2014-14857. Aviation Security Advisory Committee (ASAC) Meeting

AGENCY:

Transportation Security Administration, DHS.

ACTION:

Committee Management; Notice of Partially Closed Federal Advisory Committee Meeting.

SUMMARY:

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will hold a meeting of the Aviation Security Advisory Committee (ASAC) on Friday, July 11, 2014, to discuss issues listed in the “Meeting Agenda” section below. This meeting will be partially closed to the public to protect transportation and national security.

DATES:

The Committee will meet on Friday, July 11, 2014, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The open portion of the meeting will start at 11:00 a.m. This meeting may end early if all business is completed.

ADDRESSES:

The meeting will be held at the Transportation Security Administration Headquarters, 601 12th Street South, Arlington, VA 20598-4028.

We invite your comments on the items listed in the “Meeting Agenda” section below. You may submit comments on these items, identified by the TSA docket number to this action (Docket No. TSA-2011-0008), to the Federal Docket Management System (FDMS), a government-wide, electronic docket management system, using any one of the following methods:

Electronically: You may submit comments through the Federal eRulemaking portal at http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.

Mail, In Person, or Fax: Address, hand-deliver, or fax your written comments to the Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001; fax [phone]. The Department of Transportation (DOT), which maintains and processes the TSA's official regulatory dockets, will scan the submission and post it to FDMS.

For other applicable information on the meeting, comment submissions, facilities, or services, see the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Dean Walter, ASAC Designated Federal Officer, Transportation Security Administration (TSA-28), 601 South 12th Street, Arlington, VA 20598-6028, [e-mail], 571-227-2645.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Comments Invited

The Transportation Security Administration invites interested persons to participate in this action by submitting written comments, data, or views on the issues to be considered by the committee as listed in the “Meeting Summary” section below. We also invite comments relating to the economic, environmental, energy, or federalism impacts that might result from the agenda items to be discussed at the meeting. See ADDRESSES above for information on where to submit comments.

With each comment, please identify the docket number at the beginning of your comments. The Transportation Security Administration encourages commenters to provide their names and addresses. The most helpful comments reference a specific portion of the document, explain the reason for any recommended change, and include supporting data. You may submit comments and material electronically, in person, by mail, or fax as provided under ADDRESSES, but please submit your comments and material by only one means. If you submit comments by mail or delivery, submit them in an unbound format, no larger than 8.5 by 11 inches, suitable for copying and electronic filing.

If you would like TSA to acknowledge receipt of comments submitted by mail, include with your comments a self-addressed, stamped postcard on which the docket number appears. We will stamp the date on the postcard and mail it to you.

The Transportation Security Administration will file all comments to our docket address, as well as items sent to the address or email under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, in the public docket, except for comments containing confidential information and Sensitive Security Information (SSI).^[1] Should you wish your personally identifiable information redacted prior to filing in the docket, please so state. TSA will consider all comments that are in the docket on or before the closing date for comments and will consider comments filed late to the extent practicable. All comments, however, will become part of the committee record. The docket is available for public inspection before and after the comment closing date. Submit comments by July 4, 2014, on issues listed in the “Meeting Agenda” section below.

Handling of Confidential or Proprietary Information and Sensitive Security Information Submitted in Public Comments

Do not submit comments that include trade secrets, confidential commercial or financial information, or SSI to the public regulatory docket. Please submit such comments separately from other comments on the action. Comments containing trade secrets, confidential commercial or financial information, or SSI should be appropriately marked as containing such information and submitted by mail to the address listed in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section.

The Transportation Security Administration will not place comments containing SSI in the public docket and will handle them in accordance with applicable safeguards and restrictions on access. TSA will hold documents containing SSI, confidential business information, or trade secrets in a separate file to which the public does not have access, and place a note in the public docket explaining that commenters have submitted such documents. TSA may include a redacted version of the comment in the public docket. If an individual requests to examine or copy information that is not in the public docket, TSA will treat it as any other request under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) and DHS's Freedom of Information Act regulation found in 6 CFR part 5.

Reviewing Comments in the Docket

Please be aware that anyone is able to search the electronic form of all comments in any of our dockets by the name of the individual who submitted the comment (or signed the comment, if an association, business, labor union, etc., submitted the comment). You may review the applicable Privacy Act Statement published in the Federal Register on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477), or you may visit http://DocketInfo.dot.gov.

You may review TSA's electronic public docket on the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov. In addition, DOT's Docket Management Facility provides a physical facility, staff, equipment, and assistance to the public. To obtain assistance or to review comments in TSA's public docket, you may visit this facility between 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays, or call [phone]. This docket operations facility is located in the West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140 at 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590.

Availability of Committee Documents

You can get an electronic copy using the Internet by—

(1) Searching the electronic Federal Docket Management System Web page at http://www.regulations.gov;​; or

(2) Accessing the Government Printing Office's Web page at http://www.gpo.gov/​fdsys/​browse/​collection.action?​collectionCode=​FR to view the daily published Federal Register edition; or accessing the “Search the Federal Register by Citation” in the “Related Resources” column on the left, if you need to do a Simple or Advanced search for information, such as a type of document that crosses multiple agencies or dates.

In addition, copies are available by writing or calling the individual in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section. Make sure to identify the docket number of this action.

Summary

Notice of this meeting is given under sec. 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, (FACA), 5 U.S.C. App. (Pub. L. 92-463). The Aviation Security Advisory Committee operates under the authority of 6 U.S.C. 451 and provides advice and recommendations for improving aviation security measures to the Administrator of TSA.

For the closed portion of the meeting, the ASAC will receive a SSI briefing on threat intelligence related to aviation. The second portion of the meeting will be open to the public and will focus on items listed in the “Meeting Agenda” section below. Members of the public and all non-ASAC members and staff must register in advance with their full name to attend. Due to space constraints the meeting is limited to 75 people, including ASAC members and staff, on a first to register basis. Attendees are required to present a government-issued photo identification to verify identity.

In addition, members of the public must make advance arrangements, as stated below, to present oral or written statements specifically addressing issues pertaining to the items listed in the “Meeting Agenda” section below. The public comment period will be held during the meeting from approximately 12:30 p.m. to 1:00 p.m., depending on the meeting progress. Speakers are requested to limit their comments to three minutes. Contact the person listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section no later than July 4, 2014, to register to attend the meeting and/or to present oral or written statements on the reports being considered by the committee at the meeting. Anyone in need of assistance or a reasonable accommodation for the meeting should contact the person listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section.

Basis for Closure

In accordance with sec. 10(d) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), it has been determined that this meeting requires partial closure. The meeting will be closed to the public in accordance with the provisions set forth under 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(3), 552b(c)(7)(E)-(F) and 552b(c)(9)(B), as amended.

The Transportation Security Administration will be providing a SSI briefing to the ASAC on threat intelligence related to aviation. Specifically, there will be material presented regarding the latest viable threats against U.S. aviation security and how the TSA plans to address those threats using a risk-based security framework. Further, providing this information to the public could provide terrorists with a road map regarding TSA's and DHS's plans to counter their actions, and thus allow them to take different actions to avoid counterterrorism measures. Under 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(7)(E)-(F), disclosure of this information could reveal investigative techniques and procedures not generally available to the public, allowing those with interests against the United States to circumvent the law, thereby endangering the life or physical safety of law enforcement personnel. Additionally, premature disclosure of this information would be likely to significantly frustrate the successful implementation of measures designed to counter terrorist acts. See 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(9)(B).

The briefing will include Sensitive Security Information (SSI, as that term is defined under 49 U.S.C. 114 (r) and 49 CFR part 1520). Sensitive Security Information includes information that would be detrimental to the security of transportation, and may not be disclosed to the general public. Accordingly, this portion of the meeting is closed under 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(3).

Partial closure of the July 11, 2014, ASAC meeting is warranted under 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(3), (c)(7)(E)-(F) and (c)(9)(B).

Meeting Agenda

The Committee will meet to discuss items listed in the agenda below (documents are available in the Supporting Documents section at http://www.regulations.gov/​#!docketDetail;​D=​TSA-2011-0008):

• Aviation threat briefing (Closed).
• Approval of committee by-laws (Open).
• Update on implementation status of recommendations from last term (Open).
• General discussion on committee priorities, such as: (Open).

○ Risk-Based Security.

○ Airport perimeter security.

○ International Aviation.

○ General Aviation.

• Subcommittee formation (Open).
• Future committee meetings (Open).

Dated: June 19, 2014.

Eddie D. Mayenschein,

Assistant Administrator, Security Policy and Industry Engagement.

Footnotes

1.  “Sensitive Security Information” or “SSI” is information obtained or developed in the conduct of security activities, the disclosure of which would constitute an unwarranted invasion of privacy, reveal trade secrets or privileged or confidential information, or be detrimental to the security of transportation. The protection of SSI is governed by 49 CFR part 1520.