Railroad Safety Advisory Committee; Establishment

FRA has concluded that the continued use of ad hoc collaborative procedures for appropriate rulemakings is not the most effective means of accomplishing our goal of achieving a more consensual regulatory program. Instead, FRA believes that establishing an advisory committee to address railroad safety issues will provide the best opportunity for creating a consensual regulatory program in order to inform the Administrator in the conduct of her statutory responsibilities. The formation and use of the Railroad Safety Advisory Committee are determined to be in the public interest in connection with the performance of duties imposed on the Secretary, and delegated to the Federal Railroad Administrator, by the federal railroad safety statutes (49 U.S.C. 20101-21311). The Committee will provide a continuing forum for advice and recommendations on railroad safety issues. As all interested segments of the railroad industry will be represented on the Committee, all of FRA's customers will have a more direct role in shaping FRA's regulatory program. The Committee will allow management, labor, FRA and other interested parties cooperatively to address safety problems by identifying the best solutions based on agreed-upon facts, and, where regulation appears necessary, identify regulatory options to implement these solutions.

Committee Composition

The Administrator is the sponsor of the Committee and will designate the members of the Committee. The Administrator's representative (the Associate Administrator for Safety or that person's delegate) shall serve as Chairperson for the Committee. The Committee is authorized to constitute an Executive Committee and such subcommittees as the Administrator and the Committee find necessary to discharge its responsibilities. The Committee will have sufficient diversity to ensure the requisite range of views and expertise necessary to discharge its responsibilities. The membership on the Committee will be fairly balanced with points of view representative of those interested in railroad issues, including those of railroad owners, manufacturers, labor groups, state government groups, and public interest associations. In order to foster harmonization of railroad safety standards at their inception, the agencies with regulatory responsibility for railroad safety in both Canada and Mexico will be extended Associate Memberships that will not include any voting rights.

Meetings and Recordkeeping

Timely notice of committee and subcommittee meetings will be published in the Federal Register at least 15 days before the meeting, except in exceptional circumstances, where the reasons for giving less than 15 days notice will be explained in the Federal Register notice. Each meeting of the Committee shall be open to the public, except as authorized by Section 10(d) of FACA, as implemented by 41 C.F.R. Part 101-6. Persons wishing to appear before the Committee will have to make prior arrangements to do so. Written materials may be submitted to the Committee at any time. Each meeting will be held at a reasonable time, in a place reasonably accessible to the public, and in a room large enough to accommodate the Committee members, staff, and interested members of the public. Subject to the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552, the records, reports, transcripts, minutes and other documents that are made available to, or prepared for or by, the Committee will be available for public inspection and copying at the Office of Chief Counsel, Federal Railroad Administration, 400 7th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20594. Fees will be charged for information furnished to the public in accordance with the fee schedule published in Part 7 of Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations. Jolene M. Molitoris, Administrator. [FR Doc. 96-5505 Filed 3-8-96; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910-06-P