Department of State December 11, 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Notice is hereby given of the following determinations: Pursuant to the authority vested in me by the Act of October 19, 1965 (79 Stat. 985; 22 U.S.C. 2459), Executive Order 12047 of March 27, 1978, the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998 (112 Stat. 2681, et seq.; 22 U.S.C. 6501 note, et seq.), Delegation of Authority No. 234 of October 1, 1999, Delegation of Authority No. 236 of October 19, 1999, as amended, and Delegation of Authority No. 257 of April 15, 2003 [68 FR 19875], I hereby determine that the objects to be included in the exhibition ``Rachel Whiteread: Drawings,'' imported from abroad for temporary exhibition within the United States, are of cultural significance. The objects are imported pursuant to a loan agreement with the foreign owner or custodian. I also determine that the exhibition or display of the exhibit objects at the Armand Hammer Museum of Art and Cultural Center, Los Angeles, CA, from on or about January 31, 2010, until on or about May 2, 2010; the Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas, TX, from on or about May 28, 2010, until on or about August 15, 2010, and at possible additional exhibitions or venues yet to be determined, is in the national interest. I have ordered that Public Notice of these Determinations be published in the Federal Register.

More than 14 years ago, the Department of State issued to the Union Pacific Railroad/Missouri Pacific Railroad Company, a Presidential permit for an international rail bridge at Laredo, Texas. To date, the permit remains unused. The Department and other Federal agencies are currently evaluating whether to revoke, modify, or retain as written this long-unused permit given the change of circumstances in the project area, development of nearby projects, inaction by the permittee, and apparent lack of interest in pursuing the corresponding projects in Mexico. The review is not a judgment regarding either the need for a new bridge or the merits of Union Pacific Railroad/Missouri Pacific Railroad Company's (UP) plan, but rather represents a recognition that the project for which this permit was issued has gone unimplemented longer than similar projects and, due to the passage of time, may no longer be viable. UP provided a project status update, which is included in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below.