DOT Extends Comment Period on Its Regulatory Review to Dec. 1
The U.S. Department of Transportation has extended the public comment period to Dec. 1 on its review of a number of existing “economically significant rulemakings” ranging from a final rule on Commercial Driver’s License Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse to a final rule establishing minimum training requirements for entry-level commercial motor vehicle operators.
In an October Federal Register posting, the agency said it is evaluating the regulations’ “continued necessity, whether they are crafted effectively to solve current problems, and whether they potentially burden the development or use of domestically produced energy resources.”
“As part of these reviews, the department invites the public to provide input on existing rules and other agency actions that are good candidates for repeal, replacement, suspension, or modification,” the announcement said.
“There should be no more regulations than necessary, and those regulations should be straightforward, clear and designed to minimize burdens,” DOT said. “Further, DOT regulations and other agency actions should not unnecessarily obstruct, delay, curtail, or otherwise impose significant costs on the siting, permitting, production, utilization, transmission, or delivery of energy resources.”
Some of the other regulations being reviewed include the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s 2013 final rule on Occupant Crash Protection; NHTSA’s 2015 final rule on Electronic Stability Control Systems for Heavy Vehicles; and NHTSA’s 2016 final rule on Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Fuel Efficiency Standards for Medium- and Heavy-Duty Engines and Vehicles.
The agency said the review will result in a final report that describes the result of the required review and includes specific recommendations that, to the extent permitted by law, could alleviate or eliminate aspects of agency actions that burden domestic energy production.
So far, the agency has received more than 1,900 public comments on the review.
