81 FR 39014 - Train Crew Staffing

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 115 (June 15, 2016)

On March 15, 2016, FRA published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would require establishing minimum requirements for the size of train crew staffs depending on the type of operation. FRA is announcing a public hearing to provide interested persons an opportunity to provide oral comments on the proposal. FRA is also announcing a reopening of the comment period for this proceeding to allow time for interested parties to submit written comments in response to views or information provided at the public hearing.

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 115 (Wednesday, June 15, 2016)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 39014-39015]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-14124]


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 DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

49 CFR Part 218

[Docket No. FRA-2014-0033, Notice No. 3]
RIN 2130-AC48


Train Crew Staffing

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

ACTION: Proposed rule; notice of public hearing and reopening of 
comment period.

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SUMMARY: On March 15, 2016, FRA published a Notice of Proposed 
Rulemaking (NPRM) that would require establishing minimum requirements 
for the size of train crew staffs depending on the type of operation. 
FRA is announcing a public hearing to provide interested persons an 
opportunity to provide oral comments on the proposal. FRA is also 
announcing a reopening of the comment period for this proceeding to 
allow time for interested parties to submit written comments in 
response to

[[Page 39015]]

views or information provided at the public hearing.

DATES: A public hearing will be held on July 15, 2016, at 10:00 a.m. in 
Washington, DC. The comment period for the proposed rule published on 
March 15, 2016, (81 FR 13918) is open through June 15, 2016 (81 FR 
30229). The comment period will reopen on July 15, 2016. Comments in 
response to views or information provided at the public hearing must be 
received by August 15, 2016.

ADDRESSES: 
    Public Hearing. The public hearing will be held at the National 
Housing Center of the National Association of Home Builders, 1201 15th 
Street NW., Washington, DC 20005.
    Comments. You may submit comments identified by Docket Number FRA-
2014-0033 by any of the following methods:
     Online: Comments should be filed at the Federal 
eRulemaking Portal, http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online 
instructions for submitting comments.
     Fax: 202-493-2251.
     Mail: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., W12-140, Washington, DC 
20590.
     Hand Delivery: 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Room W12-140, 
Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
except Federal Holidays.
    Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name, docket 
name, and docket number or Regulatory Identification Number (RIN) for 
this rulemaking (RIN 2130-AC48). Note that FRA will post all comments 
received without change to http://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 about any submitted petitions, comments, or materials.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments received, go to http://www.regulations.gov at any time or to 
the U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket Operations, M-30, West 
Building, Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., 
Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
except Federal Holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Joseph D. Riley, Railroad Safety 
Specialist, Operating Practices, Operating Crew Certification, U.S. 
Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration, Mail 
Stop 25, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590, (202) 493-
6318, or Mr. Alan H. Nagler, Senior Trial Attorney, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration, Office of Chief 
Counsel, RCC-10, Mail Stop 10, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, 
DC 20590, (202) 493-6038.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Interested parties are invited to present 
oral statements and to offer information and views at the hearing. The 
hearing will be informal and will be conducted by a representative FRA 
designates under FRA's Rules of Practice (49 CFR 211.25). The hearing 
will be a non-adversarial proceeding. Therefore, there will be no cross 
examination of persons presenting statements or offering evidence. An 
FRA representative will make an opening statement outlining the scope 
of the hearing. After all initial statements are completed those 
persons wishing to make a brief rebuttal will be given the opportunity 
to do so in the same order in which the initial statements were made. 
FRA will announce the additional procedures that are necessary to 
conduct the hearing, at the hearing. The purpose of this hearing is to 
receive oral comments in response to an NPRM that requested public 
comment on a potential train crew staffing rulemaking. See 81 FR 13918, 
March 15, 2016. FRA will add a transcript of the discussions to the 
public docket in this proceeding.
    Public Participation Procedures. Any person wishing to make a 
statement at the hearing should notify Mr. Riley by telephone, email, 
or in writing, at least 5 working days before the date of the hearing 
and submit three copies of the oral statement that he or she intends to 
make at the proceeding. The notification should identify the party the 
person represents, the particular subject(s) the person plans to 
address, and the time requested. The notification should also provide 
the participant's mailing address and other contact information. FRA 
reserves the right to limit participation in the hearing of persons who 
fail to provide such notification. FRA also reserves the right to limit 
the duration of presentations if necessary to afford all persons with 
the opportunity to speak.
    For information on facilities or services for persons with 
disabilities, or to request special assistance at the hearing, contact 
FRA Program Analyst, Mr. Kenton Kilgore, by telephone, email, or in 
writing, at least 5 working days before the date of the hearing. Mr. 
Kilgore's can be reached at Federal Railroad Administration, Office of 
Railroad Safety, Mail Stop 25, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, 
DC 20590; (202) 493-6286; or [email protected].
    Reopening of Comment Period. The comment period for the proposed 
rule published on March 15, 2016, (81 FR 13918) is currently open 
through June 15, 2016 (81 FR 30229). A public hearing is scheduled 
after the close of this comment period. To accommodate the public 
hearing and to afford interested parties the opportunity to submit 
comments in response to views or information provided at the public 
hearing, FRA will reopen the comment period for the proposed rule on 
July 15, 2016. Comments in response to views or information provided at 
the public hearing must be received by August 15, 2016.

Privacy Act

    Anyone can search the electronic form of any written communications 
and comments received into any of our dockets by the name of the 
individual submitting the comment (or signing the document, if 
submitted on behalf of an association, business, labor union, etc.). 
See http://www.regulations.gov/#!privacyNotice for the privacy notice 
of www.regulations.gov or interested parties may review DOT's complete 
Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published on April 11, 
2000 (65 FR 19477). 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, including any personal information 
the commenter provides, to www.regulations.gov, as described in the 
system of records notice (DOT/ALL-14 FDMS), which can be reviewed at 
www.dot.gov/privacy.

Robert C. Lauby,
Associate Administrator for Railroad Safety, Chief Safety Officer.
[FR Doc. 2016-14124 Filed 6-14-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-06-P