Federal Transit Administration 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the intention of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to request the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the following new information collection: Customer Service Surveys of FTA Grantees and Stakeholders.

The FTA and the Fort Worth Transportation Authority (The T) issue this notice to advise interested agencies and the public of their intent to prepare an EIS in accordance with the regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for transit improvements in Fort Worth, and Tarrant County, Texas. Transit improvements from southwest Fort Worth, through downtown Fort Worth, to the northern entrance into the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW Airport), are proposed along what is known as the Southwest-to- Northeast Rail Corridor. The proposed alignment will largely follow the Fort Worth & Western Railroad (FWWR), Union Pacific Railroad Company (UPRR), Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad (BNSF), and Dallas Area Rapid Transit-owned Cotton Belt rail lines that traverse Tarrant County. Transportation improvements are needed to meet current and future travel demand and to upgrade the transportation facilities in the corridor. The EIS will evaluate the future No-Build Alternative, a Transportation Systems Management (TSM) alternative, the preliminary Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) from the recently completed planning Alternatives Analysis (AA), and any additional reasonable alternatives that emerge from the scoping process.

This notice announces a final agency action taken by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project, a public transportation project in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. The purpose of this notice is to announce the decision by FTA not to perform supplemental review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) on the subject project and to activate the limitation on any claims that may challenge this final agency action. This notice does not alter or extend the limitation period of 180 days for challenges of project decisions subject to a previous notice published in the Federal Register on December 4, 2006.

Section 3011(c) of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (``SAFETEA-LU'') authorizes the U.S. Secretary of Transportation (the ``Secretary'') to establish and implement a pilot program to demonstrate the advantages and disadvantages of public-private partnerships (``PPPs'') for certain new fixed guideway capital projects (the ``Pilot Program''). This notice summarizes and responds to comments solicited by FTA by notice published in the Federal Register on March 22, 2006 (71 FR 14568). Availability of the Notice: Copies of this notice, and any documents indicated in the supplementary information as being available in the docket, are part of docket FTA-2006-23697. To read materials relating to this notice, please visit the DOT docket (https:// dms.dot.gov) at any time or go to the Docket Management System facility, U.S. Department of Transportation, Room PL-401, on the plaza level of the Nassif Building; 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) have issued this notice to advise interested agencies and the public of their intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) concurrent with a planning Alternatives Analysis (AA) for transportation improvements in the central business district (CBD) of Dallas, Texas. The EIS will be prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended. The EIS is being initiated to alleviate the capacity constraints on the LRT System within the Dallas CBD. The purpose of this Notice of Intent is to alert interested parties regarding the plan to prepare the EIS, to provide information on the purpose and need of the proposed transit project, to invite participation in the EIS process, including comments on the scope of the EIS proposed in this notice, and to announce that public scoping meetings will be conducted.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announces the selection of projects to be funded under Fiscal Year (FY) 2006 appropriations for the Tribal Transit Program (TTP), a program authorized by the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU).

FTA is extending the date by which it indicated it would respond to comments received on the establishment and implementation of the Public-Private Partnership Pilot Program.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has placed in the docket and on its website final guidance in the form of circulars to assist grantees in implementing the Elderly Individuals and Individuals with Disabilities (Section 5310), Job Access and Reverse Commute (JARC), and New Freedom Programs.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the intention of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to request the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to extend the following currently approved information collection:

This notice invites applications for the discretionary funds available in Fiscal Year (FY) 2007 for the discretionary Bus and Bus Facilities Program, authorized by 49 U.S.C. 5309(b). The Bus and Bus Facilities Program makes funds available to public transit providers to finance capital projects to replace, rehabilitate, and purchase buses and related equipment and to construct bus-related facilities, including programs of bus and bus-related projects for assistance to subrecipients that are public agencies, private companies engaged in public transportation, or private non-profit organizations. The notice includes priorities established by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for the discretionary program, includes the criteria FTA will use in evaluating applications, and describes how to apply. Applications will be accepted from Designated Recipients for the FTA Urbanized Area Formula program and States, on behalf of nonurbanized or urbanized area transit providers. This announcement is available on the Internet on the FTA Web site at: https://www.fta.dot.gov. FTA will announce final selections on the Web site and in the Federal Register. A synopsis of this announcement will be posted in the FIND module of the government-wide electronic grants Web site at https://www.grants.gov. Proposals may be submitted to FTA electronically through the Grants.Gov APPLY function or through FTA's Transportation Electronic Award and Management (TEAM)-Web.

The ``Revised Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2007,'' (Public Law 110-5), signed into law by President Bush on February 15, 2007, makes funds available for all of the surface transportation programs of the Department of Transportation (DOT) for the Fiscal Year (FY) ending September 30, 2007. This notice provides information on the FY 2007 funding available for the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) assistance programs, and provides program guidance and requirements, and information on several program issues important in the current year. The notice also includes tables that show unobligated carryover funding available in FY 2007 under certain discretionary programs from prior years. Finally, this notice also references separate Notices of Funding Availability (NOFA) published concurrently for discretionary opportunities under the Bus and Bus Facilities Program and the Alternatives Analysis Program.

The following waiver will permit ticket vending machine manufacturers to install and count as domestic for purposes of the Buy America Act, 49 U.S.C. 5323(j), as implemented by the Federal Transit Administration at 49 CFR part 661, the CashCode BB-10XX, MBB-01XX, MBB- 03XX, MBB-04XX Bill Validators (collectively, the ``CashCode Bill Validators''). This waiver is valid for a period of two years, or until such time as a domestic source for the product becomes available, whichever occurs first. This notice shall ensure that the public is aware of the waiver. FTA requests that the public notify it if a domestic source for any of the above-listed products becomes available.

Pursuant to the direction contained in the Joint Explanatory Statement of the Committee of Conference, for section 3023(d), ``Condition on Charter Bus Transportation Service'' of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) of 2005, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) established a committee to develop, through negotiated rulemaking procedures, recommendations for improving the regulation regarding unauthorized competition from recipients of Federal financial assistance. The proposed revisions contained in this notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) represent a complete revision to the charter service regulations contained in 49 CFR part 604. The NPRM contains the consensus work product of the Charter Bus Negotiated Rulemaking Advisory Committee (CBNRAC), which was able to reach consensus on a majority of the regulatory language. Where the CBNRAC was unable to reach consensus, FTA proposes revisions to the charter service regulations based on the open, informed exchange of information that took place during meetings with the CBNRAC.

The Federal Transit Administration published in the Federal Register of December 28, 2006, a notice establishing the Debt Service Reserve Pilot Program as authorized under the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Acta Legacy for Users. Inadvertently, an eligible class of participant in the pilot program was omitted. This document corrects that oversight.

The Federal Transit Administration and the San Francisco Bay Water Transit Authority (WTA) are planning to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed construction of a ferry terminal along the Berkeley/Albany waterfront that would link the San Francisco Ferry Terminal with communities in the East Bay. The project would serve commuters, visitors, and recreational users who desire an alternative way to cross San Francisco Bay to access nearby employment, entertainment, and recreational destinations. The EIS will be prepared in accordance with section 102(2)C of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) and pursuant to the Council on the Environmental Quality's regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-08) as well as provisions of the recently enacted Safe, Accountable, Flexible Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users. (SAFETEA-LU). The purpose of this Notice of Intent (NOI) is to alert interested parties regarding the plan to prepare an EIS, to provide information on the proposed transit project, to invite participation in the EIS process, including comments on the scope of the EIS proposed in this notice, and to announce public scoping meetings will be conducted.

On January 17, 2007, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced a public meeting regarding the Buy America second notice of proposed rulemaking (SNPRM) to allow the public to ask questions regarding the SNPRM published on November 30, 2006. In the public meeting notice, FTA also extended the comment period to February 28, 2007, to allow affected parties time to carefully consider the changes made in the SNRM and the information presented at the public meeting. This Notice announces the agenda for the public meeting, and a conference call number for interested parties who cannot attend in person.

As provided for in 49 CFR Part 601, Subpart D, (72 FR 910, Jan. 9, 2007), the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) must, by January 31 of each calendar year, establish an Emergency Relief Docket so grantees and subgrantees affected by national or regional emergencies may request relief from policy statements, circulars, guidance documents and regulations. By this notice, FTA is establishing an Emergency Relief Docket for calendar year 2007.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is holding a public meeting on the Buy America second notice of proposed rulemaking (SNPRM). The purpose of this meeting is to allow the public to ask questions regarding the notice published on November 30, 2006 (71 FR 69411). Furthermore, due to the complexity of the issues presented in the SNPRM, FTA is extending the comment period to February 28, 2007, which will allow affected parties time to carefully consider the changes made in the SNPRM and the information presented at the public meeting.

The Federal Transit Administration, in cooperation with Jacksonville (Florida) Transportation Authority, is planning to prepare a programmatic environmental impact statement for the proposed expansion of and improvements to the Jacksonville Rapid Transit System, a busway serving the greater Jacksonville area. The programmatic environmental impact statement will be prepared in accordance with regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act, as supplemented by the joint Federal Transit AdministrationFederal Highway Administration National Environmental Policy Act procedures. The purpose of this notice of intent is to alert interested parties regarding the plan to prepare the programmatic environmental impact statement, to provide information on the nature of the proposed transit program, to invite public participation in the impact statement process, including comments on this notice, and to announce that public scoping meetings will be conducted.

This notice announces the random testing rates for employers subject to the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) drug and alcohol rules.