Department of Transportation June 4, 2021 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), as lead Federal agency, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) as local project sponsor and joint lead agency, intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate potential benefits and impacts of the PANYNJ proposal (the Proposed Project) to construct a new Bus Terminal and associated infrastructure (the Replacement Facility) in Midtown Manhattan in the City of New York, New York. The Proposed Project to be evaluated in the EIS includes both the Replacement Facility, and four private, high-rise buildings (three commercial and one mixed-use retail/residential) to be built on PANYNJ property consistent with present as-of-right zoning. The Replacement Facility is necessary because the existing Port Authority Bus Terminal (PABT) has significant capacity and operational constraints, is aging and obsolete, and cannot meet forecasted increases in bus service demand. FTA, in coordination with PANYNJ, will prepare the EIS in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act), and, as appropriate, the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) and City of New York's City Environmental Quality Review (CEQR). This Notice of Intent (NOI) initiates public scoping for the EIS, and provides information on the Proposed Project, the Project's purpose and need, and the alternatives being considered for evaluation in the EIS. This NOI invites public comments on environmental impacts that may be associated with the Proposed Project and alternatives. Interested members of the public, tribes, and agencies are invited to submit comments on the proposed scope of the EIS, PANYNJ's purpose and need, the identification of alternatives to be considered, the environmental benefits and impacts to be evaluated, and any other project-related issues or analyses. In consideration of the Federal Government's COVID-19 Emergency Declaration dated March 13, 2020, FTA has determined that virtual public meetings and hearings are a permissible and useful tool to provide for public involvement in the NEPA process.

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Airbus SAS Model A330-200 Freighter series airplanes. This AD was prompted by a report indicating occurrences of broken brackets of the support structure of the halon fire extinguishing bottle 4005WX; investigation showed that fatigue cracks initiated in the attachment brackets at the cross beams due to dynamic loading, and in some cases propagated in the struts. This AD requires replacing the support brackets of the 4005WX fire extinguisher bottle with reinforced support brackets, and replacing the strut assembly at the affected location, as specified in a European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD, which is incorporated by reference. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

This action proposes to modify the Class D airspace at Kodiak Airport, Kodiak, AK. This action also proposes to remove the Class E airspace, designated as an extension to a Class D or Class E surface area, east of the airport. Further, this action proposes to modify the Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface by increasing the size of the area. Finally, this action proposes to update the geographic coordinates in the third line of the Class D text header and update the term ``Airport/Facility Directory'' to ``Chart Supplement'' in the last sentence of the Class D airspace description. This action would ensure the safety and management of instrument flight rules (IFR) operations at the airport.

This action amends VHF Omnidirectional Range (VOR) Federal airways V-25, V-27, V-494, V-108, V-301, and United States Area Navigation route (RNAV) T-257 in the vicinity of Santa Rosa, CA. The amendments are due to the planned decommissioning of the Santa Rosa, CA VOR/Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) navigation aid (NAVAID) which provides navigation guidance for portions of the affected airways. The Santa Rosa VOR/DME is being decommissioned as part of the FAA's VOR Minimum Operational Network (MON) program.