FirstGroup plc-Intra-Corporate Family Transaction Exemption, 16443-16444 [E9-7211]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 68 / Friday, April 10, 2009 / Notices (one vacancy), commercial air tour operators (two vacancies), environmental concerns (two vacancies), and Native American tribal concerns (one vacancy) and invites interested persons to apply to fill the vacancies. DATES: Persons interested in serving on the NPOAG ARC should contact Mr. Barry Brayer in writing and postmarked or e-mailed on or before May 20, 2009. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Barry Brayer, AWP–1SP, Special Programs Staff, Federal Aviation Administration, Western-Pacific Region Headquarters, PO Box 92007, Los Angeles, CA 90009–2007, telephone: (310) 725–3800, e-mail: Barry.Brayer@faa.gov, or Karen Trevino, National Park Service, Natural Sounds Program, 1201 Oakridge Dr., Suite 100, Ft. Collins, CO 80525, telephone (970) 225–3563, e-mail: Karen_Trevino@nps.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background The National Parks Air Tour Management Act of 2000 (the Act) was enacted on April 5, 2000, as Public Law 106–181. The Act required the establishment of the advisory group within 1 year after its enactment. The advisory group was established in March 2001, and is comprised of a balanced group of representatives of general aviation, commercial air tour operations, environmental concerns, and Native American tribes. The Administrator of the FAA and the Director of NPS (or their designees) serve as ex officio members of the group. Representatives of the Administrator and Director serve alternating 1-year terms as chairman of the advisory group. The advisory group provides ‘‘advice, information, and recommendations to the Administrator and the Director— (1) On the implementation of this title [the Act] and the amendments made by this title; (2) On commonly accepted quiet aircraft technology for use in commercial air tour operations over a national park or tribal lands, which will receive preferential treatment in a given air tour management plan; (3) On other measures that might be taken to accommodate the interests of visitors to national parks; and (4) At the request of the Administrator and the Director, safety, environmental, and other issues related to commercial air tour operations over a national park or tribal lands.’’ Members of the advisory group may be allowed certain travel expenses as VerDate Nov<24>2008 15:39 Apr 09, 2009 Jkt 217001 authorized by section 5703 of Title 5, United States Code, for intermittent Government service. By FAA Order No. 1110–138, signed by the FAA Administrator on October 10, 2003, the NPOAG became an Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC). FAA Order No. 1110–138, was amended and became effective as FAA Order No. 1110–138A, on January 20, 2006. The current NPOAG ARC is made up of one member representing general aviation, three members representing the commercial air tour industry, four members representing environmental concerns, and two members representing Native American tribal concerns. Current members of the NPOAG ARC are: Claire Kultgen, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association; Alan Stephen, fixed-winged air tour operator representative; Elling Halvorson, Papillon Airways, Inc.; Matthew Zuccaro, Helicopters Association International; Chip Dennerlein, Siskiyou Project; Gregory Miller, American Hiking Society; Kristen Brengel, The Wilderness Society; Don Barger, National Parks Conservation Association; Rory Majenty, Huatapai Nation; and Richard Deertrack, Taos Pueblo. Public Participation in the NPOAG ARC In order to retain balance within the NPOAG ARC, the FAA and NPS invite persons interested in serving on the ARC to represent general aviation, commercial air tour operators, environmental concerns, or Native American tribal concerns, to contact Mr. Barry Brayer (contact information is written above in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). Requests to serve on the ARC must be made to Mr. Brayer in writing and postmarked or e-mailed on or before May 20, 2009. The request should indicate whether or not you are a member of an association or group representing general aviation, commercial air tours, environmental concerns, or Native American tribal concerns or have another affiliation with issues relating to aircraft flights over national parks. The request should also state what expertise you would bring to the NPOAG ARC as related to the vacancy you are seeking to fill (e.g., general aviation). The term of service for NPOAG ARC members is 3 years. PO 00000 Frm 00095 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 16443 Issued in Hawthorne, CA on March 30, 2009. Barry Brayer, NPOAG Chairman, Manager, Special Programs Staff, Western-Pacific Region. [FR Doc. E9–7695 Filed 4–9–09; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [STB Docket No. MC–F–21032] FirstGroup plc—Intra-Corporate Family Transaction Exemption FirstGroup plc (FirstGroup), a noncarrier, has filed a verified notice of exemption under the Board’s class exemption procedure at 49 CFR 1182.9.1 The exempt transaction involves the reorganization by the FirstGroup family of companies.2 The transaction is intended to reorganize the North American structure of FirstGroup to reduce the taxes payable by its family of companies and thereby to retain more of their earnings to render the operations of their motor carriers of passengers as safely and comfortably as possible. The transaction was expected to be consummated on March 27, 2009. This is a transaction within a corporate family of the type specifically exempted from prior review and approval under 49 CFR 1182.9. FirstGroup states that the transaction will not result in adverse changes in service levels, significant operational changes, or a change in the competitive balance with carriers outside the corporate family. FirstGroup also states that (1) no contracts or agreements have been entered into to effect the proposed changes within the FirstGroup’s North American structure, and (2) there will be no foreseeable effect upon the 1 The Board exempted intra-corporate family transactions of motor carriers of passengers that do not result in significant operational changes, adverse changes in service levels, or a change in the competitive balance with carriers outside the corporate family in Class Exemption for Motor Passenger Intra-Corporate Family Transactions, STB Finance Docket No. 33685 (STB served Feb. 18, 2000). 2 Laidlaw International, Inc. has changed its name to FirstGroup International, Inc., and instead of being a direct subsidiary of FirstGroup will become an indirect subsidiary, with two subsidiaries having interests in FMCSA-registered motor carriers of passengers: (1) FGI Canada Holdings Ltd., which will control Greyhound Canada Transportation Corp., which will be changed from an Ontario corporation to an Alberta unlimited liability corporation, and (2) First Group America Holdings, Inc., formerly Laidlaw Transit Holdings, Inc., which will control First Student, Inc., First Transit, Inc., and Greyhound Lines, Inc., which will continue to have control of Americanos U.S.A., LLC and Valley Transit Co., Inc. E:\FR\FM\10APN1.SGM 10APN1 16444 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 68 / Friday, April 10, 2009 / Notices employees of the companies involved in the restructuring. If the verified notice contains false or misleading information, the Board shall summarily revoke the exemption and require divestiture. Petitions to revoke the exemption under 49 U.S.C. 13541(d) may be filed at any time. See 49 CFR 1182.9(c). An original and 10 copies of all pleadings, referring to STB Docket No. MC–F–21032, must be filed with the Surface Transportation Board, 395 E Street, SW., Washington, DC 20423– 0001. In addition, a copy of each pleading must be served on Fritz R. Kahn, Fritz R. Kahn, P.C., 1920 N Street, NW. (8th floor), Washington, DC 20036. Board decisions and notices are available on our Web site at www.stb.dot.gov. Decided: March 25, 2009. By the Board, Joseph H. Dettmar, Acting Director, Office of Proceedings. Jeffrey Herzig, Clearance Clerk. [FR Doc. E9–7211 Filed 4–9–09; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4915–01–P DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Railroad Administration Petition for Waiver of Compliance In accordance with Part 211 of Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), notice is hereby given that the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has received a request for a waiver of compliance with certain requirements of its safety standards. The individual petition is described below, including the party seeking relief, the regulatory provisions involved, the nature of the relief being requested, and the petitioner’s arguments in favor of relief. National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) [Waiver Petition Docket Number FRA–2009– 0022] Amtrak seeks to modify the terms and conditions of a permanent waiver of compliance granted to operate TALGO trainsets in the Pacific Northwest, over the Cascades Service route between Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and Portland, Oregon, by adding General Electric (GE) P32–8 and P40/42 locomotives to this service. Amtrak currently operates TALGO trainsets powered by General Motors Electromotive Division F59PH locomotives over BNSF trackage between Portland, OR, and Blaine, WA, at speeds up to 79 miles per hour and cant deficiency up to but not exceeding VerDate Nov<24>2008 16:54 Apr 09, 2009 Jkt 217001 six inches. Amtrak lacks sufficient F59PH locomotives to provide effective service without interruption due to required inspection and repair cycles. Therefore, Amtrak is requesting permission from FRA to utilize GE P32– 8 and P40/42 locomotives, which were static lean tested in 1991 and 1993 respectively, and meet the requirements of 49 CFR 213.57 Elevation in Curves for four inches cant deficiency. Also, based on the current unloading criteria specified in this section that no wheel of the equipment unloads to a value less than 60% of its static value, the static lean test results indicated a maximum safe cant deficiency operation of up to ten inches for the P40/42 locomotive and eight inches for the P32–8 locomotive. Further, Amtrak recently demonstrated and received approval for five inch cant deficiency operation of these GE locomotives on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor (NEC) and Harrisburg, PA, routes. With FRA’s approval, Amtrak is proposing to demonstrate the suitability and safety of using these GE locomotives with TALGO trainsets by conducting two end-to-end route tests between Portland, OR, and Blaine, WA. This will confirm correspondence with the dynamic test results obtained during the recent NEC dynamic testing of GE locomotives, as well as demonstrate the safe dynamic performance of these locomotives at speeds in curves that generate up to six inches cant deficiency. Amtrak has submitted a Test Plan for FRA approval. The dynamic test includes use of accelerometers placed on the carbody and trucks of each GE locomotive in order to continuously measure the steady-state and dynamic response of the locomotives to the track alignment and track geometry deviations over the entire route at timetable speeds. Interested parties are invited to participate in these proceedings by submitting written views, data, or comments. FRA does not anticipate scheduling a public hearing in connection with these proceedings since the facts do not appear to warrant a hearing. If any interested party desires an opportunity for oral comment, they should notify FRA, in writing, before the end of the comment period and specify the basis for their request. All communications concerning these proceedings should identify the appropriate docket number (e.g., Waiver Petition Docket Number FRA–2009– 0022) and may be submitted by any of the following methods: • Web site: https:// www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting comments. PO 00000 Frm 00096 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 • Fax: 202–493–2251. • Mail: Docket Operations Facility, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., W12–140, Washington, DC 20590. • Hand Delivery: 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Room W12–140, Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. Communications received within 45 days of the date of this notice will be considered by FRA before final action is taken. Comments received after that date will be considered as far as practicable. All written communications concerning these proceedings are available for examination during regular business hours (9 a.m.–5 p.m.) at the above facility. All documents in the public docket are also available for inspection and copying on the Internet at the docket facility’s Web site at https://www.regulations.gov. Anyone is able to search the electronic form of any written communications and 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). Issued in Washington, DC, on April 3, 2009. Grady C. Cothen, Jr., Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety Standards and Program Development. [FR Doc. E9–8180 Filed 4–9–09; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910–06–P DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Bureau of the Public Debt Proposed Collection: Comment Request ACTION: Notice and request for comments. SUMMARY: The Department of the Treasury, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and 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 104–13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A). Currently the Bureau of the Public Debt within the Department of the Treasury is soliciting comments concerning the Description of United E:\FR\FM\10APN1.SGM 10APN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 68 (Friday, April 10, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16443-16444]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-7211]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

[STB Docket No. MC-F-21032]


FirstGroup plc--Intra-Corporate Family Transaction Exemption

    FirstGroup plc (FirstGroup), a noncarrier, has filed a verified 
notice of exemption under the Board's class exemption procedure at 49 
CFR 1182.9.\1\ The exempt transaction involves the reorganization by 
the FirstGroup family of companies.\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ The Board exempted intra-corporate family transactions of 
motor carriers of passengers that do not result in significant 
operational changes, adverse changes in service levels, or a change 
in the competitive balance with carriers outside the corporate 
family in Class Exemption for Motor Passenger Intra-Corporate Family 
Transactions, STB Finance Docket No. 33685 (STB served Feb. 18, 
2000).
    \2\ Laidlaw International, Inc. has changed its name to 
FirstGroup International, Inc., and instead of being a direct 
subsidiary of FirstGroup will become an indirect subsidiary, with 
two subsidiaries having interests in FMCSA-registered motor carriers 
of passengers: (1) FGI Canada Holdings Ltd., which will control 
Greyhound Canada Transportation Corp., which will be changed from an 
Ontario corporation to an Alberta unlimited liability corporation, 
and (2) First Group America Holdings, Inc., formerly Laidlaw Transit 
Holdings, Inc., which will control First Student, Inc., First 
Transit, Inc., and Greyhound Lines, Inc., which will continue to 
have control of Americanos U.S.A., LLC and Valley Transit Co., Inc.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The transaction is intended to reorganize the North American 
structure of FirstGroup to reduce the taxes payable by its family of 
companies and thereby to retain more of their earnings to render the 
operations of their motor carriers of passengers as safely and 
comfortably as possible.
    The transaction was expected to be consummated on March 27, 2009.
    This is a transaction within a corporate family of the type 
specifically exempted from prior review and approval under 49 CFR 
1182.9. FirstGroup states that the transaction will not result in 
adverse changes in service levels, significant operational changes, or 
a change in the competitive balance with carriers outside the corporate 
family. FirstGroup also states that (1) no contracts or agreements have 
been entered into to effect the proposed changes within the 
FirstGroup's North American structure, and (2) there will be no 
foreseeable effect upon the

[[Page 16444]]

employees of the companies involved in the restructuring.
    If the verified notice contains false or misleading information, 
the Board shall summarily revoke the exemption and require divestiture. 
Petitions to revoke the exemption under 49 U.S.C. 13541(d) may be filed 
at any time. See 49 CFR 1182.9(c).
    An original and 10 copies of all pleadings, referring to STB Docket 
No. MC-F-21032, must be filed with the Surface Transportation Board, 
395 E Street, SW., Washington, DC 20423-0001. In addition, a copy of 
each pleading must be served on Fritz R. Kahn, Fritz R. Kahn, P.C., 
1920 N Street, NW. (8th floor), Washington, DC 20036.
    Board decisions and notices are available on our Web site at 
www.stb.dot.gov.

    Decided: March 25, 2009.

    By the Board, Joseph H. Dettmar, Acting Director, Office of 
Proceedings.
Jeffrey Herzig,
Clearance Clerk.
 [FR Doc. E9-7211 Filed 4-9-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915-01-P
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