Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 190 / Friday, October 1, 2004 / Notices 58999

bus rapid transit, light rail transit, or 

commuter rail. Ancillary facilities, such 

as a maintenance facilities, layover and 

maintenance yards, and parking 

facilities will be considered, as 

appropriate, for the Transit Build 

Alternatives. 

These alternatives are expected to be 

defined more precisely through the 

scoping process. Any additional 

reasonable alternatives emerging from 

the scoping process will also be 

considered. 

IV. Probable Impacts for Analysis 

The purpose of the EIS process is to 

fully disclose the environmental 

consequences associated with each of 

the alternatives being evaluated and to 

develop alternatives to avoid, minimize 

and mitigate those impacts while still 

satisfying the need for the action. The 

FTA and SEMCOG will assess all social, 

economic, and environmental impacts 

of all reasonable alternatives. Impacts 

may include the following: land use, 

zoning, and economic development; 

secondary development; cumulative 

impacts; land acquisition, 

displacements, and relocation of 

existing uses; historic, archaeological, 

and cultural resources; parklands and 

recreational areas; visual and aesthetic 

qualities; neighborhoods and 

communities; environmental justice; air 

quality; noise and vibration; hazardous 

materials; ecosystems; water resources; 

energy; construction impacts; safety and 

security; utilities; and transportation 

impacts. The impacts will be evaluated 

both for the construction period and for 

the long-term period of operation of 

each alternative. Measures to avoid, 

minimize or mitigate adverse impacts 

will be identified. 

V. FTA Procedures 

In accordance with FTA’s 

environmental regulation (23 CFR part 

771), FTA and SEMCOG will comply 

with NEPA and all related 

environmental laws, regulations, and 

executive orders, including but not 

limited to Section 106 of the National 

Historic Preservation Act, Section 4(f) of 

the DOT Act, the project-level 

conformity requirements of the Clean 

Air Act, and the executive orders on 

wetlands protection, floodplain 

management, and environmental justice, 

during the NEPA process, to the 

maximum extent possible. 

The Draft EIS will also constitute the 

Alternatives Analysis required by FTA’s 

New Starts regulation (49 CFR Part 611) 

and will satisfy the FTA requirements 

for an Alternatives Analysis. Upon 

completion, the Alternatives Analysis/

Draft EIS will be available for public 

and agency review and comment. Public 

hearing(s) on the Alternatives Analysis/

Draft EIS will be held within the study 

area. On the basis of the Alternatives 

Analysis/Draft EIS and the public and 

agency comments received, a Locally 

Preferred Alternative (LPA) will be 

selected and, with FTA approval, will 

be advanced into preliminary 

engineering and a more detailed 

evaluation in the Final EIS.

Issued on: September 28, 2004. 

Joel P. Ettinger, 

Region V Administrator.

[FR Doc. 04–22144 Filed 9–30–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–57–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Maritime Administration 

Reports, Forms and Recordkeeping 

Requirements; Agency Information 

Collection Activity Under OMB Review

AGENCY: Maritime Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: In compliance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 

U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice 

announces that the Information 

Collection abstracted below has been 

forwarded to the Office of Management 

and Budget (OMB) for review and 

approval. The nature of the information 

collection is described as well as its 

expected burden. The Federal Register

Notice with a 60-day comment period 

soliciting comments on the following 

collection of information was published 

on July 7, 2004. No comments were 

received.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on 

or before November 1, 2004.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mitch Hudson, Maritime 

Administration, 400 7th Street SW., 

Washington, DC 20590. Telephone: 

202–366–9373; FAX: 202–366–7485; or 

E:MAIL: mitch.hudson@marad.dot.gov. 

Copies of this collection also can be 

obtained from that office.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Maritime 

Administration (MARAD). 

Title: Requirements for Establishing 

U.S. Citizenship. 

OMB Control Number: 2133–0012. 

Type of Request: Extension of 

currently approved collection. 

Affected Public: Shipowners, 

charterers, equity owners, ship 

managers. 

Forms: Special Format. 

Abstract: In accordance with 46 CFR 

Part 355, shipowners, charterers, equity 

owners, ship managers, etc., seeking 

benefits provided by statute are required 

to provide on an annual basis, an 

Affidavit of U.S. Citizenship to the 

Maritime Administration (MARAD) for 

analysis. The Affidavits of U.S. 

Citizenship filed with MARAD will be 

reviewed to determine if the applicants 

are eligible to participate in the 

programs offered by the agency. 

Annual Estimated Burden Hours:

1500 hours.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to the 

Office of Information and Regulatory 

Affairs, Office of Management and 

Budget, 725 17th Street, NW., 

Washington, DC 20503, Attention 

MARAD Desk Officer. 

Comments are invited on: Whether 

the proposed collection of information 

is necessary for the proper performance 

of the functions of the agency, including 

whether the information will have 

practical utility; the accuracy of the 

agency’s estimate of the burden of the 

proposed information collection; ways 

to enhance the quality, utility and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and ways to minimize the 

burden of the collection of information 

on respondents, including the use of 

automated collection techniques or 

other forms of information technology. 

A comment to OMB is best assured of 

having its full effect if OMB receives it 

within 30 days of publication.

Authority: 49 CFR 1.66.

Issued in Washington, DC, on September 

27, 2004. 

Joel C. Richard, 

Secretary, Maritime Administration.

[FR Doc. 04–22036 Filed 9–30–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–81–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board 

[STB Finance Docket No. 34536] 

Indiana & Ohio Central Railroad, Inc.—

Acquisition and Operation 

Exemption—CSX Transportation, Inc. 

Indiana & Ohio Central Railroad, Inc. 

(IOCR), a Class III rail carrier, has filed 

a verified notice of exemption under 49 

CFR 1150.41 to acquire and operate, 

pursuant to an agreement with CSX 

Transportation, Inc. (CSXT), 

approximately 107 miles of rail line 

consisting of the Cincinnati Terminal 

Subdivision between NA Tower, OH, 

milepost BB 7.5 and Oakley, OH, 

milepost BB 12.4, and the Midland 

Subdivision between Oakley, milepost 

59000 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 190 / Friday, October 1, 2004 / Notices 

1 IOCR will lease the right-of-way from CSXT.

2On September 13, 2004, the Brotherhood of 

Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen (BLET) filed a 

protest asking the Board to reject IOCR’s notice and 

a notice to be filed in STB Finance Docket No. 

34540, Columbus & Ohio River Railroad—

Acquisition Exemption—Lines of CSX 

Transportation, Inc., for another shortline carrier to 

operate through lease and/or purchase 

approximately 114 miles of CSXT’s rail line 

between Columbus and Cambridge and Newark and 

Mt. Vernon, Ohio. On September 15, 2004, the 

United Transportation Union (UTU) filed a 

pleading titled as a petition to revoke, seeking relief 

identical to that sought by BLET. 

On September 24, 2004, an amended petition to 

revoke was filed by UTU, and the notice of 

exemption was filed in STB Finance Docket No. 

34540. The Board will address the filings by BLET 

and UTU in a subsequent decision.

1On September 22, 2004, UP submitted a 

clarification to the milepost equation. UP states 

that, prior to 1934, the Chicago Pacific Rock Island 

Railroad (RIRR) and the St. Joseph and Grand Island 

Railway (SJ&GI), a subsidiary of UP, shared the rail 

line running from St. Joseph, MO, crossing the 

Missouri River, and extending through Wathena, 

KS. UP indicates that west of Wathena, at milepost 

7.4, the two railroads split. In 1934, UP ceased 

using its line between milepost 7.4 and Troy, KS, 

as a separate route, and substituted via trackage 

rights the route over the RIRR. UP then returned to 

its own rail line and, rather than re-milepost the 

entire balance of the SJ&GI, UP did an equation so 

it could retain the rest of the SJ&GI mileposts as 

they were. UP further states that to correct for the 

milepost shift, UP placed the milepost equation at 

Troy, and then the traditional SJ&GI mileposts ran 

from that point.

BB 12.4, and Columbus, OH, milepost 

BR 114.6.1

Because IOCR’s projected annual 

revenues will exceed $5 million, IOCR 

certified to the Board on August 12, 

2004, that it sent the required notice of 

the transaction on August 12, 2004, to 

the national offices of all labor unions 

representing employees on the line and 

posted a copy of the notice at the 

workplace of the employees on the 

affected lines on August 12, 2004. See

49 CFR 1150.42(e). 

The transaction is scheduled to be 

consummated on October 16, 2004, 

which is 60 days after IOCR’s 

certification to the Board that it has 

complied with the Board’s rule at 49 

CFR 1150.42(e). 

If the verified notice contains false or 

misleading information, the exemption 

is void ab initio. Petitions to revoke the 

exemption under 49 U.S.C. 10502(d) 

may be filed at any time. The filing of 

a petition to revoke will not 

automatically stay the transaction.2

An original and 10 copies of all 

pleadings, referring to STB Finance 

Docket No. 34536, must be filed with 

the Surface Transportation Board, 1925 

K Street, NW., Washington, DC 20423–

0001. In addition, a copy of each 

pleading must be served on: Gary A. 

Laakso, IOCR Vice President Regulatory 

Counsel, 5300 Broken Sound Boulevard, 

NW., Boca Raton, FL 33487; and Louis 

E. Gitomer, Ball Janik LLP, 1455 F 

Street. NW., Suite 225, Washington, DC 

20005. 

Board decisions and notices are 

available on our Web site at http://

www.stb.dot.gov.

Decided: September 24, 2004.

By the Board, David M. Konschnik, 

Director, Office of Proceedings. 

Vernon A. Williams, 

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 04–21982 Filed 9–30–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4915–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board 

[STB Finance Docket No. 34546] 

Western Rail Switching, 

Incorporated—Operation Exemption—

Rail Line of Spokane County, WA 

Western Rail Switching, Incorporated 

(WRS), a noncarrier, has filed a verified 

notice of exemption under 49 CFR 

1150.31 to operate, pursuant to an 

agreement with the county of Spokane, 

WA (the County), 4.93 miles of a line of 

railroad known as the Geiger Spur. The 

line extends from a point of connection 

with The Burlington Northern and Santa 

Fe Railway Company’s (BNSF) line at 

milepost 0.00 near Fairchild Air Force 

Base (also known as milepost 1493.95 

on BNSF’s Columbia River Subdivision) 

to milepost 4.93 on the Geiger Spur line 

near Airway Heights, in Spokane 

County, WA. 

The transaction was scheduled to be 

consummated on or after September 10, 

2004. 

This transaction is related to STB 

Finance Docket No. 34541, Spokane 

County—Acquisition Exemption—The 

Burlington Northern and Santa Fe 

Railway Company, wherein the County 

has filed a verified notice of exemption 

for its acquisition of the 4.93-mile line 

of railroad from BNSF. 

If the verified notice contains false or 

misleading information, the exemption 

is void ab initio. Petitions to revoke the 

exemption under 49 U.S.C. 10502(d) 

may be filed at any time. The filing of 

a petition to revoke will not 

automatically stay the transaction. 

An original and 10 copies of all 

pleadings, referring to STB Finance 

Docket No. 34546, must be filed with 

the Surface Transportation Board, 1925 

K Street, NW., Washington, DC 20423–

0001. In addition, a copy of each 

pleading must be served on Thomas F. 

McFarland, P.C., 208 South LaSalle 

Street, Suite 1890, Chicago, IL 60604–

1112. 

Board decisions and notices are 

available on our Web-site at ‘‘http://

www.stb.dot.gov.’’

Decided: September 24, 2004.

By the Board, David M. Konschnik, 

Director, Office of Proceedings. 

Vernon A. Williams, 

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 04–22092 Filed 9–30–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4915–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board 

[STB Docket No. AB–33 (Sub–No. 220X)] 

Union Pacific Railroad Company—

Abandonment Exemption–in Brown 

and Doniphan Counties, KS 

On September 13, 2004, Union Pacific 

Railroad Company (UP) filed with the 

Surface Transportation Board a petition 

under 49 U.S.C. 10502 for exemption 

from the provisions of 49 U.S.C. 10903 

to abandon a line of railroad known as 

the St. Joseph Industrial Lead, extending 

from milepost 2.52 near Elwood to 

milepost 33.60 near Robinson, a 

distance of 30.98 miles in Brown and 

Doniphan Counties, KS (13.9 = 14.0).1

The line traverses United States Postal 

Service ZIP Codes 66024, 66087, 66090, 

66434, and 66532, and includes no 

stations.

The line does not contain federally 

granted rights-of-way. Any 

documentation in UP’s possession will 

be made available promptly to those 

requesting it. 

The interest of railroad employees 

will be protected by the conditions set 

forth in Oregon Short Line R. Co.—

Abandonment—Goshen, 360 I.C.C. 91 

(1979). 

By issuance of this notice, the Board 

is instituting an exemption proceeding 

pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 10502(b). A final 

decision will be issued by December 30, 

2004. 

Any offer of financial assistance 

(OFA) under 49 CFR 1152.27(b)(2) will 

be due no later than 10 days after 

service of a decision granting the 

petition for exemption. Each OFA must 

be accompanied by a $1,100 filing fee. 

See 49 CFR 1002.2(f)(25). 

All interested persons should be 

aware that, following abandonment of 

rail service and salvage of the line, the 

line may be suitable for other public 

use, including interim trail use. Any 

request for a public use condition under