Federal Transit Administration February 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) are issuing this Notice of Intent (NOI) to advise other agencies and the public that they will jointly prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for proposed transit improvements in the East San Fernando Valley Transit Project Corridor in Los Angeles County, California. The proposed project would provide new transit service and related infrastructure in the eastern San Fernando Valley. The EIS will evaluate new light rail and bus rapid transit services alternatives, generally running north- south along portions of Van Nuys and Sepulveda Boulevards. The EIS will be prepared in accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and its implementing regulations. The EIS process will evaluate alternatives recommended for further study as a result of the planning Alternatives Analysis approved by the LACMTA Board on January 24, 2013, and available on the LACMTA Web site (https://www.metro.net/east-sfv). Pursuant to 23 CFR 771.123(j), at the conclusion of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) circulation period, LACMTA will prepare a report identifying the locally preferred alternative (LPA). Prior to commencement of a Final EIS, the LPA will be adopted by the LACMTA Board and included in the Metropolitan Transportation Plan identifying sufficient federal and other funding for the project, in order to be evaluated under the NEPA process. LACMTA will also use the EIS document to comply with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which requires an Environmental Impact Report (EIR). The purpose of this notice is to alert interested parties regarding the intent to prepare the EIS, to provide information on the nature of the proposed project and possible alternatives, and to invite public participation in the EIS process, including providing comments on the scope of the DEIS, and to announce that public scoping meetings will be conducted.

This final rule amends the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) joint procedures that implement the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) by enacting a new categorical exclusion (CE) for emergency actions as required by the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21). The final rule modifies the existing lists of FHWA and FTA CEs and expands the existing CE for emergencies to include emergency actions as described in MAP-21 and pursuant to this rulemaking.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is directed to publish annually a list of all certifications required under 49 U.S.C. Chapter 53. For Federal Fiscal Year 2013 (FY 2013), FTA consolidated and updated the various pre-award Certifications and Assurances required to be submitted by an Applicant seeking an award of Federal public transportation assistance (funding) during FY 2013. This notice announces the availability of the FY 2013 Annual List of Certifications and Assurances for Federal Transit Administration Grants and Cooperative Agreements and the FTA Master Agreement, both of which are available at the FTA Web site, https://www.fta.dot.gov. This notice also highlights the changes made to FTA's Certifications and Assurances for FY 2013 that differ from previous provisions and also provides instructions on how and when to submit Certifications and Assurances for FY 2013.