[Federal Register: May 26, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 101)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 30381-30382]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr26my05-22]
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ARCHITECTURAL AND TRANSPORTATION BARRIERS COMPLIANCE BOARD
36 CFR Part 1195
[Dockets No. 2004-1; 2004-2]
RIN 3014-AA11
Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) Accessibility Guidelines
for Passenger Vessels; Large Vessels; Small Vessels
AGENCY: Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board.
ACTION: Availability of draft guidelines; advance notice of proposed
rulemaking; notice of hearing.
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SUMMARY: The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board
(Access Board) has placed in the docket and on its Web site for public
review and comment draft guidelines which address accessibility to and
in newly constructed or altered passenger vessels which are permitted
to carry more than 150 passengers or more than 49 overnight passengers.
The Access Board has also issued an Advance Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking which addresses newly constructed or altered passenger
vessels which carry 150 or fewer passengers or 49 or fewer overnight
passengers. The Access Board will hold two public hearings on June 24,
2005, and July 25, 2005, at the times and locations noted below.
DATES: The Access Board will hold two hearings on the draft guidelines
and the Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Friday June 24, 2005,
from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. and on Monday, July 25, 2005, from 10 a.m.
until noon.
ADDRESSES: The hearing on June 24, 2005, will be held at the Beverly
Hilton, 9876 Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills, CA. The hearing on July
25, 2005, will be held at the Marriott at Metro Center, 775 12th
Street, NW., Washington, DC.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul Beatty, Office of Technical and
Information Services, Architectural and Transportation Barriers
Compliance Board, 1331 F Street, NW., suite 1000, Washington, DC 20004-
1111. Telephone number (202) 272-0012 (voice); (202) 272-0082 (TTY);
electronic mail address: pvag@access-board.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Notice of Availability of Draft Guidelines for Large Vessels
On November 26, 2004, the Architectural and Transportation Barriers
Compliance Board (Access Board) issued a notice of availability of
draft guidelines. The draft guidelines address accessibility to and in
newly constructed or altered passenger vessels covered by the Americans
with Disabilities Act, which are permitted to carry more than 150
passengers or more than 49 overnight passengers (69 FR 69244; November
26, 2004). The notice of availability and the draft guidelines along
with supplementary information have been placed in the rulemaking
docket and on the Board's Web site (http://www.access-board.gov/pvaac/noa.htm
). The Board is soliciting comments on the draft guidelines and
will issue a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) following a review of
comments received. The deadline for commenting on the draft guidelines
was extended by a subsequent notice until July 28, 2005 (70 FR 14435,
March 22, 2005).
Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for Small Vessels
Also on November 26, 2004, the Access Board published an Advance
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) in the Federal Register (69 FR
69245; November 26, 2004). The ANPRM addresses the development of
accessibility guidelines for newly constructed or altered passenger
vessels covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act, which carry 150
or fewer passengers or 49 or fewer overnight passengers. The ANPRM is
also on the Board's Web site at http://www.access-board.gov/pvaac/anprm.htm.
The deadline for commenting on ANPRM was extended by a
subsequent notice until July 28, 2005 (70 FR 14435, March 22, 2005.)
Regulatory Assessment
The Board has also drafted a plan for conducting a regulatory
assessment of the passenger vessels guidelines. The plan provides for
evaluating the potential impacts of the guidelines on new construction
of passenger vessels through case studies, and outlines some methods
for examining the impacts of the guidelines on alterations to passenger
vessels. The plan is available for public review on the Board's Web
site and the Board invites comment on the plan (http://www.access-board.gov/pvaac/assess-plan.htm
).
Public Hearings
The Board held an initial public hearing on the draft guidelines
for large vessels and the ANPRM for small vessels on January 10, 2005,
in Washington DC. The Board will hold two hearings on June 24, 2005,
and July 25, 2005, to give the public additional opportunities to
provide input on the Board's draft guidelines. Persons wishing to
testify are encouraged to contact the Access Board at (202) 272-0012
(voice) or (202) 272-0082 (TTY) to pre-register to attend the hearing.
The hearings will be accessible to persons with disabilities. Sign
language interpreters, real-time captioning and an assistive listening
system will be available. Persons attending the hearings are requested
to refrain from using perfume, cologne, and other fragrances for the
comfort of other participants.
Department of Transportation
The Department of Transportation (DOT) is conducting a separate
rulemaking to adopt the Access Board's guidelines as accessibility
standards for passenger vessels covered by the ADA. The DOT rulemaking
will also address operational issues related to passenger vessels. DOT
issued a separate Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) in the
Federal Register on November 26, 2004 (69 FR 69246; November 26, 2004).
Availability of Copies and Electronic Access
Single copies of the passenger vessels rulemaking (Availability of
Draft Guidelines, Draft Guidelines and Supplementary Information, Draft
Plan for Regulatory Assessment, and ANPRM on Access to and in Small
Passenger
[[Page 30382]]
Vessels) may be obtained at no cost by calling the Access Board's
automated publications order line (202) 272-0080, by pressing 2 on the
telephone keypad, then 1 and requesting publication S-45. Please record
your name, address, telephone number and publication code S-45. Persons
using a TTY should call (202) 272-0082. Documents are available in
alternate formats upon request. Persons who want a publication in an
alternate format should specify the type of format (cassette tape,
Braille, large print, or ASCII disk). The documents are also available
on the Board's Web site (http://www.access-board.gov).
Lawrence W. Roffee,
Executive Director, Architectural and Transportation Barriers
Compliance Board.
[FR Doc. 05-10581 Filed 5-25-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8150-01-P