be limited to the space

available. The FAA will arrange

teleconference capability for individuals

wishing to participate by teleconference

if we receive notification by January 3,

2002. Arrangements to participate by

teleconference can be made by

contacting the person listed in the FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section.

Callers outside the Washington

metropolitan area will be responsible for

paying long distance charges.

The public must make arrangements

by January 3, 2002, to present oral

statements at the meeting. The public

may present written statements to the

committee at any time by providing 25

copies to the Assistant Executive

Director, or by bringing the copies to the

meeting. In addition, sign and oral

interpretation can be made available at

the meeting, as well as an assistive

listening device, if requested by January

3, 2002. Arrangements may be made by

contacting the person listed under the

heading FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT.

Issued in Washington, DC, on December

20, 2001.

David E. Cann,

Assistant Executive Director, Aviation

Rulemaking Advisory Committee.

[FR Doc. 01–32039 Filed 12–28–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–13–M

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

Proposed Agency Information

Collection Activities; Comment

Request

AGENCY: Federal Railroad

Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and

its implementing regulations, the

Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)

hereby announces that it is seeking

renewal of the following currently

approved information collection

activities. Before submitting these

information collection requirements for

clearance by the Office of Management

and Budget (OMB), FRA is soliciting

public comment on specific aspects of

the activities identified below.

DATES: Comments must be received no

later than March 1, 2002.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments

on any or all of the following proposed

activities by mail to either: Mr. Robert

Brogan, Office of Safety, Planning and

Evaluation Division, RRS–21, Federal

Railroad Administration, 1120 Vermont

Ave., NW., Mail Stop 17, Washington,

DC 20590, or Ms. Dian Deal, Office of