02-21925. 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.

Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad

The Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad seeks a waiver of compliance from the Inspection and Maintenance Standards for Steam Locomotives, 49 CFR Part 230, published November 17, 1999. Section 230.3(c) of the standards requires steam locomotives having flue tubes replaced prior to September 25, 1995, have a one thousand four hundred seventy-two service day inspection [49 CFR 230.17] performed prior to being allowed to operate under the requirements. The Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad seeks this waiver for one locomotive number HLC Number 17 which had the flue tubes replaced and was returned to service in January 1995. The Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad was not eligible to file a Petition for Special Consideration because their locomotive was placed into service prior to the September 25, 1995 cutoff date.

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-2001-12512) and must be submitted to the Docket Clerk, DOT Central Docket Management Facility, Room Pl-401 (Plaza Level), 400 7th Street, SW., 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 the above facility. 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, DC on August 20, 2002.

Grady C. Cothen, Jr.,

Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety Standards and Program Development.