[Federal Register: January 16, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 11)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 2529-2531]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr16ja04-18]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Parts 61, 91, 119, 121, 135 and 136
[Docket No. FAA-1998-4521; Notice No. 03-10]
RIN 2120-AF07
National Air Tour Safety Standards
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM); extension of comment
period.
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SUMMARY: This action extends the comment period for an NPRM that was
published on October 22, 2003 (68 FR 60572). In that document, the FAA
proposed to issue regulations to govern commercial air tours throughout
the United States. This extension responds to requests received during
the comment period for the NPRM.
DATES: The comment period for Notice No. 03-10, published on October
22, 2003 at 68 FR 60572, is extended until April 19, 2004.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments to DOT DMS Docket Number FAA-1998-
4521 by any of the following methods:
[sbull] Web Site: http://dms.dot.gov. Follow the instructions for
submitting comments on the DOT electronic Docket site.
[sbull] Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
[sbull] Mail: Docket Management Facility; U.S. Department of
Transportation, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Nassif Building, Room PL-401,
Washington, DC 20590-001.
[sbull] Hand Delivery: Room PL-401 on the plaza level of the Nassif
Building, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5
p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal Holidays.
[sbull] Federal Rulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the online instructions for submitting
comments.
Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and
Docket number or Regulatory Identification Number (RIN) for this
rulemaking. For detailed instructions on submitting comments and
additional information on the rulemaking process, see the
[[Page 2530]]
Public Participation heading of the Supplementary Information section
of this document. Note that all comments received will be posted
without change to http://dms.dot.gov, including any personal
information provided. Please see the Privacy Act heading under
Regulatory Notices.
Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or
comments received, go to http://dms.dot.gov at any time or to Room PL-
401 on the plaza level of the Nassif Building, 400 Seventh Street, SW.,
Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday,
except Federal Holidays
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alberta Brown, Flight Standards
Service, Air Transportation Division, AFS-200, Federal Aviation
Administration, 800 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20591;
telephone (202) 267-8166; e-mail: AlbertaBrown@faa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Comments Invited
The FAA invites interested persons to participate in this proposed
rulemaking by submitting written comments, data, or views. We also
invite comments relating to the economic, environmental, energy, or
federalism impact that might result from adopting the proposals in this
document. The most helpful comments reference a specific portion of the
proposal, explain the reason for any recommended change, and include
supporting data. We ask that you send us two copies of written
comments.
We will file in the Docket all comments we receive, as well as a
report summarizing each substantive public contact with FAA personnel
concerning this proposed rulemaking. The Docket is available for public
inspection before and after the comment closing date. If you wish to
review the Docket in person, go to the address in the ADDRESSES section
of this preamble between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday,
except Federal holidays. You may also review the Docket using the
Internet at the Web address in the ADDRESSES section. Before acting on
this proposal, we will consider all comments we receive on or before
the closing date for comments. We will consider comments filed late if
it is possible to do so without incurring expense or delay. We may
change this proposal in light of the comments we receive.
Privacy Act: Using the search function of our Docket Web site,
anyone can find and read the comments received into any of our Dockets,
including the name of the individual sending the comment (or signing
the comment on behalf of an association, business, labor union, etc.).
You may review DOT's complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal
Register published on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477-78) or you may visit
http://dms.dot.gov.
If you want the FAA to acknowledge receipt of your comments on this
proposal, include with your comments a pre-addressed, stamped postcard
on which the Docket number appears. We will stamp the date on the
postcard and mail it to you.
Regulatory Notices
Privacy Act: Anyone is able to search the electronic form of all
comments received into any of our Dockets by the name of the individual
submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf
of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review DOT's
complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published on
April 11, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 70; Pages 19477-78) or you may visit
http://dms.dot.gov.
Availability of Rulemaking Documents
You can get an electronic copy using the Internet by taking the
following steps:
(1) Go to the search function of the Department of Transportation's
electronic Docket Management System (DMS) Web page (http://dms.dot.gov/search
).
(2) On the search page type in the last five digits of the Docket
number shown at the beginning of this notice. Click on ``search.''
(3) On the next page, which contains the Docket summary information
for the Docket you selected, click on the document number of the item
you wish to view.
You can also get an electronic copy using the Internet through
FAA's Web page at http://www.faa.gov/avr/arm/ or the Federal Register's Web page at http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/aces/aces140.html.
/aces140.html.
Aviation Administration, Office of Rulemaking, ARM-1, 800 Independence
Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20591, or by calling (202) 267-9680. Make
sure to identify the docket number, notice number, or amendment number
of this rulemaking.
Proprietary or Confidential Business Information
Do not file in the Docket information that you consider to be
proprietary or confidential business information. Send or deliver this
information directly to the person identified in the FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document. You must mark the
information that you consider proprietary or confidential. If you send
the information on a disk or CD ROM, mark the outside of the disk or CD
ROM and also identify electronically within the disk or CD ROM the
specific information that is proprietary or confidential.
Under 14 CFR 11.35(b), when we are aware of proprietary information
filed with a comment, we do not place it in the docket. We hold it in a
separate file to which the public does not have access, and place a
note in the docket that we have received it. If we received a request
to examine or copy this information, we treat it as any other request
under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552). We process such a
request under the DOT procedures found in 49 CFR part 7.
Background
The FAA published a notice (68 FR 60572, October 22, 2003)
proposing to issue regulations to govern commercial air tours
throughout the United States. The notice provided for a 90 day comment
period, ending on January 20, 2004.
Extension of Comment Period
We have received significant response to the NPRM, including some
requests for an opportunity for the public to participate in a public
forum. We are seeking broad participation in this proposed rulemaking
because it may affect many small businesses and activities that are
enjoyed by citizens in communities throughout the country. A
traditional public meeting, or even a series of meetings, would not
adequately allow broad input because the small businesses that may be
affected by this proposed rule are spread throughout the United States,
many of them in small communities. Many who could be most affected by
the proposed rule would be unable to participate because of geography
and our limited resources.
The Internet allows us to overcome the barriers of geography and
limited resources. We intend to hold a virtual public meeting to allow
participation by as many as possible. We will publish a Notice of
Virtual Public Meeting in the Federal Register in the near future. In
the meantime, we will extend the comment period for the NPRM.
In accordance with Sec. 11.47 of Title 14, Code of Federal
Regulations, the FAA has reviewed requests for an extension of the
comment period in Notice No. 03-10 (68 FR 60572). The FAA finds
[[Page 2531]]
that there is good cause and it is in the public interest to extend the
comment period for an additional 90 days beyond the 90 days already
provided. This will allow time for a virtual public meeting and allow
the public more time to thoroughly review the issues and draft helpful
comments. We believe this will help us prepare a final rule that will
promote safety and minimize hardship on those the rule would affect.
Accordingly, the comment period for Notice No. 03-10 is extended until
April 19, 2004.
Issued in Washington, DC, on January 14, 2004.
Steven W. Douglas,
Acting Director, Flight Standards Service.
[FR Doc. 04-1129 Filed 1-14-04; 2:47 pm]
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