Search Results for keywords:"waiver"

The Maritime Administration (MARAD), part of the Department of Transportation, has received a request for a waiver to allow the vessel JAGUAR SHARK, a 41-foot motor yacht, to carry up to twelve passengers for hire. This waiver, if granted, would exempt the vessel from certain U.S. coastwise trade laws, which typically require vessels to be U.S.-built. The intended use for the JAGUAR SHARK is as a "live aboard charter boat" operating in Alaska, excluding Southeastern waters, with Homer, Alaska as its base of operations. Public comments on this waiver request are invited and can be submitted through the specified channels by February 8, 2021.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is issuing a waiver from the Build America, Buy America (BABA) Act requirements for certain products that the Philadelphia Gas Works (PGW) needs for its safety and modernization grant project. The waiver applies because these products are not readily available in the U.S., or they are too costly to obtain domestically. The waiver covers products like electro-fusion tapping tees, anodeless risers, and lockwing valves, among others, and enables PGW to proceed with updating their gas distribution system in Philadelphia's disadvantaged neighborhoods. This waiver is only applicable to PGW's project and is effective until June 30, 2029.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) announced a waiver of the Build America, Buy America (BABA) Act's requirements for certain natural gas products like gas service risers, meters, and regulators because these are not available in large enough quantities domestically. This waiver, which applies to projects funded by the Natural Gas Distribution Infrastructure Safety and Modernization (NGDISM) Grant Program, aims to ensure timely project completion while maintaining safety. It is based on public feedback indicating supply issues and will last for three years starting January 22, 2025. PHMSA has emphasized the importance of having enough compliant products to avoid delaying critical safety construction projects.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has issued a waiver for the Buy America requirements for transit-oriented development (TOD) housing projects getting credit assistance from TIFIA and RRIF programs. This waiver will affect TOD projects entering creditworthiness review by the end of 2025 and is intended to expedite these projects while maintaining domestic content standards. The DOT will keep working with borrowers to understand material sources and improve their policy for future projects. The waiver applies to both for-profit and non-Federal entity borrowers.

The Executive Order 14169, issued by the President, aims to realign U.S. foreign aid with American interests and foreign policy. It mandates a 90-day pause on new foreign aid disbursements to assess their efficiency and compliance with U.S. foreign policy objectives. All relevant agency heads are required to review and determine whether to continue, modify, or stop these programs, with oversight from the Secretary of State and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The order allows for a waiver of the pause if deemed necessary by the Secretary of State.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced a petition from Ningbo FOTILE Kitchen Ware Co. Ltd. requesting a waiver from the standard test procedure for its specific dishwasher models, SD2F-P1X and SD2F-P1XL. These models are unique because they are integrated into a sink and lack a main detergent compartment, making the standard tests unsuitable. The DOE has issued an Interim Waiver Order, which temporarily allows these dishwashers to be tested using an alternate procedure proposed by FOTILE. DOE is seeking comments from the public until March 10, 2021, to inform their final decision on whether to approve the waiver permanently.

The Maritime Administration (MARAD) has received a request for a waiver of the U.S.-build requirements of the coastwise trade laws for the vessel BALAM, a 50-foot sailing catamaran based in San Diego, California. This waiver would allow the vessel to carry up to twelve passengers for hire for activities such as sailing lessons and charters. Public comments on the waiver request can be submitted until February 8, 2021, and must include the agency name and specific docket number MARAD-2020-0172. MARAD will consider the impact of the waiver on U.S. vessel builders and businesses before making a decision.