31956 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 98 / Friday, May 19, 2000 / Notices

completed an EIR and ‘‘Subsequent

EIR’’ for the study corridor. These

studies and environmental documents

led to the identification of a preferred

rail alignment along the existing

Southern Pacific Burbank/Chandler

Branch, following Chandler Boulevard,

Oxnard Street, Victory Boulevard. and

Topham Street, which the MTA

subsequently purchased in 1990.

Environmental documents meeting

California standards were certified in

1990 and 1992, addressing alternatives

along both the SP Burbank/Chandler

Branch and the Ventura Freeway

median alignments. In 1994 the MTA

Board of Directors endorsed the SP

Burbank/Chandler Branch alignment.

An alternatives screening report and

major investment study was prepared in

1995/96. The report evaluated the

relative cost-effectiveness of a broad

range of project alternatives, including

all the previously studied rail transit

options. In 1997 a Draft EIS was in

preparation when the MTA began a

financial and organizational

restructuring which put several rail

projects, including rail planning for the

San Fernando Valley, on hold.

As part of the restructuring, the MTA

and other regional agencies studied the

feasibility of building non-rail (bus)

transit enhancements in previous rail

corridors. In addition, the MTA board

directed staff to proceed with a Bus

Rapid Transit demonstration project.

One of the demonstration lines is on

Ventura Boulevard in the San Fernando

Valley.

Description of the Study Area: The

study corridor extends from the North

Hollywood Red Line station (currently

under construction), located at

Lankershim Boulevard and Chandler

Boulevard, west across the entire San

Fernando Valley to the vicinity of the

Warner Center Transit Hub. The length

of the corridor is approximately 14

miles.

Alternatives: A range of alternatives is

being considered as part of the EIS/EIR.

These include the following:

No Build: This alternative would

include the transit system primarily as

it exists today, augmented by those

additional projects for which a funding

commitment has been made or which

are reasonably expected to be in place

by 2020. The Red Line would terminate

at the North Hollywood station.

Highway and HOV projects would be

provided on a number of freeways.

Existing bus headways would be

maintained and the Rapid Bus

Demonstration project on Ventura

Boulevard would be implemented.

Transportation Systems Management/

Best Bus: This alternative would not

require major investment for capital cost

items, but would rather focus its efforts

on maximizing the efficiency of existing

facilities and expanding and improving

the existing bus system. Headways on

routes covered by the TSM would be

significantly reduced. TSM

improvements would include various

projects to enhance the performance of

bus transit on major arterials where bus

service frequencies would be increased.

Bus Rapid Transit Alternatives: Buses

would run along an exclusive roadway

built within the SP Burbank/Chandler

ROW between the North Hollywood

Metro Red Line Station on the east and

the Transit Hub in Warner Center.

Stations would be placed approximately

every mile along the 14-mile route, at

major cross streets and trip destinations.

Buses would be given priority at signals.

Headways within the busway would

vary between five and two and one-half

minutes during peak periods, and the

existing Valley bus network would be

integrated with the busway. In addition

to the busway, enough space is available

for a parallel bikeway along the

corridor.

The corridor is being considered in

two phases. If funding is limited, a

segment of the full project busway

between Woodman Avenue and Balboa

Boulevard would be constructed as an

initial phase, or Minimum Operable

Segment. This first phase would include

five stations. Buses would run on-street

along Oxnard Street and Victory

Boulevard to complete their runs from

North Hollywood to Warner Center, and

provide cross-Valley service.

Probable Effects: The FTA and MTA

will evaluate all significant

environmental, social and economic

impacts of the alternatives analyzed in

the draft EIS/EIR. Potential impact

categories which will be evaluated

include: Land Use and Development;

Economic and Fiscal Impacts;

Displacement and Relocation; Traffic

Circulation and Parking; Community

and Neighborhood Impacts;

Environmental Justice; Visual and

Aesthetic Impacts; Air Quality; Noise

and Vibration; Geotechnical

Considerations; Water Resources;

Natural Resources; Energy; Safety and

Security; Cultural Resources;

Community Facilities and Parklands;

and Construction Impacts. The impacts

will be evaluated both for the

construction period and the long-term

period of operation. Measures to

mitigate adverse impacts will also be

addressed.

FTA Procedures: The EIS process will

be performed in accordance with

Federal Transit Laws and FTA’s

regulations and guidelines for preparing

an Environmental Impact Statement.

The impacts of the project will be

assessed, and, if necessary, the scope of

the project will be revised or refined to

minimize and mitigate any adverse

impacts. After its publication, the draft

EIS will be available for public review

and comment. At least one public

hearing will be held. On the basis of the

draft EIS and comments received, the

project will be revised or further refined

as necessary and the final EIS prepared.

Date Issued: May 15, 2000.

Leslie Rogers,

Regional Administrator.

[FR Doc. 00–12639 Filed 5–18–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–57–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration

Environmental Impact Statement on

the Mid-City/Westside Transit Corridor

in Los Angeles, CA

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration,

DOT.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an

Environmental Impact Statement.

SUMMARY: The Federal Transit

Administration (FTA), as the Federal

lead agency, and the Los Angeles

County Metropolitan Transportation

Authority (MTA), as the local lead

agency, are issuing this notice to advise

interested agencies and the public that

a joint Environmental Impact Statement

(EIS)/Environmental Impact Report

(EIR), referred to as an EIS/EIR, is being

prepared for transit improvements in

the Mid-City/Westside Transit Corridor

in Los Angeles, California in accordance

with the National Environmental Policy

Act (NEPA) of 1969 and the California

Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The

EIS/EIR replaces the previous NEPA

reviews by FTA and MTA of transit

improvements in the Mid-City corridor,

the most recent being ‘‘Los Angeles Rail

Rapid Transit Project—Metro Rail Final

Supplemental EIS/EIR for the Mid-City

Segment from Wilshire/Western to Pico/

San Vicente,’’ August, 1992. The MidCity extension of Metro Rail was

suspended by the MTA Board of

Directors in January 1998. The present

EIS/EIR will study alternatives and

extensions to the suspended subway in

the Mid-City corridor and beyond to

Santa Monica. In the course of this

study, FTA expects the MTA and the

Southern California Association of

Governments, which is responsible for

transportation planning in metropolitan

Los Angeles, to establish priorities for

the proposed transit improvements in

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 98 / Friday, May 19, 2000 / Notices 31957

the Mid-City corridor and the myriad of

other competing projects and transit

needs in the region. This prioritization

of proposed projects and other transit

needs will involve, among other

considerations, the development of a

financial plan that identifies for each

capital need the non-Federal funds to be

used along with the proposed Federal

funding.

FTA and MTA seek comments by

interested parties and agencies on the

scope of the Mid-City/Westside EIS/EIR.

The date and location of public scoping

meetings are provided below. The

closing date for receiving comments on

the scope of the EIS/EIR, and the

address to which written comments

should be sent, are also provided herein.

DATES: Comment Due Date: Written

comments on the scope of the study

should be sent, by June 23, 2000, to Mr.

David Mieger of the Los Angeles County

Metropolitan Transportation Authority

at the address given below in

ADDRESSES.

Scoping Meeting Dates: Please refer to

ADDRESSES below for the dates, times,

and locations of the public scoping

meetings.

ADDRESSES: For Written Comments:

Written comments on the scope of the

EIS/EIR should be sent by June 23, 2000,

to Mr. David Mieger, Los Angeles

County Metropolitan Transportation

Authority, One Gateway Plaza, Mail

Stop 99–22–5, Los Angeles, California

90012. Written comments may also be

turned in at the scoping meetings.

For Scoping Meetings: Public scoping

meetings for the EIS/EIR will be held at

the following locations at the dates and

times indicated:

• Tuesday, May 23, 2000, Peterson

Automotive Museum, 6060 Wilshire

Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90036 (5

p.m.–8 p.m.)

• Wednesday, May 31, 2000,

Veteran’s Administration Hospital of

West Los Angeles, 11301 Wilshire

Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90038 (5

p.m.–8 p.m.)

• Tuesday, June 6, 2000, Ken

Edwards Center, 1527 4th Street, Santa

Monica, CA (5 p.m.–8 p.m.)

• Wednesday, June 7, 2000, California

African-American Museum, 600 State

Drive, Exposition Park, Los Angeles, CA

90037 (5 p.m.–8 p.m.)

• Thursday, June 8, 2000, Veteran’s

Memorial Complex, 4117 Overland

Avenue, Culver City, CA 90232 (5 p.m.–

8 p.m.)

The scoping meetings will be held in

an ‘‘open house’’ format with MTA

representatives available to discuss the

project alternatives throughout the time

periods given. Informational displays

and written material will also be

available. Comments may be submitted

in writing at the public scoping

meetings. All locations are accessible to

persons with disabilities. Spanishspeaking MTA staff will be present. If

hearing-impaired services will be

needed, please notify Mr. David Mieger

at the MTA address above, or call TTY

(800) 252–9040. Other questions about

the scoping workshops may be directed

by voice telephone to Mr. Mieger at

(213) 922–3040 or e-mail at

miegerd@mta.net.

For MIS Review: A Major Investment

Study (MIS) of the transportation needs

in the Mid-City/Westside Corridor,

dated February, 2000, and related

environmental studies are available for

review at the MTA Library at One

Gateway Plaza, 15th Floor; Los Angeles,

CA 90012 during normal business

hours.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ervin Poka or Ray Tellis, Federal Transit

Administration/Federal Highway

Administration Los Angeles

Metropolitan Office. Phone: (213) 202–

3950.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EIS/

EIR will present a comparative analysis

of the environmental impacts,

transportation benefits, and costs of

reasonable transit alternatives in the

Mid-City/Westside Corridor and will

determine the appropriate mitigation

measures for adverse impacts.

Scoping: The initial set of alternatives

for the Mid-City/Westside Corridor were

defined through a Major Investment

Study (MIS) completed in February

2000 by the MTA, in accordance with

USDOT regulations. Additional

alternatives that may emerge from the

scoping process will be considered.

FTA and MTA invite interested

individuals, organizations, and public

agencies to attend the scoping meetings

and participate in identifying the scope

and content of the EIS/EIR, including

any significant environmental, social, or

economic issues associated with the

alternatives. The public is invited to

comment specifically on the alternatives

to be addressed, the transit modes and

technologies to be evaluated, the

alignments and termination points to be

considered, the environmental, social,

and economic impacts to be analyzed,

and the evaluation approach to be used

to select a preferred alternative. During

scoping, comments should focus on

identifying specific social, economic, or

environmental impacts to be evaluated

and suggesting alternatives that are less

costly or less environmentally

damaging, while meeting the identified

transportation and other needs in the

Mid-City/Westside Corridor. Scoping is

not the appropriate time to indicate a

preference for a particular alternative.

Comments on preferences should be

communicated after the Draft EIS/EIR

has been issued for public review.

An information packet describing the

purpose of the project, the location, the

proposed alternatives, and the impact

areas to be evaluated is being mailed to

affected Federal, State, and local

agencies. Others may request these

scoping materials by contacting Mr.

David Mieger at (213) 922–3040 or by

writing to him at his address above. If

you wish to be placed on the project

mailing list, please call the Project

Hotline at 310–366–6443.

Description of Study Area and Project

Need: The Mid-City/Westside Corridor

is approximately bounded on the north

by Sunset Boulevard, on the east by Hill

Street, on the south by Manchester

Boulevard, and on the west by the

Pacific Ocean. The projected tripmaking increase and resulting

congestion would occur because of

expected population growth, from 1.5

million persons in 1994 to 1.9 million

in 2020, and of expected employment

growth, from one million jobs in 1994

to 1.2 million jobs in 2020. The

purposes of the project are to improve

east-west travel options in the Mid-City/

Westside areas of Los Angeles and to

provide a connection to the previously

completed Metro Rail Red Line and

other portions of the regional rail and

bus network.

Alternatives: In order to address

current and long-range traffic congestion

in the Mid-City and Westside areas of

the Los Angeles Basin, the MTA has

examined a wide range of east-west

transit alternatives, including Bus Rapid

Transit, Light Rail Transit such as the

Blue Line to Long Beach, and Heavy

Rail Transit such as the Red Line to

Hollywood. In accordance with the

intent of the MIS process, the MIS, in

conjunction with the guidance provided

by the MTA Board of Directors, resulted

in a set of refined alternatives to be

evaluated in detail in the EIS/EIR. These

alternatives are: (1) No Build; (2)

Transportation System Management; (3)

Wilshire Bus Rapid Transit (BRT); (4)

Exposition BRT; (5) Exposition Light

Rail Transit (LRT); (6) Phased length

combinations of Wilshire BRT and

Exposition BRT or LRT; (7) Any

additional alternatives that may result

from the scoping process. Alignments

for BRT extend from the Metro Red Line

in downtown Los Angeles to downtown

Santa Monica and include Wilshire

Boulevard and the former Exposition

railroad right-of-way. An alignment for

LRT extends from downtown Los

31958 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 98 / Friday, May 19, 2000 / Notices

1EARY represents that it has operated the rail

line, as the assignee of a lease with option to

purchase, since 1992 following its acquisition of the

Natchez Trace Railroad’s properties. See Eastern

Alabama Railway, Inc.—Acquisition and Operation

Exemption—Natchez Trace Railroad, Finance

Docket No. 32044 (ICC served Apr. 16, 1992).

Angeles to downtown Santa Monica

along the Exposition railroad right-ofway. The TSM Alternative is not

specific to an alignment but would

rather improve service levels of existing

bus service in the general Westside

Corridor. Additionally, a No Build

Alternative will evaluate the impacts of

doing nothing to improve transit service

during the twenty year planning

timeframe of the project, beyond those

improvements already scheduled and

funded.

Probable Effects: The FTA and MTA

will evaluate all significant

environmental, social and economic

impacts of the alternatives in the Draft

EIS/EIR. Potential impact categories

which will be evaluated include: Land

Use and Development; Economic

Impacts; Displacement and Relocation;

Traffic Circulation and Parking;

Community and Neighborhood Impacts;

Environmental Justice; Visual and

Aesthetic Impacts; Air Quality; Noise

and Vibration; Geotechnical

Considerations; Water Resources;

Natural Resources; Energy; Safety and

Security; Cultural Resources;

Community Facilities and Parklands;

and Construction Impacts. The impacts

will be evaluated both for the

construction period and the long-term

period of operation. Measures to

mitigate adverse impacts will also be

addressed.

FTA Procedures: After the scope of

the EIS/EIR evaluation has been

determined, FTA and MTA will conduct

the analyses and interagency

coordination necessary to prepare a

Draft EIS/EIR. The Draft EIS/EIR will be

made available for public and agency

review and comment, and a public

hearing will be held. On the basis of the

Draft EIS/EIR and comments received,

MTA will select a Locally Preferred

Alternative. If FTA approves of

advancing the Locally Preferred

Alternative into Preliminary

Engineering (PE), the Final EIS/EIR

responding to comments received and

incorporating the results of PE, would

then be prepared and released.

Issued on: May 15, 2000.

Leslie T. Rogers,

Regional Administrator.

[FR Doc. 00–12638 Filed 5–18–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–57–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

[STB Finance Docket No. 33870]

Eastern Alabama Railroad, Inc.—

Acquisition Exemption—CSX

Transportation, Inc.

Eastern Alabama Railroad, Inc.

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

a verified notice of exemption under 49

CFR 1150.41 to acquire and operate a

rail line owned by CSX Transportation,

Inc.1 The rail line extends from milepost

LAM 453.58, at Gannt’s Junction, to

milepost LAM 479.94, at Talladega, a

distance of 26.36 miles in Talladega

County, AL.

The transaction is expected to be

consummated on or after May 17, 2000.

If the 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 does not

automatically stay the transaction.

An original and 10 copies of all

pleadings, referring to STB Finance

Docket No. 33870, must be filed with

the Surface Transportation Board, Office

of the Secretary, Case Control Unit, 1925

K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20423–

0001. In addition, a copy of each

pleading must be served on Fritz R.

Kahn, Esq., 1920 N Street, NW, Eighth

Floor, Washington, DC 20036–1601.

Board decisions and notices are

available on our website at

‘‘WWW.STB.DOT.GOV.’’

Decided: May 12, 2000.

By the Board, David M. Konschnik,

Director, Office of Proceedings.

Vernon A. Williams,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 00–12566 Filed 5–18–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4915–00–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

Submission for OMB Review;

Comment Request

May 8, 2000.

The Department of Treasury has

submitted the following public

information collection requirement(s) to

OMB for review and clearance under the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,

Public Law 104–13. Copies of the

submission(s) may be obtained by

calling the Treasury Bureau Clearance

Officer listed. Comments regarding this

information collection should be

addressed to the OMB reviewer listed

and to the Treasury Department

Clearance Officer, Department of the

Treasury, Room 2110, 1425 New York

Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20220.

DATES: Written comments should be

received on or before June 19, 2000 to

be assured of consideration.

Internal Revenue Service (IRS)

OMB Number: 1545–1251.

Regulation Project Number: PS–5–91

Final.

Type of Review: Extension.

Title: Limitations on Percentage

Depletion in the Case of Oil and Gas

Wells.

Description: Section 1.613A–3(e)(6)(I)

of the regulations requires each partner

to separately keep records of the

partner’s share of the adjusted basis of

partnership oil and gas property.

Respondents: Business or other forprofit.

Estimated Number of Recordkeepers:

1,500,000.

Estimated Burden Hours Per

Recordkeeper: 2 minutes.

Estimated Total Recordkeeping

Burden: 49,950 hours.

OMB Number: 1545–1545.

Regulation Project Number: REG–

107644–97 Final.

Type of Review: Extension.

Title: Permitted Elimination of

Preretirement Optional Forms of

Benefits.

Description: The regulation permits

an amendment to a qualified plan that

eliminates certain Preretirement

optional forms of benefit.

Respondents: Business or other forprofit.

Estimated Number of Recordkeepers:

135,000.

Estimated Burden Hours Per

Recordkeeper: 22 minutes.

Estimated Total Recordkeeping

Burden: 48,800 hours.

OMB Number: 1545–1685.

Regulation Project Number: REG–

103735–00 NPRM and Temporary.

Type of Review: Extension.

Title: Tax Shelter Disclosure

Statements.

Description: The regulations provide

guidance on the filing requirement

under section 6011 for certain corporate

taxpayers engaged in transactions

producing tax savings in excess of

certain dollar thresholds.

Respondents: Business or other forprofit.

Estimated Number of Respondents/

Recordkeepers: 50.