[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 9 (Monday, January 14, 2013)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 2868-2869]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-00361]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
49 CFR Parts 571 and 585
[Docket No. NHTSA-2011-0100]
Draft Environmental Assessment for Rulemaking To Establish
Minimum Sound Requirements for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles
AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),
Department of Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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[[Page 2869]]
SUMMARY: NHTSA is announcing the availability of a Draft Environmental
Assessment (EA) to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of a
proposed rule establishing a Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
(FMVSS) setting minimum sound requirements for hybrid and electric
vehicles.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before March 15, 2013.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on the EA to the docket number
identified in the heading of this document using any of the following
methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting
comments.
Mail: Docket Management Facility, M-30, U.S. Department of
Transportation, West Building, Ground Floor, Rm. W12-140, 1200 New
Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590.
Hand Delivery or Courier: West Building Ground Floor, Room
W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern
Time, Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
Fax: (202) 493-2251.
Regardless of how you submit your comments, you should mention the
docket number of this document.
You may call the Docket at 202-366-9324.
Instructions: For detailed instructions on submitting comments and
additional information on the rulemaking process, see the Public
Participation heading of the Supplementary Information section of this
document. Note that all comments received will be posted without change
to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information
provided.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For non-legal issues, Ms. Gayle
Dalrymple, Office of Crash Avoidance Standards, National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration, NVS-112, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE.,
Washington, DC 20590. Telephone: 202-366-5559; fax: 202-493-2990.
For legal issues, Mr. Russell Krupen, Office of the Chief Counsel,
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NCC-113, 1200 New
Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590. Telephone: 202-366-1834; fax:
202-366-3820.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to the National Environmental
Policy Act, NHTSA has prepared a Draft EA analyzing the potential
environmental impacts of the agency's proposed action to establish
minimum sound requirements for hybrid and electric vehicles. The Draft
EA is being issued together with the agency's Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking for FMVSS No.141, Minimum Sound Requirements for Hybrid and
Electric Vehicles. The proposal would require hybrid and electric
passenger cars, light trucks, medium and heavy duty trucks and buses,
low speed vehicles, and motorcycles to meet certain minimum sound
requirements and would apply to electric vehicles and to those hybrid
vehicles that are capable of propulsion in any forward or reverse gear
without operation of the vehicle's internal combustion engine.
On July 12, 2011, the agency published a Notice of Intent to
Prepare an Environmental Assessment, which sought comment on the scope
of the environmental analysis, the significant issues to be analyzed,
and the nature of the analysis to be conducted. NHTSA received comments
to the Notice of Intent from 35 individuals and organizations. NHTSA
developed the alternatives analyzed in the Draft EA based on the
comments received and further research and analysis conducted by the
agency.
NHTSA invites interested parties to comment on the Draft EA by
following the instructions under ADDRESSES above. The Draft EA is
available on the agency's Web site at http://www.nhtsa.gov or on the
public docket at http://www.regulations.gov (Docket No. NHTSA-2011-
0100).
Issued on: January 7, 2013.
Christopher J. Bonanti,
Associate Administrator for Rulemaking.
[FR Doc. 2013-00361 Filed 1-9-13; 4:15 pm]
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