Document ID: FRA-2022-0020-0017
Agency: fra
Document Type: Proposed Rule
Title: Certification of Signal Employees
Posted Date: 2023-08-22T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 161 (Tuesday, August 22, 2023)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 57044]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-18034]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

49 CFR Part 246

[Docket No. FRA-2022-0020, Notice No. 3]
RIN 2130-AC92

Certification of Signal Employees

AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM); extension of comment 
period.

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SUMMARY: On May 31, 2023, FRA published an NPRM proposing to require 
railroads to develop written programs for certifying signal employees 
and to submit those written certification programs to FRA for approval 
prior to implementation. On July 5, 2023, FRA published a notice 
extending the comment period by 30 days. By this notice, FRA is 
extending the NPRM's comment period by an additional 15 days.

DATES: The comment period for the NPRM, scheduled to close on August 
30, 2023, is extended until September 14, 2023.

ADDRESSES: 
    Comments: Comments related to Docket No. FRA-2022-0020, Notice No. 
1, may be submitted by going to https://www.regulations.gov and 
following the online instructions for submitting comments.
    Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name, docket 
name, and docket number or Regulatory Identification Number (RIN) for 
this rulemaking (2130-AC92). Note that all comments received will be 
posted without change to https://www.regulations.gov, including any 
personal information provided. Please see the Privacy Act heading in 
the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document for Privacy Act 
information related to any submitted comments or materials.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments received, go to https://www.regulations.gov and follow the 
online instructions for accessing the docket.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gabe Neal, Staff Director, Signal, 
Train Control, and Crossings Division, telephone: (816) 516-7168 or 
email: [email protected]; or Kathryn Gresham, Attorney Adviser, Office 
of the Chief Counsel, telephone: (202) 577-7142 or email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On July 28, 2023, FRA provided information 
in the rulemaking docket about the accidents that were analyzed by FRA 
in the regulatory impact analysis.\1\ In an August 5, 2023, petition, 
the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) 
requested a 30-day extension of the NPRM's \2\ comment period to 
analyze the information and its impact on ASLRRA's member railroads.
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    \1\ https://www.regulations.gov/document/FRA-2022-0020-0010.
    \2\ 88 FR 35632 (May 31, 2023).
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    The comment period for this NPRM is scheduled to close on August 
30, 2023.\3\ As FRA is partially granting ASLRRA's request, the comment 
period is now extended 15 days to September 14, 2023.
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    \3\ 88 FR 42907 (July 5, 2023).
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Privacy Act

    In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(c), DOT solicits comments from the 
public to better inform its rulemaking process. DOT posts these 
comments, without edit, to https://www.regulations.gov, as described in 
the system of records notice, DOT/ALL-14 FDMS, accessible through 
www.dot.gov/privacy. To facilitate comment tracking and response, we 
encourage commenters to provide their name, or the name of their 
organization; however, submission of names is completely optional. 
Whether or not commenters identify themselves, all timely comments will 
be fully considered. If you wish to provide comments containing 
proprietary or confidential information, please contact the agency for 
alternate submission instructions.

    Authority: 49 U.S.C. 20103, 20107, 20162, 21301, 21304, 21311; 
28 U.S.C. 2461 note; 49 CFR 1.89; and Pub. L. 110-432, sec. 402, 122 
Stat. 4884.

    Issued in Washington, DC.
John Karl Alexy,
Associate Administrator for Railroad Safety Chief Safety Officer.
[FR Doc. 2023-18034 Filed 8-21-23; 8:45 am]
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