Environmental Impact Statement; Dodge and Steele Counties, MN, 7504-7505 [07-695]

Download as PDF 7504 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 31 / Thursday, February 15, 2007 / Notices tribal governments; and Federal, State, and local agencies that have jurisdiction by law or have special expertise with respect to any environmental impacts associated with the proposed projects. The agency scoping meetings will be held in Anchorage, Alaska on March 27th, 2007 and in Kodiak, Alaska on March 28th, 2007. A public scoping meeting will be held in Kodiak, Alaska on March 28th, 2007. Notification of the public scoping meeting will be published on the project Web site (www.kodiakairporteis.com), in the Kodiak Daily Mirror, and in the Anchorage Daily News. In addition to providing input at the scoping meetings, the agencies and the public may submit written comments via the e-mail address Comments@KodiakAirportEIS.com or the address under, ‘‘To Submit Written Comments, Send To.’’ Comments must be submitted by April 9th, 2007. air commerce and the DOT policies and procedures to seek public participation in that process. This meeting is part of the Rotorcraft Directorate’s initiative and supports one of the top safety objectives of the FAA 2006–2010 Flight Plan to reduce the number of fatal accidents in general aviation. At this meeting, we will brief you on some of the FAA’s initiatives intended to reduce rotorcraft accidents, including implementation of Automatic Detection Surveillance Broadcast (ADS– B) in the Gulf of Mexico and the use of Night Vision Imaging Systems (NVIS). You will have an opportunity to propose safety-enhancing recommendations and to recommend how the FAA should implement strategies that will help reduce rotorcraft accidents. Attendance to open to all interested persons but will be limited to the space available. Issued in Anchorage, Alaska, on February 8, 2007. Byron K. Huffman, Manager, Airports Division, AAL–600. [FR Doc. 07–692 Filed 2–14–07; 8:45 am] Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on January 31, 2007. David A. Downey, Manager, Rotorcraft Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service. [FR Doc. 07–711 Filed 2–14–07; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910–13–M BILLING CODE 4910–13–M DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Aviation Administration Federal Highway Administration FAA (Aircraft Certification Service) Information Sharing and Listening Session. Environmental Impact Statement; Dodge and Steele Counties, MN Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT. ACTION: Notice of intent. AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT. ACTION: Notice of meeting. AGENCY: This notice announces a meeting to discuss various FAA rotorcraft safety initiatives and to gether any relevant information that will help to reduce general aviation rotorcraft accidents. DATES: The meeting will be on March 3, 2007, 8–11 a.m. EST. ADDRESSES: The meeting is in conjunction with Heli-Expo at the Orange County Convention Center, Conference Room W222–B, West Building, Orlando, FL. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jorge Castillo, Rotorcraft Standard Staff, ASW–112, 2601 Meacham Boulevard, Fort Worth, TX 76137, telephone (817) 222–5110, or by e-mail at Jorge.R.Castillo@faa.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The meeting is announced pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 40113 and 49 U.S.C. 44701 to take actions the FAA considers necessary in order to enhance safety in ycherry on PROD1PC64 with NOTICES SUMMARY: VerDate Aug<31>2005 18:37 Feb 14, 2007 Jkt 211001 SUMMARY: The FHWA is issuing this notice to advise the public that an environmental impact statement (EIS) will be prepared for proposed highway improvements to United States Highway 14 (Highway 14) from the existing fourlane bypass of Dodge Center to the intersection of Highway 14 and Interstate 35 (I–35) in Owatonna, a distance of approximately 19 miles, in Dodge and Steele Counties, Minnesota. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cheryl Martin, Federal Highway Administration, Galtier Plaza, 380 Jackson Street, Suite 500, St. Paul, Minnesota 55101, Telephone (651) 291– 6120; or Richard Augustin, Project Manager, Minnesota Department of Transportation—District 6, 2900 48th Street, NW., Rochester, Minnesota 55901, Telephone (507) 280–5092; (800) 627–3529 TTY. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA, in cooperation with the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT), will prepare PO 00000 Frm 00118 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 an EIS on a proposal to reconstruct Highway 14 from the existing four-lane bypass of Dodge Center, Dodge County, to the intersection of Highway 14 and I– 35 in Owatonna, Steele County, Minnesota, a distance of approximately 19 miles. The proposed action is being considered to address future transportation demand and safety problems and to enhance system continuity. This segment of Highway 14 was previously included in an EIS process, which addressed a broader 24-mile segment of Highway 14 from Owatonna to Kasson. The Draft EIS for the Owatonna to Kasson project was approved in October 1991 and the Final EIS was approved in August 1993. The 1993 Final EIS defined two project segments. The first was an extension of the four-lane, divided expressway from Kasson to the west side of Dodge Center at Highway 56 (including the Dodge Center bypass). At the time of the EIS, this project was programmed for construction in 1994. The second segment involved extending the four lanes from Highway 56 to Highway 218 in Owatonna. This segment was not programmed for construction when the EIS was completed. Since the 1993 Final EIS, the Kasson to Dodge Center segment has been constructed as a fourlane highway, including a freeway design bypass of Dodge Center. The ‘‘1993 preferred alternative’’ for the segment between Dodge Center and Owatonna has not been constructed. With the completion of the Dodge Center to Kasson segment, and the imminent completion of the Highway 14 improvements west of I–35, a process was started to re-evaluate the 1993 EIS conclusions regarding the Owatonna to Dodge Center segment. This segment continues to increase in priority given traffic growth, safety concerns, and the logic of completing the last segment of Highway 14 between Mankato and Rochester to be expanded to a four-lane highway. Based on a review of the 1993 EIS and the changes in transportation needs that have taken place since 1993, it was concluded that a new EIS for the Owatonna to Dodge Center segment should be completed for the following reasons: —The vision for Highway 14 has changed to a controlled access freeway design, as opposed to the expressway design determined by the 1993 EIS, due to overall traffic growth, safety concerns, access spacing issues, driver expectation and increased truck traffic and, —The previously identified preferred alternative of expanding on the E:\FR\FM\15FEN1.SGM 15FEN1 ycherry on PROD1PC64 with NOTICES Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 31 / Thursday, February 15, 2007 / Notices existing corridor rather than a new corridor parallel to the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad that was considered in the 1993 EIS needs to be revisited. The EIS will evaluate the social, economic, transportation and environmental impacts of alternatives, including: (1) No-Build, (2) Reconstruction on existing alignment, and (3) Construction on partial new alignment. The ‘‘US 14 EIS from Owatonna to Dodge Center Scoping Document/Draft Scoping Decision Document’’ was published in November 2006. A press release was published to inform the public of the document’s availability. Copies of the scoping document was distributed to agencies, interested persons and libraries for review to aid in identifying issues and analyses to be contained in the EIS. A thirty-day comment period for review of the document was provided to afford an opportunity for all interested persons, agencies and groups to comment on the proposed action. A public scoping meeting was also held during the comment period. Public notice was given for the time and place of the meeting. The scoping comment period closed on December 22, 2006. The ‘‘US 14 EIS Scoping Decision Document’’ is expected to be published in February 2007. A Draft EIS will be prepared based on the outcome of and closely following the scoping process. The Draft EIS will be available for agency and public review and comment. In addition, a public hearing will be held following completion of the Draft EIS. Public Notice will be given for the time and place of the public hearing on the Draft EIS. Coordination has been initiated and will continue with appropriate Federal, State and local agencies and private organizations and citizens who have previously expressed or are known to have an interest in the proposed action. ‘‘Participating agencies’’ have been identified and a meeting held on October 25, 2006 to discuss the project and receive input on the ‘‘purpose and need’’ for the project and range of alternatives to be studied in the Draft EIS. To ensure that the full range of issues related to this proposed action are addressed and all significant issues identified, comments and suggestions are invited from all interested parties. Comments or questions concerning this proposed action and the EIS should be directed to the FHWA at the address provided above. (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program Number 20.205, Highway Planning and Construction. The regulations VerDate Aug<31>2005 18:37 Feb 14, 2007 Jkt 211001 implementing Executive Order 12372 regarding intergovernmental consultation on Federal programs and activities apply to this program) Issued on: February 8, 2007 Cheryl B. Martin, Environmental Engineer, Federal Highway Administration, St. Paul, Minnesota. [FR Doc. 07–695 Filed 2–14–07; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910–22–M DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Highway Administration Environmental Impact Statement; Utah County, UT Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT. ACTION: Notice of Intent. AGENCY: SUMMARY: FWHA is issuing this notice to advise the public that an Environmental Impact Statement will be prepared for proposed transportation improvements on Geneva Road (SR– 114) in Utah County, Utah that would begin at Center Street and U.S. Interstate 15 (I–15) in Provo and extend through the municipalities of Provo, Utah County, Vineyard, Orem, Lindon, Pleasant Grove and terminate at State Street (SR–89) in Pleasant Grove. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anthony Sarhan, Area Engineer, Federal Highway Administration, 2520 West 4700 South, Suite 9A, Salt Lake City, Utah 84118, Telephone: (801) 963–0182; or Phil Huff, Project Manager, Utah Department of Transportation, Region Three Office, 658 North 1500 West, Orem, UT 84057, Telephone: (801) 227– 8000. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: FWHA, in cooperation with the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT), the municipalities of Pleasant Grove, Lindon, Orem, Vineyard, Provo, and Utah County will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on a proposal to address current and projected traffic demand on Geneva Road. The proposed project area extends for approximately 10 miles in length along existing Geneva Road between Pleasant Grove and Provo, and is generally bordered on the west by Utah Lake and on the east by I–15. Improvements to the Geneva Road corridor are considered necessary to provide for the existing and projected traffic demand. The FHWA will consider a reasonable range of alternatives which meet the project objectives and are based on agency and public input. These alternatives include: (1) Taking no PO 00000 Frm 00119 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 7505 action; (2) using alternative travel modes, (3) upgrading and adding lanes to the existing two-lane highway; and (4) constructing a highway on a new location for all or a portion of the project length. The public, as well as Federal, State, and local agencies, will be invited to participate in project scoping to ensure that a full range of alternatives is considered and that all appropriate environmental issues and resources are evaluated. The scoping process will include opportunities to provide comments on the purpose and need for the project, potential alternatives, and social, economic, and environmental issues of concern. Letters describing the proposed action and soliciting comments will be sent to appropriate Federal, state, and local agencies, and to private organizations and citizens who have previously expressed or who are known to have an interest in this proposal. An agency scoping meeting will be held to solicit comments on March 8, 2007, from 1 PM to 3 PM in Conference Rooms A, B, and C at the UDOT Region 3 Office (658 North 1500 West, Orem, UT). The public will be invited to participate in scoping meetings which will be held in an open house format at locations and dates to be determined. In addition, a public hearing will be held following the release of the draft EIS. Public notice advertisements and direct mailings will notify interested parties of the time and place of the public meetings and the public hearing. To ensure that the full range of issues related to this proposed action is addressed and all significant issues are identified, comments and suggestions are invited from all interested parties. Comments or questions concerning this proposed action and the EIS should be directed to FHWA at the address provided above. (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program Number 20–.205, Highway Planning and Construction. The regulations implementing Executive Order 12372 regarding intergovernmental consultation on Federal programs and activities apply to this program) Edward Woolford, Environmental Specialist, FHWA—Division. [FR Doc. E7–2635 Filed 2–14–07; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910–22–P E:\FR\FM\15FEN1.SGM 15FEN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 31 (Thursday, February 15, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7504-7505]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 07-695]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration


Environmental Impact Statement; Dodge and Steele Counties, MN

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The FHWA is issuing this notice to advise the public that an 
environmental impact statement (EIS) will be prepared for proposed 
highway improvements to United States Highway 14 (Highway 14) from the 
existing four-lane bypass of Dodge Center to the intersection of 
Highway 14 and Interstate 35 (I-35) in Owatonna, a distance of 
approximately 19 miles, in Dodge and Steele Counties, Minnesota.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cheryl Martin, Federal Highway 
Administration, Galtier Plaza, 380 Jackson Street, Suite 500, St. Paul, 
Minnesota 55101, Telephone (651) 291-6120; or Richard Augustin, Project 
Manager, Minnesota Department of Transportation--District 6, 2900 48th 
Street, NW., Rochester, Minnesota 55901, Telephone (507) 280-5092; 
(800) 627-3529 TTY.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA, in cooperation with the Minnesota 
Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT), will prepare an EIS on a 
proposal to reconstruct Highway 14 from the existing four-lane bypass 
of Dodge Center, Dodge County, to the intersection of Highway 14 and I-
35 in Owatonna, Steele County, Minnesota, a distance of approximately 
19 miles. The proposed action is being considered to address future 
transportation demand and safety problems and to enhance system 
continuity.
    This segment of Highway 14 was previously included in an EIS 
process, which addressed a broader 24-mile segment of Highway 14 from 
Owatonna to Kasson. The Draft EIS for the Owatonna to Kasson project 
was approved in October 1991 and the Final EIS was approved in August 
1993. The 1993 Final EIS defined two project segments. The first was an 
extension of the four-lane, divided expressway from Kasson to the west 
side of Dodge Center at Highway 56 (including the Dodge Center bypass). 
At the time of the EIS, this project was programmed for construction in 
1994. The second segment involved extending the four lanes from Highway 
56 to Highway 218 in Owatonna. This segment was not programmed for 
construction when the EIS was completed. Since the 1993 Final EIS, the 
Kasson to Dodge Center segment has been constructed as a four-lane 
highway, including a freeway design bypass of Dodge Center. The ``1993 
preferred alternative'' for the segment between Dodge Center and 
Owatonna has not been constructed. With the completion of the Dodge 
Center to Kasson segment, and the imminent completion of the Highway 14 
improvements west of I-35, a process was started to re-evaluate the 
1993 EIS conclusions regarding the Owatonna to Dodge Center segment. 
This segment continues to increase in priority given traffic growth, 
safety concerns, and the logic of completing the last segment of 
Highway 14 between Mankato and Rochester to be expanded to a four-lane 
highway. Based on a review of the 1993 EIS and the changes in 
transportation needs that have taken place since 1993, it was concluded 
that a new EIS for the Owatonna to Dodge Center segment should be 
completed for the following reasons:

--The vision for Highway 14 has changed to a controlled access freeway 
design, as opposed to the expressway design determined by the 1993 EIS, 
due to overall traffic growth, safety concerns, access spacing issues, 
driver expectation and increased truck traffic and,
--The previously identified preferred alternative of expanding on the

[[Page 7505]]

existing corridor rather than a new corridor parallel to the Dakota, 
Minnesota & Eastern Railroad that was considered in the 1993 EIS needs 
to be revisited.

    The EIS will evaluate the social, economic, transportation and 
environmental impacts of alternatives, including: (1) No-Build, (2) 
Reconstruction on existing alignment, and (3) Construction on partial 
new alignment.
    The ``US 14 EIS from Owatonna to Dodge Center Scoping Document/
Draft Scoping Decision Document'' was published in November 2006. A 
press release was published to inform the public of the document's 
availability. Copies of the scoping document was distributed to 
agencies, interested persons and libraries for review to aid in 
identifying issues and analyses to be contained in the EIS. A thirty-
day comment period for review of the document was provided to afford an 
opportunity for all interested persons, agencies and groups to comment 
on the proposed action. A public scoping meeting was also held during 
the comment period. Public notice was given for the time and place of 
the meeting. The scoping comment period closed on December 22, 2006. 
The ``US 14 EIS Scoping Decision Document'' is expected to be published 
in February 2007. A Draft EIS will be prepared based on the outcome of 
and closely following the scoping process. The Draft EIS will be 
available for agency and public review and comment. In addition, a 
public hearing will be held following completion of the Draft EIS. 
Public Notice will be given for the time and place of the public 
hearing on the Draft EIS. Coordination has been initiated and will 
continue with appropriate Federal, State and local agencies and private 
organizations and citizens who have previously expressed or are known 
to have an interest in the proposed action. ``Participating agencies'' 
have been identified and a meeting held on October 25, 2006 to discuss 
the project and receive input on the ``purpose and need'' for the 
project and range of alternatives to be studied in the Draft EIS. To 
ensure that the full range of issues related to this proposed action 
are addressed and all significant issues identified, comments and 
suggestions are invited from all interested parties. Comments or 
questions concerning this proposed action and the EIS should be 
directed to the FHWA at the address provided above.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program Number 20.205, 
Highway Planning and Construction. The regulations implementing 
Executive Order 12372 regarding intergovernmental consultation on 
Federal programs and activities apply to this program)

    Issued on: February 8, 2007
Cheryl B. Martin,
Environmental Engineer, Federal Highway Administration, St. Paul, 
Minnesota.
[FR Doc. 07-695 Filed 2-14-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-22-M

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