Environmental Impact Statement for Port Bienville Railroad Project, 31453-31454 [2015-13317]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 105 / Tuesday, June 2, 2015 / Notices FMCSA has determined that the process for obtaining a German-issued CDL is comparable to, or as effective as the Federal requirements of 49 CFR part 383, and adequately assesses a driver’s ability to operate CMVs in the United States. Request for Comments In accordance with 49 U.S.C. 31315(b)(4) and 31136(e), FMCSA requests public comment on Daimler’s application for an exemption from the CDL requirements of 49 CFR 383.23. The Agency will consider all comments received by close of business on July 2, 2015. Comments will be available for examination in the docket at the location listed under the ADDRESSES section of this notice. The Agency will consider to the extent practicable comments received in the public docket after the closing date of the comment period. Issued on: May 22, 2015. Larry W. Minor, Associate Administrator for Policy. [FR Doc. 2015–13324 Filed 6–1–15; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910–EX–P DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Railroad Administration Environmental Impact Statement for Port Bienville Railroad Project Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of Transportation (DOT). ACTION: Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). AGENCY: The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is issuing this NOI to advise the public that the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) and Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission intend to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) to evaluate the impacts of construction and operation of the Port Bienville Railroad Project (Project). The EIS will evaluate route alternatives for freight rail service from the Port Bienville Short Line Railroad in Hancock County, Mississippi to Nicholson in Pearl River County, Mississippi. DATES: FRA invites the public, governmental agencies, and all other interested parties to comment on the scope of the EIS. All such comments should be provided in writing, within thirty (30) days of the publication of this asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:26 Jun 01, 2015 Jkt 235001 notice, at the address listed below. Comments may also be provided orally or in writing at the scoping meetings. Once scheduled, scoping meeting dates, times and locations, in addition to information about the EIS for the Port Bienville Railroad Project can be found online https://www.fra.dot.gov/Page/ P0214. ADDRESSES: Written comments on the scope of the EIS may be mailed or emailed within thirty (30) days of the publication of this notice to Melissa Hatcher, Environmental Protection Specialist, Office of Program Delivery, Federal Railroad Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., MS–20, Washington, DC 20590 or melissa.hatcher@dot.gov. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Melissa Hatcher, Environmental Protection Specialist, Office of Program Delivery, Federal Railroad Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., MS–20, Washington, DC 20590, melissa.hatcher@dot.gov, or Kim Thurman, MDOT, Environmental Division, P.O. Box 1850, Jackson, MS 39215–1850, environmentalcomments@ mdot.ms.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EIS will be prepared in accordance with the NEPA and the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations for implementing NEPA and FRA’s Procedures for Considering Environmental Impacts (64 FR 28545, May 26, 1999) (Environmental Procedures). The EIS will also address section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. 470(f)), section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act of 1966 (49 U.S.C. 303), E.O. 12898 and USDOT Order 5610.2(a) on Environmental Justice, and other applicable Federal and state laws and regulations. The EIS will: • Present the Purpose and Need for the Proposed Action. • Identify the reasonable alternatives that satisfy the Purpose and Need for the Proposed Action. • Establish the no-build or no-action alternative to serve as a baseline for comparison. • Describe the environment likely to be affected by the Proposed Action. • Describe the potential environmental impacts associated with the reasonable alternatives and propose mitigation measures to reduce significant impacts. FRA, in cooperation with MDOT, will prepare an EIS for the Project proposed by MDOT and Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission. The Proposed Action will connect the Port Bienville Short Line Railroad, located at the Port PO 00000 Frm 00105 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 31453 Bienville Industrial Park, Hancock County, with the Norfolk Southern Railroad, located in the vicinity of Nicholson in Pearl River County, to provide the Port with access to dual Class 1 rail service. The Project is composed of approximately 24 miles of new railroad line. Dual Class I rail access is proposed to enable Hancock and Pearl River Counties and Stennis Space Center to attract new industries to this region that require this level of rail services, and encourage job creation and investment opportunities to help this area recover from recent hurricane disasters that have significantly affected local economies. The Project’s new corridor may involve alteration and fill of ‘‘Waters of the United States,’’ as that term is used in the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.), and thus, the EIS process will involve the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is expected to serve as a cooperating agency. The Project’s corridor is expected to cross through the acoustical (noise) buffer zone of NASA’s Stennis Space Center. Project Background In 2008, the Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission received a $2.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration to improve the railway at the Port Bienville Industrial Park. In 2013, a Feasibility Report was completed to determine the feasibility of constructing and operating a new rail line to connect the Port Bienville Short Line Railroad with the Norfolk Southern mainline in Nichols. The study included the development of reasonable alternative corridors; identification of the economic benefits and opportunities associated with the Project; and the recommendation as to the feasibility of the Project. Given the business case for dual Class I rail services, the demands of the existing and emerging business clusters in Hancock and Pearl River Counties, the future benefits to Stennis Space Center, the existing industrial land inventory, and the workforce and transportation assets supporting this region, the construction of this new rail line was determined feasible. The Project would provide existing businesses access to dual Class I rail service, improving transit time and reliability, and enabling Hancock and Pearl River Counties and the Stennis Space Center to attract new industries to the region. By improving the efficiency of goods movement in the area by rail, the Project would also improve regional air quality and reduce truck traffic on area roads and highways. E:\FR\FM\02JNN1.SGM 02JNN1 31454 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 105 / Tuesday, June 2, 2015 / Notices Scoping and Public Involvement In accordance with NEPA, the FRA and MDOT invite comments and suggestions regarding the scope of the EIS from all interested parties to ensure that all issues are addressed, all reasonable alternatives are considered, and any significant issues are identified. In particular, FRA is interested in identifying areas of environmental concern where there might be a potential for significant impacts. Public agencies with jurisdiction are requested to advise FRA and MDOT of the applicable permit and environmental review requirements of each agency, and the scope and content of the environmental information that is germane to the agency’s statutory responsibilities in connection with the Project. Federal agencies with jurisdiction by law or special expertise with respect to potential environmental issues will be requested to act as a Cooperating Agency in accordance with 40 CFR 1501.16. In coordination with FRA, MDOT will lead the outreach activities beginning with scoping meetings (dates to be determined). Public involvement initiatives including public meetings, access to a Web site, and outreach will continue throughout the EIS process. Opportunities for public participation will be announced through mailings, notices, advertisements, press releases, and a FRA-hosted EIS Web page, accessible at https://www.fra.dot.gov/ Page/P0214. One or more public hearings will be held after the Draft EIS is released and made available for public and agency review. Public notice will be given for the time and place of public hearings. Comments or questions concerning the Proposed Action and the scope of the EIS are invited from all interested parties and should be directed to the FRA at the address provided above. Authority: 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq. Issued in Washington, DC, on May 26, 2015. Corey W. Hill, Director, Office of Program Delivery. [FR Doc. 2015–13317 Filed 6–1–15; 8:45 am] asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES BILLING CODE 4910–06–P DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Office of the Secretary [Docket No. DOT–OST–2012–0087] Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protection Office of the Secretary (OST), Department of Transportation (DOT). AGENCY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:26 Jun 01, 2015 Jkt 235001 Notice of eighth meeting of advisory committee. ACTION: This notice announces the eighth meeting of the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protection. SUMMARY: The eighth meeting of the advisory committee is scheduled for June 23, 2015, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time. ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held in the Media Center (located on the lobby level of the West Building) at the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) headquarters, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC. Attendance is open to the public up to the room’s capacity of 100 attendees. Since space is limited and access to the DOT headquarters building is controlled for security purposes, any member of the general public who plans to attend this meeting must notify the registration contact identified below no later than June 16, 2015. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To register to attend the meeting, please contact Amy Przybyla, Research Analyst, CENTRA Technology, Inc., przybylaa@centratechnology.com; 703– 894–6962. For other information please contact Kathleen Blank Riether, Senior Attorney, Office of Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings, kathleen.blankriether@dot.gov; U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE., Washington, DC, 20590; 202–366–9342 (phone), 202– 366–5944 (fax). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On May 24, 2012, the Secretary, as mandated by section 411 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 (Pub. L. 112–95, 126 Stat. 11 (2012)), established the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protection. The committee’s charter, drafted in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended, 5 U.S.C. App. 2, sets forth policies for the operation of the advisory committee and is available on the Department’s Web site at https://www.facadatabase.gov/ committee/ charters.aspx?cid=2448&aid=47. The eighth meeting of the committee is scheduled for Tuesday, June 23, 2015, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time in the Media Center at the DOT headquarters, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590. The issues that will be discussed at the meeting are airline policies on change and cancellation fees, the disclosure of hotel resort fees, and airline policies and procedures for the transport of baggage. DATES: PO 00000 Frm 00106 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 This meeting will be open to the public and comments by members of the public are invited. Attendance will necessarily be limited by the size of the meeting room (maximum 100 attendees). We ask that any member of the general public who plans to attend the eighth meeting notify the registration contact noted above no later than June 16, 2015. Additionally, DOT will stream the event live on the Internet and provide a link to the recorded Web cast for future viewing at www.dot.gov/airconsumer/ACACP. To the extent time is available, we plan to provide an opportunity for oral comments by interested individuals and/or representatives of organizations representing airlines, travel agents, airport operators, state and local governments, and consumer and other public interest groups. Any oral comments presented must be limited to the objectives of the committee and not exceed five (5) minutes per person. Not later than June 16, 2015, commenters should notify the registration contact person indicated above via email that they wish to present and provide that person a written summary of their presentation to help the committee members prepare for the meeting. Efforts will be made to accommodate each individual/organization that wishes to comment. However, given time constraints, there is no guarantee that all the individuals/organizations that make such a request will be able to address the committee at the June 23rd meeting. In order to provide for a balanced presentation of views and to facilitate the orderly conduct of the meeting, including time for questions from committee members, the Chairperson may impose rules or procedures, including the order of individuals/organizations that will be making presentations, as she deems necessary. Members of the public may present written comments at any time. The docket number referenced above (DOT– OST–2012–0087, available at https:// www.regulations.gov) has been established for committee documents including any written comments that may be filed. Persons with a disability who plan to attend the meeting and require special accommodations, such as an interpreter for the hearing impaired, should notify the registration contact noted above no later than June 16, 2015. Notice of this meeting is being provided in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act and the General Services Administration regulations covering management of E:\FR\FM\02JNN1.SGM 02JNN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 105 (Tuesday, June 2, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31453-31454]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-13317]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration


Environmental Impact Statement for Port Bienville Railroad 
Project

AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is issuing this NOI 
to advise the public that the Mississippi Department of Transportation 
(MDOT) and Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission intend to prepare 
an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) pursuant to the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) to evaluate the impacts of 
construction and operation of the Port Bienville Railroad Project 
(Project). The EIS will evaluate route alternatives for freight rail 
service from the Port Bienville Short Line Railroad in Hancock County, 
Mississippi to Nicholson in Pearl River County, Mississippi.

DATES: FRA invites the public, governmental agencies, and all other 
interested parties to comment on the scope of the EIS. All such 
comments should be provided in writing, within thirty (30) days of the 
publication of this notice, at the address listed below. Comments may 
also be provided orally or in writing at the scoping meetings. Once 
scheduled, scoping meeting dates, times and locations, in addition to 
information about the EIS for the Port Bienville Railroad Project can 
be found online https://www.fra.dot.gov/Page/P0214.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the scope of the EIS may be mailed or 
emailed within thirty (30) days of the publication of this notice to 
Melissa Hatcher, Environmental Protection Specialist, Office of Program 
Delivery, Federal Railroad Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., 
MS-20, Washington, DC 20590 or melissa.hatcher@dot.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Melissa Hatcher, Environmental 
Protection Specialist, Office of Program Delivery, Federal Railroad 
Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., MS-20, Washington, DC 
20590, melissa.hatcher@dot.gov, or Kim Thurman, MDOT, Environmental 
Division, P.O. Box 1850, Jackson, MS 39215-1850, 
environmentalcomments@mdot.ms.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EIS will be prepared in accordance with 
the NEPA and the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations for 
implementing NEPA and FRA's Procedures for Considering Environmental 
Impacts (64 FR 28545, May 26, 1999) (Environmental Procedures). The EIS 
will also address section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act 
(16 U.S.C. 470(f)), section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation 
Act of 1966 (49 U.S.C. 303), E.O. 12898 and USDOT Order 5610.2(a) on 
Environmental Justice, and other applicable Federal and state laws and 
regulations. The EIS will:
     Present the Purpose and Need for the Proposed Action.
     Identify the reasonable alternatives that satisfy the 
Purpose and Need for the Proposed Action.
     Establish the no-build or no-action alternative to serve 
as a baseline for comparison.
     Describe the environment likely to be affected by the 
Proposed Action.
     Describe the potential environmental impacts associated 
with the reasonable alternatives and propose mitigation measures to 
reduce significant impacts.
    FRA, in cooperation with MDOT, will prepare an EIS for the Project 
proposed by MDOT and Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission. The 
Proposed Action will connect the Port Bienville Short Line Railroad, 
located at the Port Bienville Industrial Park, Hancock County, with the 
Norfolk Southern Railroad, located in the vicinity of Nicholson in 
Pearl River County, to provide the Port with access to dual Class 1 
rail service. The Project is composed of approximately 24 miles of new 
railroad line. Dual Class I rail access is proposed to enable Hancock 
and Pearl River Counties and Stennis Space Center to attract new 
industries to this region that require this level of rail services, and 
encourage job creation and investment opportunities to help this area 
recover from recent hurricane disasters that have significantly 
affected local economies.
    The Project's new corridor may involve alteration and fill of 
``Waters of the United States,'' as that term is used in the Clean 
Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.), and thus, the EIS process will 
involve the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is expected to serve as 
a cooperating agency. The Project's corridor is expected to cross 
through the acoustical (noise) buffer zone of NASA's Stennis Space 
Center.

Project Background

    In 2008, the Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission received a 
$2.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic 
Development Administration to improve the railway at the Port Bienville 
Industrial Park. In 2013, a Feasibility Report was completed to 
determine the feasibility of constructing and operating a new rail line 
to connect the Port Bienville Short Line Railroad with the Norfolk 
Southern mainline in Nichols. The study included the development of 
reasonable alternative corridors; identification of the economic 
benefits and opportunities associated with the Project; and the 
recommendation as to the feasibility of the Project. Given the business 
case for dual Class I rail services, the demands of the existing and 
emerging business clusters in Hancock and Pearl River Counties, the 
future benefits to Stennis Space Center, the existing industrial land 
inventory, and the workforce and transportation assets supporting this 
region, the construction of this new rail line was determined feasible.
    The Project would provide existing businesses access to dual Class 
I rail service, improving transit time and reliability, and enabling 
Hancock and Pearl River Counties and the Stennis Space Center to 
attract new industries to the region. By improving the efficiency of 
goods movement in the area by rail, the Project would also improve 
regional air quality and reduce truck traffic on area roads and 
highways.

[[Page 31454]]

Scoping and Public Involvement

    In accordance with NEPA, the FRA and MDOT invite comments and 
suggestions regarding the scope of the EIS from all interested parties 
to ensure that all issues are addressed, all reasonable alternatives 
are considered, and any significant issues are identified. In 
particular, FRA is interested in identifying areas of environmental 
concern where there might be a potential for significant impacts. 
Public agencies with jurisdiction are requested to advise FRA and MDOT 
of the applicable permit and environmental review requirements of each 
agency, and the scope and content of the environmental information that 
is germane to the agency's statutory responsibilities in connection 
with the Project. Federal agencies with jurisdiction by law or special 
expertise with respect to potential environmental issues will be 
requested to act as a Cooperating Agency in accordance with 40 CFR 
1501.16.
    In coordination with FRA, MDOT will lead the outreach activities 
beginning with scoping meetings (dates to be determined). Public 
involvement initiatives including public meetings, access to a Web 
site, and outreach will continue throughout the EIS process. 
Opportunities for public participation will be announced through 
mailings, notices, advertisements, press releases, and a FRA-hosted EIS 
Web page, accessible at https://www.fra.dot.gov/Page/P0214. One or more 
public hearings will be held after the Draft EIS is released and made 
available for public and agency review. Public notice will be given for 
the time and place of public hearings.
    Comments or questions concerning the Proposed Action and the scope 
of the EIS are invited from all interested parties and should be 
directed to the FRA at the address provided above.

    Authority: 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.


    Issued in Washington, DC, on May 26, 2015.
Corey W. Hill,
Director, Office of Program Delivery.
[FR Doc. 2015-13317 Filed 6-1-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-06-P

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