Federal Highway Administration August 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The FHWA invites public comments about our intention to request the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval for a revision of a currently approved collection, which is summarized below under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. We are required to publish this notice in the Federal Register by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3521), this notice announces that FHWA will submit the collection of information described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following collection of information was published on May 19, 2014. The PRA submission describes the nature of the information collection and its expected cost and burden.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3521), this notice announces that FHWA will submit the collection of information described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following collection of information was published on June 5, 2014. The PRA submission describes the nature of the information collection and its expected cost and burden.

This notice announces that Federal actions taken by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) pursuant to its assigned responsibilities under 23 U.S.C. 327 are final within the meaning of 23 U.S.C. 139 (l)(1). FHWA, on behalf of Caltrans, is issuing this notice to announce that, with respect to the State Route 101 Willits Bypass Project in Willits (Mendocino County), California, and the Ryan Creek Fish Passage Mitigation Project, a Categorical Exclusion was completed on June 3, 2014. The Categorical Exclusion was prepared in order to determine impacts of creating fish passage along Ryan Creek in Mendocino County, California, as part of the permit mitigation of the Willits Bypass Project. Based upon the analyses contained in the Categorical Exclusion, Caltrans has made the determination that the project will not have significant impacts to the environment.

The CMAQ program provides funding to State and local governments for transportation projects and programs to help meet the requirements of the Clean Air Act (CAA). Funding is available to reduce congestion and improve air quality for areas that do not meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ozone, carbon monoxide (CO), or particulate matter (nonattainment areas) and for areas that were out of compliance but have now met the standards (maintenance areas). The Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) requires priority use of CMAQ funds in areas that are designated nonattainment or maintenance for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) NAAQS under the CAA. Specifically, an amount equal to 25 percent of the CMAQ funds apportioned to each State for a nonattainment or maintenance area that is based all or in part on the weighted population of the PM2.5 nonattainment area shall be obligated to projects that reduce PM2.5 emissions in such area. These projects include diesel retrofits for on-road and some off- road applications, as well as for diesel equipment operated on a highway construction project within PM2.5 nonattainment and maintenance areas. Although the MAP-21 language for the CMAQ funds that must be obligated for PM2.5 projects (referred to in this NPRM as a ``set-aside'') instructs that the set-aside be calculated based on ``weighted population'' for PM2.5, the statute does not specify the values to be applied to determine the weighted population. In this proposed rule, FHWA is requesting comments on a proposed weighting factor of 5, to be used in determining the weighted population of a PM2.5 nonattainment area.