Department of Transportation October 6, 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

On September 16, 2014, NHTSA published a Notice of Buy America Waiver that provided findings to requests from the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP) to waive the requirements of Buy America. The Notice stated an effective date of October 16, 2014. However, that date did not correctly reflect NHTSA's intentions for the effective date. Also, the Notice did not accurately cite the appropriate section of the United States Code for motorcyclist safety grant funds, 23 U.S.C. 405(f). This document corrects those errors.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, FAA invites public comments about our intention to request the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval for to renew an information collection. The Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following collection of information was published on July 31, 2014, vol. 79, no. 147, page 44485. FAA Form 7480-1 (Notice of Landing Area Proposal) is used to collect information about any construction, alteration, or change to the status or use of an airport.

Pursuant to 40 CFR 1508.22 and 43 TAC Sec. 2.5(e)(2), the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), and the Lone Star Rail District (LSRD) are issuing this notice to advise the public that an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be prepared for a proposed transportation project to construct and operate a regional passenger rail service system along the IH-35 corridor connecting the greater Austin and San Antonio metropolitan areas. A required letter of initiation pursuant to 23 U.S.C. 139 was completed as well. As the project proponent, the LSRD intends to apply for Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) program funding and seek to retain federal funding eligibility for this proposed project. The proposed project would provide for implementation of passenger rail service within the existing Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) corridor that extends from Williamson County to Bexar County, Texas. FHWA as the lead federal agency will coordinate closely with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), to perform the analyses required to evaluate reasonable alternatives for the proposed action. The EIS may include a potential alternative that would include development and operation of a new freight bypass to carry some of the existing freight rail traffic between Taylor and San Antonio to allow the addition of passenger service along the existing UPRR line.