|
|---|
|
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Compressed Natural Gas Vehicles Laboratory Test Procedure Publication: Federal Register Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Byline: Marilynne Jacobs Date: 5 May 1995 Subject: American Government  • Safety
Topic: Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards |
[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 87 (Friday, May 5, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22431-22432]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-11168]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
[Docket No. 93-02; Notice 9]
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Compressed Natural Gas
Vehicles Laboratory Test Procedure
AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of public availability and request for comment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: On April 25, 1994, NHTSA published a final rule establishing a
new Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 303, ``Fuel System
Integrity of Compressed Natural Gas Vehicles,'' that specifies vehicle
performance requirements for the fuel system of [[Page 22432]] vehicles
fueled by compressed natural gas (59 FR 19648). The standard enhances
the fuel system integrity of compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles by
subjecting the vehicles to crash testing and placing a limit on the
post-crash pressure drop in the fuel system. The standard specifies
frontal, rear, and lateral barrier crash tests for light vehicles and a
moving contoured barrier crash test for school buses with a GVWR over
10,000 pounds. NHTSA anticipates contracting with laboratories to
obtain test data to determine whether particular motor vehicles comply
with the CNG fuel system integrity requirements, just as it does with
the agency's other standards.
The agency has prepared a draft Laboratory Test Procedure for
possible use by contractors in testing vehicles for compliance with the
CNG fuel system integrity requirements. Because of the complexity of
and public interest in issues associated with the test procedure, NHTSA
is making the draft available to the public and requesting comment on
it. NHTSA will consider any public comments before adopting a final
Laboratory Test Procedure.
DATES: The closing date for comments on this notice is June 5, 1995.
ADDRESSES: All comments on this notice should refer to the above docket
and notice numbers and be submitted to: Docket Section, Room 5109,
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 400 Seventh Street, SW,
Washington, DC 20590. It is requested that 10 copies be submitted. The
Docket hours are 9:30 am to 4 pm, Monday through Friday. The draft
Laboratory Test Procedure is available in the docket.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mark Levine, Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance, NHTSA (202-366-5290).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On April 25, 1994, NHTSA published a final
rule establishing Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 303 that
specifies vehicle performance requirements for the fuel system of
vehicles fueled by compressed natural gas (CNG). The standard enhances
the fuel system integrity of CNG vehicles by subjecting the vehicles to
crash testing and placing a limit on the post-crash pressure drop in
the fuel system. The standard specifies frontal, rear, and lateral
barrier crash tests for light vehicles (passenger cars, vans, and light
trucks) and a moving contoured barrier crash test for school buses with
a GVWR over 10,000 pounds. The purpose of this new standard is to
reduce deaths and injuries caused by fires resulting from fuel leakage
during and after crashes involving vehicles fueled by CNG. The
requirements become effective September 1, 1995.
NHTSA anticipates that it will contract with laboratories to obtain
compliance test data for the CNG vehicle fuel system integrity
requirements as it does for other agency standards. To aid the
contracted laboratories in conducting compliance tests for the agency,
NHTSA provides them with Laboratory Test Procedures which include a
uniform testing and data recording format and suggestions for the use
of specific equipment and procedures. In keeping with that practice,
NHTSA has prepared a draft Laboratory Test Procedure for the CNG
vehicle fuel system integrity procedures and performance requirements
of FMVSS No. 303. Normally, the agency would simply proceed to prepare
a final version of the Laboratory Test Procedure and make it public.
NHTSA typically has not requested public comments on draft Laboratory
Test Procedures for other standards in the past because there is no
legal requirement to do so since such a document is not a ``rule'' and
there was not so much public interest in prior test procedure
documents.
However, because of the complexity of and public interest in issues
involved with the test procedure, NHTSA is requesting comment from the
public on the document. NHTSA will consider any public comments before
adopting a final Laboratory Test Procedure. The agency wishes to
emphasize that it does not intend, by issuing this notice, to signal a
general change in its practice regarding the establishment of test
procedures. NHTSA may choose to adopt or change any Laboratory Test
Procedure without allowing an opportunity for public comment.
NHTSA invites interested persons to submit comments on the draft
Laboratory Test Procedure for Standard No. 303. The agency requests
that persons submit 10 copies of comments. All comments must not exceed
15 pages in length (49 CFR 553.21).
Necessary attachments may be appended to these submissions without
regard to the 15-page limit. This limitation is intended to encourage
commenters to detail their primary arguments in a concise fashion. If a
commenter wishes to submit certain information under a claim of
confidentiality, three copies of the complete submission, including
purportedly confidential business information, should be submitted to
the Chief Counsel, NHTSA, at the street address given above, and seven
copies from which the purportedly confidential information has been
deleted should be submitted to the Docket Section. A request for
confidentiality should be accompanied by a cover letter setting forth
the information specified in the agency's confidential business
information regulation (49 CFR 512).
All comments received before the close of business on the comment
closing date indicated above will be considered, and will be available
for examination in the docket at the above address. To the extent
possible, comments filed after the closing date will also be
considered.
Those persons desiring to be notified upon receipt of their
comments in the docket should enclosed a self-addressed, stamped
postcard in the envelope with their comments. Upon receiving the
comments, the docket supervisor will return the postcard by mail.
Authority: 49 U.S.C. 30103 and 30162; delegations of authority
at 49 CFR 1.50 and 501.8.
Issued on: May 2, 1995.
Marilynne Jacobs,
Director, Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance.
[FR Doc. 95-11168 Filed 5-4-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-M