Southwest Gulf Railroad Company-Construction and Operation Exemption-in Medina County, TX, 31190-31191 [E8-11954]

Download as PDF 31190 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 105 / Friday, May 30, 2008 / Notices comments are correctly filed in the Docket, please include the docket number of this document in your comments. Your primary comments must not be more than 15 pages long (49 CFR 553.21). However, you may attach additional documents to your primary comments. There is no limit on the length of the attachments. Anyone is able to search the electronic form of all comments received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review DOT’s complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published on April 11, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 70; Pages 19477–78) or you may visit https://regulations.gov. How can I be sure that my comments were received? If you wish Docket Management to notify you upon its receipt of your comments, enclose a self-addressed, stamped postcard in the envelope containing your comments. Upon receiving your comments, Docket Management will return the postcard by mail. sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES How do I submit confidential business information? If you wish to submit any information under a claim of confidentiality, send three copies of your complete submission, including the information you claim to be confidential business information, to the Chief Counsel, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE., Washington, DC 20590. Include a cover letter supplying the information specified in our confidential business information regulation (49 CFR part 512). In addition, send two copies from which you have deleted the claimed confidential business information to Docket Management, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE., West Building, Room W12– 140, Washington, DC 20590, or submit them electronically, in the manner described at the beginning of this notice. Will the agency consider late comments? We will consider all comments that Docket Management receives before the close of business on the comment closing date indicated above under DATES. To the extent possible, we will also consider comments that Docket Management receives after that date. Please note that even after the comment closing date, we will continue VerDate Aug<31>2005 16:52 May 29, 2008 Jkt 214001 to file relevant information in the docket as it becomes available. Further, some people may submit late comments. Accordingly, we recommend that you periodically check the docket for new material. How can I read the comments submitted by other people? You may read the materials placed in the docket for this document (e.g., the comments submitted in response to this document by other interested persons) at any time by going to https:// www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for accessing the dockets. You may also read the materials at the Docket Management Facility by going to the street address given above under ADDRESSES. The Docket Management Facility is open between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. Authority: 49 U.S.C. 30111, 30168; delegation of authority at 49 CFR 1.50 and 501.8. Ronald L. Medford, Senior Associate Administrator, Vehicle Safety. [FR Doc. E8–12041 Filed 5–29–08; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910–59–P DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [STB Finance Docket No. 34284] Southwest Gulf Railroad Company— Construction and Operation Exemption—in Medina County, TX Surface Transportation Board. Notice of Availability of a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS). AGENCY: ACTION: SUMMARY: On February 27, 2003, Southwest Gulf Railroad Company (SGR) filed a petition with the Surface Transportation Board (Board) pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 10502 for authority to construct and operate a rail line approximately seven miles long from a Vulcan Construction Materials, LP (VCM) proposed limestone quarry to a Union Pacific Railroad Company (UP) rail line near Dunlay, Texas. SGR proposed construction and operation of the rail line to transport limestone aggregate from VCM’s proposed quarry to the UP rail line. SGR anticipates operating approximately four trains per day (comprising two inbound empty and two outbound loaded trains). Each train would consist of 100 railcars. The Board’s Section of Environmental Analysis (SEA) has prepared the FEIS was pursuant to the National PO 00000 Frm 00139 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), 42 United States Code (U.S.C.) 4231 et seq. Under NEPA, the Board must consider the environmental impacts of actions requiring Board authorization and complete its environmental review before making a final decision on a proposed action. SEA is the office within the Board that carries out the Board’s responsibilities and related environmental laws and regulations, including the Council on Environmental Quality’s (CEQ) regulations for implementing NEPA at 40 CFR Part 1500; the Board’s environmental regulations at 49 CFR Part 1105; and the Section 106 National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (NHPA) process. DATES: This notice is effective on May 30, 2008. ADDRESSES: Copies of the FEIS have been served on all interested parties and will be made available to additional parties upon request. The entire FEIS is also available for review on the Board’s Web site (https://www.stb.dot.gov) by clicking on the ‘‘Decisions and Notices’’ link, then ‘‘E-LIBRARY’’ and searching by the Service Date (May 30, 2008) or Docket Number (FD 34284). Copies of the FEIS will also be available for public review at the following locations (hours vary, contact individual repositories for available times): the Hondo Public Library at 1011 19th Street, Hondo, Texas, telephone: (830) 426–5333; the Castroville Public Library, 802 London Street, Castroville, Texas, telephone: (830) 931–4095; and the San Antonio Central Library, 600 Soledad, San Antonio, Texas, telephone: (210) 207– 2500. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Diana Wood, Section of Environmental Analysis, Surface Transportation Board, 395 E Street, SW., Washington, DC 20423–0001, telephone (202) 245–0302, fax (202) 245–0454, or by e-mail at woodd@stb.dot.gov. Assistance for the hearing impaired is available through the Federal Information Relay Service at 1–800–877–8339. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: SEA issued a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) on November 5, 2004, for public review and comment. The DEIS evaluated the potential environmental impacts that could result from SGR’s proposed rail line construction and operation, as well as four alternatives (including the NoAction Alternative) to SGR’s Proposed Route and recommended mitigation that could be undertaken to reduce the potential impacts identified. In response to the DEIS, SEA received approximately 120 written comment E:\FR\FM\30MYN1.SGM 30MYN1 sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 105 / Friday, May 30, 2008 / Notices letters, as well as oral comments submitted at two public meetings held in Hondo, Texas, on December 2, 2004. After carefully reviewing all comments received, as well as additional information about the project proposal submitted by SGR, SEA decided to prepare a Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS). The SDEIS focused on three specific matters: (1) To seek to avoid potential impacts to the historically sensitive Quihi area, it evaluated three Eastern Alternative rail routes that were not studied in detail in the DEIS and compared these three alternative routes to the four rail routes previously studied in the DEIS and to the No-Action Alternative; (2) it discussed the progress of additional historic property identification efforts following issuance of the DEIS; and (3) it provided an additional noise analysis that SEA performed based on updated operational data provided by SGR indicating that trains may operate during nighttime hours. The three eastern alternative rail routes evaluated in the SDEIS are (1) The Eastern Bypass Route, (2) the MCEAA Medina Dam Alternative, and (3) SGR’s Medina Dam Modified Route. SEA also determined that a more detailed study of three rural historic landscape districts in the area (the Quihi Rural Historic District, the New Fountain Rural Historic District, and the Upper Quihi Rural Historic District) was warranted. This study was completed and included in the SDEIS. In response to the SDEIS, SEA received 237 written comments. The FEIS provides a summary of all the comments received on the DEIS and SDEIS with SEA’s corresponding responses. In response to concerns raised during the SDEIS process, the FEIS presents the Modified Eastern Bypass Route, a modification to the Eastern Bypass Route. The modification would follow the same right-of-way as the Eastern Bypass Route, but instead of bisecting the Weiblen property and Castoville West Subdivision, it would closely follow property lines to the extent practicable to minimize adverse impacts to the Weiblen and Castroville West properties, and finally connect to the Proposed Route in the southern end of the alignment before connecting to the UP main line. SEA has concluded that the following Eastern Alternatives (the Eastern Bypass Route, the Modified Eastern Bypass Route, and the MCEAA Medina Dam Alternative) would be the environmentally preferred alignments. Should the Board authorize construction and operation of the proposed rail line, SEA recommends VerDate Aug<31>2005 16:52 May 29, 2008 Jkt 214001 that it authorize all of these routes, subject to the 91 environmental mitigation measures set out in this FEIS. These conditions, which address a number of environmental resource areas, such as groundwater; surface water and wetlands; traffic safety; noise and vibration; biological resources; air quality; land use; and historic preservation, would minimize the potential adverse environmental effects of the construction and operation of the proposal. One of the conditions requires compliance with a Programmatic Agreement, which has been signed by all the necessary parties, setting out a process for addressing potential impacts to historic sites under any of the Eastern Alternatives. Issuance of this FEIS completes the Board’s environmental review process. The Board will now make a final decision on the proposed project. In the interest of bringing this matter to closure, the Board will act as promptly as possible. In making its final decision on the proposed project, the Board will consider the entire environmental record, including all public comments, the DEIS, the SDEIS, the FEIS, and SEA’s final recommended mitigation. No project-related construction may begin until the Board’s final decision has been issued and has become effective. Parties who wish to file an administrative appeal of the Board’s final decision may do so in writing within 30 days from the publication of the notice of the FEIS. SEA anticipates that EPA will publish its Notice of Availability of the FEIS in the Federal Register on June 6, 2008 and that the deadline for filing administrative appeals will be July 7, 2008. Decided: May 30, 2008. By the Board, Victoria Rutson, Chief, Section of Environmental Analysis. Anne K. Quinlan, Acting Secretary. [FR Doc. E8–11954 Filed 5–29–08; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4915–01–P DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Community Development Financial Institutions Fund Proposed Collection; Comment Request Notice and request for comments. ACTION: SUMMARY: The Department of the Treasury, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and PO 00000 Frm 00140 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 31191 other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law No. 104–13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (the ‘‘CDFI Fund’’) within the Department of the Treasury is soliciting comments concerning the Community Development Financial Institutions (‘‘CDFI’’) Program: Certification/Re-certification Application located at https:// www.cdfifund.gov. Written comments should be received on or before July 29, 2008 to be assured of consideration. DATES: Direct all comments to Linda G. Davenport, Deputy Director for Policy and Programs, Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, U.S. Department of the Treasury, 601 13th Street, NW., Suite 200 South, Washington, DC 20005, Facsimile Number (202) 622–7754. ADDRESSES: The Certification/Re-certification application may be obtained from the CDFI Fund’s Web site at https://www.cdfifund.gov. Requests for additional information should be directed to Linda G. Davenport, Deputy Director for Policy and Programs, Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, U.S. Department of the Treasury, 601 13th Street, NW., Suite 200 South, Washington, DC 20005, or call (202) 622–8662. This is not a toll free number. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: The Community Development Financial Institutions Program— Certification/Re-Certification Application. OMB Number: 1559–0028. Abstract: The purpose of the CDFI Program is to promote economic revitalization and community development through investment in and assistance to certified CDFIs and entities seeking CDFI certification. Through the CDFI Program, the CDFI Fund makes financial investments in and provides technical assistance grants to CDFIs and organizations seeking CDFI certification that have comprehensive business plans for creating demonstrable community development impact through the deployment of capital within their respective target markets for community development finance purposes. In order to be certified as a CDFI, an entity must submit an application for certification to the CDFI Fund. Type of review: Extension. E:\FR\FM\30MYN1.SGM 30MYN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 105 (Friday, May 30, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31190-31191]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-11954]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

[STB Finance Docket No. 34284]


Southwest Gulf Railroad Company--Construction and Operation 
Exemption--in Medina County, TX

AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board.

ACTION: Notice of Availability of a Final Environmental Impact 
Statement (FEIS).

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

SUMMARY: On February 27, 2003, Southwest Gulf Railroad Company (SGR) 
filed a petition with the Surface Transportation Board (Board) pursuant 
to 49 U.S.C. 10502 for authority to construct and operate a rail line 
approximately seven miles long from a Vulcan Construction Materials, LP 
(VCM) proposed limestone quarry to a Union Pacific Railroad Company 
(UP) rail line near Dunlay, Texas. SGR proposed construction and 
operation of the rail line to transport limestone aggregate from VCM's 
proposed quarry to the UP rail line. SGR anticipates operating 
approximately four trains per day (comprising two inbound empty and two 
outbound loaded trains). Each train would consist of 100 railcars.
    The Board's Section of Environmental Analysis (SEA) has prepared 
the FEIS was pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 
(NEPA), 42 United States Code (U.S.C.) 4231 et seq. Under NEPA, the 
Board must consider the environmental impacts of actions requiring 
Board authorization and complete its environmental review before making 
a final decision on a proposed action. SEA is the office within the 
Board that carries out the Board's responsibilities and related 
environmental laws and regulations, including the Council on 
Environmental Quality's (CEQ) regulations for implementing NEPA at 40 
CFR Part 1500; the Board's environmental regulations at 49 CFR Part 
1105; and the Section 106 National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 
(NHPA) process.

DATES: This notice is effective on May 30, 2008.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the FEIS have been served on all interested 
parties and will be made available to additional parties upon request. 
The entire FEIS is also available for review on the Board's Web site 
(https://www.stb.dot.gov) by clicking on the ``Decisions and Notices'' 
link, then ``E-LIBRARY'' and searching by the Service Date (May 30, 
2008) or Docket Number (FD 34284). Copies of the FEIS will also be 
available for public review at the following locations (hours vary, 
contact individual repositories for available times): the Hondo Public 
Library at 1011 19th Street, Hondo, Texas, telephone: (830) 426-5333; 
the Castroville Public Library, 802 London Street, Castroville, Texas, 
telephone: (830) 931-4095; and the San Antonio Central Library, 600 
Soledad, San Antonio, Texas, telephone: (210) 207-2500.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Diana Wood, Section of Environmental 
Analysis, Surface Transportation Board, 395 E Street, SW., Washington, 
DC 20423-0001, telephone (202) 245-0302, fax (202) 245-0454, or by e-
mail at woodd@stb.dot.gov. Assistance for the hearing impaired is 
available through the Federal Information Relay Service at 1-800-877-
8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: SEA issued a Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement (DEIS) on November 5, 2004, for public review and comment. 
The DEIS evaluated the potential environmental impacts that could 
result from SGR's proposed rail line construction and operation, as 
well as four alternatives (including the No-Action Alternative) to 
SGR's Proposed Route and recommended mitigation that could be 
undertaken to reduce the potential impacts identified. In response to 
the DEIS, SEA received approximately 120 written comment

[[Page 31191]]

letters, as well as oral comments submitted at two public meetings held 
in Hondo, Texas, on December 2, 2004. After carefully reviewing all 
comments received, as well as additional information about the project 
proposal submitted by SGR, SEA decided to prepare a Supplemental Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS). The SDEIS focused on three 
specific matters: (1) To seek to avoid potential impacts to the 
historically sensitive Quihi area, it evaluated three Eastern 
Alternative rail routes that were not studied in detail in the DEIS and 
compared these three alternative routes to the four rail routes 
previously studied in the DEIS and to the No-Action Alternative; (2) it 
discussed the progress of additional historic property identification 
efforts following issuance of the DEIS; and (3) it provided an 
additional noise analysis that SEA performed based on updated 
operational data provided by SGR indicating that trains may operate 
during nighttime hours. The three eastern alternative rail routes 
evaluated in the SDEIS are (1) The Eastern Bypass Route, (2) the MCEAA 
Medina Dam Alternative, and (3) SGR's Medina Dam Modified Route. SEA 
also determined that a more detailed study of three rural historic 
landscape districts in the area (the Quihi Rural Historic District, the 
New Fountain Rural Historic District, and the Upper Quihi Rural 
Historic District) was warranted. This study was completed and included 
in the SDEIS. In response to the SDEIS, SEA received 237 written 
comments.
    The FEIS provides a summary of all the comments received on the 
DEIS and SDEIS with SEA's corresponding responses. In response to 
concerns raised during the SDEIS process, the FEIS presents the 
Modified Eastern Bypass Route, a modification to the Eastern Bypass 
Route. The modification would follow the same right-of-way as the 
Eastern Bypass Route, but instead of bisecting the Weiblen property and 
Castoville West Subdivision, it would closely follow property lines to 
the extent practicable to minimize adverse impacts to the Weiblen and 
Castroville West properties, and finally connect to the Proposed Route 
in the southern end of the alignment before connecting to the UP main 
line.
    SEA has concluded that the following Eastern Alternatives (the 
Eastern Bypass Route, the Modified Eastern Bypass Route, and the MCEAA 
Medina Dam Alternative) would be the environmentally preferred 
alignments. Should the Board authorize construction and operation of 
the proposed rail line, SEA recommends that it authorize all of these 
routes, subject to the 91 environmental mitigation measures set out in 
this FEIS. These conditions, which address a number of environmental 
resource areas, such as groundwater; surface water and wetlands; 
traffic safety; noise and vibration; biological resources; air quality; 
land use; and historic preservation, would minimize the potential 
adverse environmental effects of the construction and operation of the 
proposal. One of the conditions requires compliance with a Programmatic 
Agreement, which has been signed by all the necessary parties, setting 
out a process for addressing potential impacts to historic sites under 
any of the Eastern Alternatives.
    Issuance of this FEIS completes the Board's environmental review 
process. The Board will now make a final decision on the proposed 
project. In the interest of bringing this matter to closure, the Board 
will act as promptly as possible.
    In making its final decision on the proposed project, the Board 
will consider the entire environmental record, including all public 
comments, the DEIS, the SDEIS, the FEIS, and SEA's final recommended 
mitigation. No project-related construction may begin until the Board's 
final decision has been issued and has become effective. Parties who 
wish to file an administrative appeal of the Board's final decision may 
do so in writing within 30 days from the publication of the notice of 
the FEIS. SEA anticipates that EPA will publish its Notice of 
Availability of the FEIS in the Federal Register on June 6, 2008 and 
that the deadline for filing administrative appeals will be July 7, 
2008.

    Decided: May 30, 2008.
    By the Board, Victoria Rutson, Chief, Section of Environmental 
Analysis.
Anne K. Quinlan,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. E8-11954 Filed 5-29-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915-01-P
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