The COVID Project
The record
- Jurisdiction
- United States (Federal Railroad Administration; all railroads)
- Level
- Federal
- Authority
- 49 C.F.R. § 211.45(a)-(b): the Administrator may determine that an emergency situation exists and open the emergency relief docket for expedited waivers
- Issued
- 2020-03-13 Mar. 13, 2020
- Effective
- 2020-03-13
- End
- remained in effect through 2021 ("until it is specifically rescinded by the Administrator", 86 FR 1573, Ex. 015) (read as 2021-09-30)
- In force
- Mar. 13, 2020 to Sept. 30, 2021
- Quarters
- 2020 Q22020 Q32020 Q42021 Q12021 Q22021 Q3
2020 Q22020 Q32020 Q42021 Q12021 Q22021 Q3
- Limitation types
- Emergency declarationOther
- Addressees
- all railroads and persons subject to the Federal railroad safety regulations
- Functions reached
- OP railroad regulatory compliance under emergency waivers (crew certification, testing, inspection intervals)
- WF
- SC rail freight network
- Collection
- Aviation and surface-transport regulators AGY-AVIATION-SURFACE
Operative words
"Pursuant to Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) § 211.45, Federal Railroad Administration Administrator Ronald L. Batory has determined that the imminent threat and exposure to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) poses a risk of serious illness that constitutes an 'emergency situation' as related to railroad operations. In making this determination, the Administrator notes the President has declared a national emergency related to COVID-19 and the World Health Organization (WHO) has made the assessment of COVID-19 and it is now characterized as pandemic, which can cause serious illness to high risk populations. Governors of several States have issued various Emergency Declarations related to COVID-19 outbreaks." The declaration is effective "March 13, 2020, and the emergency relief provisions of 49 CFR § 211.[45 apply]."
Enforcement
opens expedited waiver process (49 C.F.R. § 211.45); waivers granted under it modified compliance duties of railroads and contractors
Notes
The predicate for FRA's COVID-19 emergency waivers of 2020-2021; recites the State emergency declarations and the national emergency.
Retrieval noteAuthority's own web posting (page dated Mar. 23, 2020 carrying the Mar. 13, 2020 declaration) rendered to PDF; the signed declaration in docket FRA-2020-0002 was not separately retrieved (regulations.gov docket query returned no documents).