The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has announced the opportunity to apply for $266 million in competitive grant funding for bus programs nationwide. The funding consists of $211 million in grants for buses and bus facilities and $55 million for FTA’s Low and No Emission (Low-No) bus program, which promotes technologically-advanced and environmentally-friendly buses.
“Transit buses are a lifeline to opportunity for countless Americans, but too often these buses are outdated and unreliable,” says U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “As demand for transit grows and our nation’s population continues to expand, these much-needed funds will help bring communities the latest technologies to strengthen and improve their bus infrastructure.”
Eligible projects include those that replace, rehabilitate, lease, and purchase buses and related equipment and those that purchase, rehabilitate, construct, or lease bus-related facilities. FTA will award grants to eligible transit agencies, state transportation departments, and Indian tribes on a competitive basis. Projects will be evaluated by criteria such as the need for investment in bus transit systems, benefits to the community, implementation of Low-No technologies, and integration with local and regional long-term planning. www.transportation.gov
NHTSA bans gag rules in settlement agreements
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued a regulation barring gag provisions in protective orders and settlement agreements that would prohibit information obtained in private litigation from being transmitted to the safety agency. This regulation is consistent with a trend of other federal agencies barring confidentiality provisions in private agreements that would impede whistleblowing.
“Public health and safety concern should be of paramount significance in drafting and approving protective orders and settlement agreements,” NHTSA attorneys say in the regulatory order.
NHTSA is not providing a specific provision to include in confidentiality agreements that would automatically comply with the regulation, but it recommends that any confidentiality restriction allows for disclosure of relevant motor vehicle safety information to NHTSA and other applicable government authorities. www.nhtsa.gov
FDA releases final food safety transport rule
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has finalized food safety rules covered by the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) to prevent food contamination during transport. Truck-design impacts include thermometers in each compartment of refrigerated and freezer trucks and mandates that future food-carrying trailers be designed to be cleanable.
The action, part of a larger effort to prevent food safety problems throughout the food chain, will apply to food transported within the United States. Shippers, loaders, carriers, and receivers engaged in the transportation operations of food are subject to the final rule.
“Consumers deserve a safe food supply and this final rule will help to ensure that all those involved in the farm-to-fork continuum are doing their part to ensure that the food products that arrive in our grocery stores are safe to eat,” says Michael R. Taylor, the FDA’s deputy commissioner for foods and veterinary medicine.
Businesses would be required to comply with the new regulation one year after publication of the final rule, with smaller businesses having two years to meet the new requirements. www.fda.gov
Tennessee approves autonomous driving support legislation
Tennessee lawmakers have passed a bill establishing safety rules, definitions, and tax structures for autonomous vehicles. The state’s senate passed the bill unanimously, while one house member voted against it.
The legislation requires automakers conducting autonomous driving tests to carry $5 million insurance policies. Home to Nissan, General Motors, and Volkswagen plants, Tennessee is one of the largest auto-producing states in the South and lawmakers say they want manufacturers to study advanced technology there.
Gov. Bill Haslam has received the final bill copy but had not signed it into law by late April. https://goo.gl/vmrDI2
New York considers distracted driving legislation using new technology
New York State Sen. Terrence Murphy, Assembly Assistant Speaker Felix Ortiz, and officials from Distracted Operators Risk Casualties (DORCs), have submitted legislation to implement a distracted driving policy solution.
Evan’s Law was named after DORCs co-founder Ben Lieberman’s 19-year-old son Evan, who was killed in a 2011 collision caused by a distracted driver. The legislation involves Textalyzer technology that will allow officers to detect whether or not a mobile device was being used around the time of the crash, but will not provide access to any content.
“I have often heard there is no such thing as a breathalyzer for distracted driving, so we created one,” Lieberman says. “Respecting drivers’ personal privacy, however, is also important, and we are taking meticulous steps to not violate those rights.”
Mobile device forensics company Cellebrite is developing this capability so officers can detect device usage without gaining access to the device’s private data.
“When people were held accountable for drunk driving, that’s when positive change occurred,” Lieberman says. “It’s time to recognize that distracted driving is a similar impairment, and should be dealt with in a similar fashion.” www.dorcs.org; www.cellebrite.com