Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program; Extension of Comment Period

Larry W. Minor
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
9 October 2019

[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 196 (Wednesday, October 9, 2019)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 54093-54094]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-22062]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

49 CFR Parts 350, 355, and 388

[Docket No. FMCSA-2017-0370]


Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program; Extension of Comment 
Period

AGENCY: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking; extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) 
extends the comment period for its August 22, 2019, notice of proposed 
rulemaking (NPRM) to amend its rules concerning the Agency's financial 
assistance programs. FMCSA received a request for an extension to the 
comment period from the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA). The 
Agency believes it is appropriate to extend the comment period to 
provide interested parties additional time to submit their responses to 
the NPRM. Therefore, the Agency extends the deadline for the submission 
of comments until October 21, 2019.

DATES: The comment period for the NPRM published August 22, 2019, at 84 
FR 44162, is extended to October 21, 2019.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments bearing the Federal Docket 
Management System (FDMS) Docket ID FMCSA-2017-0370 using any of the 
following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=FMCSA-2017-0370. Follow the online instructions for submitting 
comments.
     Mail: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building, Ground Floor, 
Room Wl2-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
     Hand Delivery or Courier: West Building, Ground Floor, 
Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
     Fax: (202) 493-2251.
    To avoid duplication, please use only one of these four methods. 
See the ``Public Participation'' portion of the SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION section for instructions on submitting comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Jack Kostelnik, State Programs 
Division, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey 
Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590-0001, by telephone at (202) 366-5721, 
or by email at jack.kostelnik@dot.gov. If you have questions on viewing 
or submitting material to the docket, contact Docket Services, 
telephone (202) 366-9826.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Public Participation and Request for Comments

A. Submitting Comments

    If you submit a comment, please include the docket number for the 
NPRM (Docket No. FMCSA-2017-0370), indicate the specific section of the 
NPRM to which each comment applies, and provide a reason for each 
suggestion or recommendation. You may submit your comments and material 
online or by fax, mail, or hand delivery, but please use only one of 
these means. FMCSA recommends that you include your name and a mailing 
address, an email address, or a phone number in the body of your 
document so that FMCSA can contact you if there are questions regarding 
your submission. To submit your comment online, go to https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=FMCSA-2017-0370. Click on the ``Comment 
Now!'' button and type your comment into the text box on the following 
screen. Choose whether you are submitting your comment as an individual 
or on behalf of a third party and then submit.
    If you submit your comments by mail or hand delivery, submit them 
in an unbound format, no larger than 8\1/2\ by 11 inches, suitable for 
copying and electronic filing. If you submit comments by mail and would 
like to know that they reached the facility, please enclose a stamped, 
self-addressed postcard or envelope.
    FMCSA will consider all comments and material received during the 
comment period.

B. Viewing Documents and Comments

    To view comments, as well as any documents mentioned in the NPRM as 
being available in the docket, go to https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=FMCSA-2017-0370 and choose the document to review. If you do 
not have access to the internet, you may view the docket online by 
visiting the Docket Management Facility in Room W12-140 on the ground 
floor of the DOT West Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, 
DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except 
Federal holidays.

[[Page 54094]]

C. 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, 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.

II. Background

    The August NPRM proposed amendments to the Agency's financial 
assistance programs resulting from the Fixing America's Surface 
Transportation (FAST) Act, including amendments based on the funding 
formula recommendations derived from the Motor Carrier Safety 
Assistance Program (MCSAP) Formula Working Group (working group). The 
NPRM proposed reorganizing the Agency's regulations to create a 
standalone subpart for the High Priority Program. It also proposed 
other programmatic changes to reduce redundancies, require the use of 
3-year MCSAP commercial vehicle safety plans (CVSPs), and align the 
financial assistance programs with FMCSA's current enforcement and 
compliance programs.
    The comment period for the NPRM was set at 45 days, and would end 
on October 7, 2019. FMCSA received a request to extend the comment 
period for an additional 45 days from the CVSA (available in the 
docket). CVSA stated that the original 45-day period did not allow 
enough time to prepare and approve comments on such a complicated and 
important issue.
    In consideration of the CVSA request, FMCSA extends the public 
comment period until October 21, 2019.
    Issued under authority delegated in 49 CFR 1.87.

    Dated: October 1, 2019.
Larry W. Minor,
Associate Administrator for Policy.
[FR Doc. 2019-22062 Filed 10-8-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-EX-P