[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 44 (Tuesday, March 6, 2001)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 13474]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-5307]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

49 CFR Part 229

[FRA Docket No. FRA 2000-8545; Notice No. 2]
RIN 2130--AB89


Locomotive Cab Sanitation Standards

AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of public hearing.

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SUMMARY: By notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) published on January 
2, 2001 (66 FR 136), FRA proposed safety standards for sanitation 
facilities for locomotive cab employees. This document announces a 
public hearing to give interested parties an opportunity to make 
comments on the record concerning the NPRM.

DATES: FRA will host a public hearing on April 2, 2001 at 2:00 p.m. Any 
interested party who desires to participate in the hearing must notify 
the Department of Transportation Central Docket Management Facility in 
writing on or before March 27, 2001. Written notification to the Docket 
Clerk must identify the docket number, and the participant's name, 
affiliation, and phone number.

ADDRESSES: Public Hearing: The public hearing will take place at the 
Omni Ambassador East, 1301 North State Parkway, Chicago, Illinois 60610 
(312-787-7200).
    Docket Clerk: Each notification must be submitted to the 
Department's Central Docket located in Room PL-401 at the Plaza level 
of the Nassif Building, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590. 
Docket hours at the Nassif Building are Monday-Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 
5:00 p.m., excluding Federal holidays. Submissions may also be made via 
the Internet at http://dms.dot.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christine Beyer, Office of the Chief 
Counsel, 1120 Vermont Avenue, NW., Mail Stop 10, Washington, DC 20950 
(telephone 202-493-6027); or Brenda Hattery, Office of Safety Assurance 
and Compliance, 1120 Vermont Avenue, NW., Mail Stop 25, Washington, DC 
20590 (telephone: 202-493-6326).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: FRA published its NPRM on locomotive cab 
sanitation standards on January 2, 2001 (66 FR 136). In the NPRM, FRA 
provided all interested parties the opportunity to request a public 
hearing, and the Brotherhood of Maintenance-of-Way Employes has 
requested a hearing.
    FRA prepared the NPRM through consultations with the Railroad 
Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC). FRA established RSAC in 1996 to 
provide a forum for collaborative rulemaking and program development. 
RSAC includes representation from all of the agency's major customer 
groups, including railroad carriers, labor organizations, suppliers, 
manufacturers and other interested parties.
    FRA presented the issue of locomotive cab working conditions to 
RSAC in June 1997, and RSAC agreed to take on the task of preparing 
recommendations for any rulemaking FRA promulgated on the subject of 
cab sanitation facilities. RSAC formed the Locomotive Cab Working 
Conditions Working Group (Working Group) to meet and discuss the nature 
and extent of the problem, and to recommend a course of action for the 
agency. The Working Group included representatives of the rail 
carriers, affected labor organizations, and manufacturers. FRA and the 
Working Group met extensively over a period of 3 years, and discussed 
the area of cab sanitation thoroughly. FRA's NPRM is based largely on 
the recommendations that the Working Group prepared, and FRA believes 
the input the Working Group provided greatly enhanced the quality of 
the product. FRA invited written comments on the NPRM from all 
interested parties, and looks forward to additional oral comments at 
the public hearing.

Public Hearing Procedures

    The public hearing will be conducted on the record, with a 
stenographer present. Any interested party may make a statement for the 
record and offer suggestions for improving the proposed standards. Any 
person wishing to participate in the public hearing should notify the 
Docket Clerk by mail or via the Internet at the address provided in the 
ADDRESSES section above, on or before March 27, 2001. The notification 
should identify the participant's name, affiliation and phone number.

    Issued in Washington, D.C., on February 28, 2001.
S. Mark Lindsey,
Acting Deputy Administrator.
[FR Doc. 01-5307 Filed 3-5-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P