Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2009/09/02/E9-21089/state-highway-rail-grade-crossing-action-plans
Timestamp: 2014-03-09 03:24:36
Document Index: 131893117

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 234', '§ 234', '§ 234', 'art 209', 'art 234', 'ART 234', 'art 234', 'art 234', '§ 234', '§ 234', '§ 234', '§ 234', '§ 234', '§ 234', '§ 234', 'art 234', '§ 234', '§ 234']

Federal Register | State Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Action Plans
-45343 (8 pages)
Document Number: E9-21089
Shorter URL: https://federalregister.gov/a/E9-21089 Related Topics
State Identification Back to Top
Time Period To Develop State Action Plan and Duration of Plan Back to Top
Assistance and Coordination Back to Top
Conditioning the Awarding of Grants Back to Top
Section 234.1. This paragraph discusses the scope of this part. An amendment is made to this paragraph to include reference to § 234.11, State Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Action Plans, as being within this part's scope.
Section 234.3. This paragraph discusses what entities are subject to this part. An amendment is made to this paragraph excepting § 234.11, State Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Action Plans, from discussion in this section.
Section 234.4. This paragraph discusses the preemptive effect of this part. An amendment is made to this paragraph permitting State tort actions, arising from events or activities occurring on or after January 18, 2002, that: Allege a violation of the Federal standard of care established by this part; allege a failure to comply with a party's own plan, rule, or standard created pursuant to this part; or allege a violation of a State law, regulation, or order that is necessary to eliminate or reduce an essentially local safety or security hazard, is not incompatible with a law, regulation, or order of the United States Government, and does not unreasonably burden interstate commerce.
Section 234.6(a) and (b). These paragraphs discuss the civil and criminal penalties a person may be subject to when violating requirements of this part. An amendment is made to these paragraphs providing that a violation of § 234.11, State Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Action Plans, will not give rise to either a civil or criminal penalty.
Notice-and-Comment Procedures Back to Top
Table A—Aggregated Plan Submission Back to Top
Business Specialist, Transportation
15,144.23
The estimated cost is found as the product of the hourly rate, the labor hours, and an estimated overhead rate. Overhead is considered at 75% of the hourly rate. Example Calculation:[($42.31 per hour) * (40 hours) * (1 + .75 (overhead rate))] = $2,961.54.
The submission process calls for FRA to review and approve each submitted plan according to the Federal mandate. FRA anticipates that the review time for each of the initial submissions to be 6 hours per plan. Listed in Table B is the aggregated Federal burden for the initial and resubmitted plans. Table B—Federal Compliance Summary Back to Top
Plan Submission Review
Table C—Aggregated Burden Summary Back to Top
State Submission Burden
Table D—Aggregated Sensitivity Analysis Summary Back to Top
Aggregated Submission Burden
The Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980 (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) requires a review of proposed and final rules to assess their impact on small entities, unless the Secretary certifies that the rule will not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. Pursuant to section 312 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996 (Pub. L. 104-121), FRA has issued a final policy that formally establishes “small entities” as including railroads that meet the line-haulage revenue requirements of a Class III railroad. 49 CFR part 209, app. C. For other entities, the same dollar limit in revenues governs whether a railroad, contractor, or other respondent is a small entity. Id. Additionally, section 601(5) defines as “small entities” governments of cities, counties, towns, townships, villages, school districts, or special districts with populations less than 50,000. Such governments would not be directly impacted by this direct final rule.
234.11—State Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Action Plans—Development and Submission of Plans
—Disapproval of State Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Action Plan and Submission of Revised Plan
5 revised plans
This direct final rule amends FRA's regulations regarding grade crossing safety. Subject to a limited exception for essentially local safety or security hazards, the requirements of FRA's regulations regarding grade crossing safety are intended to establish a uniform Federal safety standard that must be met, and State requirements covering the same subject would be displaced, whether those standards are in the form of State statutes, regulations, local ordinances, or other forms of State law, including common law. Section 20106 of Title 49 of the United States Code provides that all regulations prescribed by the Secretary related to railroad safety preempt any State law, regulation, or order covering the same subject matter, except a provision necessary to eliminate or reduce an essentially local safety or security hazard that is not incompatible with a Federal law, regulation, or order, and that does not unreasonably burden interstate commerce. This is consistent with past practice at FRA, and within the Department of Transportation. FRA has analyzed this direct final rule in accordance with the principles and criteria contained in Executive Order 13132. This direct final rule complies with a statutory mandate. FRA has not consulted with State and local officials in regards to this rule. However, prior to enactment of the RSIA, FRA did consult with State officials in conjunction with a recommendation from DOT's Office of Inspector General that certain States develop highway-rail grade crossing action plans, similar to the plans required by the RSIA and this rule. Thus, FRA believes it is in compliance with Executive Order 13132.
List of Subjects in 49 CFR Part 234 Back to Top
PART 234—GRADE CROSSING SIGNAL SYSTEM SAFETY AND STATE ACTION PLANS Back to Top
1.The authority citation for part 234 is revised to read as follows: Authority:
49 U.S.C. 20103, 20107; 28 U.S.C. 2461, note; Public Law No. 110-432, Div. A, section 202; and 49 CFR 1.49.
2.The heading for part 234 is revised to read as set forth above. 3.Section 234.1 is revised to read as follows: § 234.1 Scope.
4.Section 234.3 is revised to read as follows: § 234.3 Application.
With the exception of § 234.11, this part applies to all railroads except:
5.Section 234.4 is revised to read as follows: § 234.4 Preemptive effect.
6.Section 234.6 is revised to read as follows: § 234.6 Penalties.
(a) Civil Penalty. Any person (an entity of any type covered under 1 U.S.C. 1, including but not limited to the following: A railroad; a manager, supervisor, official, or other employee or agent of a railroad; any owner, manufacturer, lessor, or lessee of railroad equipment, track, or facilities; any independent contractor providing goods or services to a railroad; and any employee of such owner, manufacturer, lessor, lessee, or independent contractor) who violates any requirement of this part, except for any violation of § 234.11, or causes the violation of any such requirement is subject to a civil penalty of at least $650, but not more than $25,000 per violation, except that: penalties may be assessed against individuals only for willful violations, and where a grossly negligent violation or a pattern of repeated violations has created an imminent hazard of death or injury to persons, or has caused death or injury, a penalty not to exceed $100,000 per violation may be assessed. Each day a violation continues shall constitute a separate offense. Appendix A to this part contains a schedule of civil penalty amounts used in connection with this rule. The railroad is not responsible for compliance with respect to any condition inconsistent with the technical standards set forth in this part where such variance arises as a result of actions beyond the control of the railroad and the railroad could not have prevented the variance through the exercise of due diligence. The foregoing sentence does not excuse any instance of noncompliance resulting from the actions of the railroad's employees, agents, or contractors.
(b) Criminal Penalty. Whoever knowingly and willfully makes, causes to be made, or participates in the making of a false entry in reports required to be filed by this part, or files a false report or other document required to be filed by this part, except for any document filed pursuant to § 234.11, is subject to a $5,000 fine and 2 years imprisonment as prescribed by 49 U.S.C. 522(a) and section 209(e) of the Federal Railroad Safety Act of 1970, as amended (45 U.S.C. 438(e)).
7.The heading for Subpart B is revised to read as follows: Subpart B—Reports and Plans Back to Top
8.Subpart B of part 234 is amended by adding § 234.11 to read as follows: § 234.11 State Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Action Plans.
(a) Purpose. The purpose of this section is to reduce collisions at highway-rail grade crossings in the ten States that have had the most highway-rail grade crossing collisions, on average, during the calendar years 2006, 2007, and 2008. This section does not restrict any other State, or other entity, from adopting a highway-rail grade crossing action plan. This section also does not restrict any of the States required to develop action plans under this section from adopting a highway-rail grade crossing action plan with additional or more stringent requirements not inconsistent with this section. (b) Application. This section applies to the ten States that have had the most highway-rail grade crossing collisions, on average, during the calendar years 2006, 2007, and 2008. FRA will notify these ten States prior to November 2, 2009.