00-27516. Petition for Waiver of Compliance

In accordance with Part 211 of Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), notice is hereby given that the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) received a request for a waiver of compliance with certain requirements of its safety standards. The individual petition is described below, including the party seeking relief, the regulatory provisions involved, the nature of the relief being requested, and the petitioner's arguments in favor of relief.

Minnesota Northern Railroad

The Minnesota Northern Railroad (MNN) of Crookston, Minnesota, has petitioned for a permanent waiver of compliance for two locomotives from the requirements of the Safety Glazing Standards, 49 CFR part 223, which requires certified glazing in all locomotive windows, except those locomotives used in yard service. The railroad indicates that the locomotives are most often used in yard service at Crookston and Thief River Falls, Minnesota, but may occasionally be utilized in road service. MNN states that the railroad operates in a rural area of northwestern Minnesota with the largest cities being Crookston (population 8,100) and Thief River Falls (population 8,400).

Interested parties are invited to participate in these proceedings by submitting written views, data, or comments. FRA does not anticipate scheduling a public hearing in connection with these proceedings since the facts do not appear to warrant a hearing. If any interested party desires an opportunity for oral comment, they should notify FRA, in writing, before the end of the comment period and specify the basis for their request.

All communications concerning these proceedings should identify the appropriate docket number (e.g., Waiver Petition Docket Number FRA-2000-7948) and must be submitted in triplicate to the Docket Clerk, DOT Central Docket Management Facility, Room PL-401, Washington, DC 20590-0001. Communications received within 45 days of the date of this notice will be considered by FRA before final action is taken. Comments received after that date will be considered as far as practicable. All written communications concerning these proceedings are available for examination during regular business hours (9 a.m.-5 p.m.) at DOT Central Docket Management Facility, Room PL-401 (Plaza Level), 400 Seventh Street S.W., Washington, D.C. 20590. All documents in the public docket are also available for inspection and copying on the Internet at the docket facility's web site at http://dms.dot.gov.

Issued in Washington, D.C. on October 18, 2000.

Grady C. Cothen, Jr.,

Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety Standards and Program Development.