38624 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 120 / Wednesday, June 21, 2000 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Office of the Secretary

[Docket No. OST 98–3304]

Requirement That Foreign Air Carriers

Amend Plans To Address the Needs of

Families of Passengers Involved in

Aircraft Accidents

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, DOT.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: This is to advise foreign air

carriers that the Wendell H. Ford

Aviation Investment and Reform Act for

the 21st Century (AIR–21) (Pub. L. 106–

181; 114 Stat. 61; April 5, 2000) amends

49 U.S.C. 41313(c) to require, among

other things, that foreign air carriers

submit to the Department and the

National Transportation Safety Board

additional assurances for their

respective plans to address the needs of

families of passengers involved in

aircraft accidents. The content and filing

requirements for the update to the plans

applicable to foreign air carriers are set

forth in Title IV, section 403, of AIR–21.

The additional assurances required to

be submitted are described in section

403(a)(1) of AIR–21. Under the section,

foreign air carriers must submit their

updated plans to the Department and

the NTSB within 180 days of the

statute’s enactment. Since AIR–21 was

signed into law on April 5, 2000,

updated plans are due to be filed not

later than Monday, October 2, 2000.

We note that the Department has

exempted from the requirements of

section 41313 those foreign carriers that

currently hold, or may subsequently

receive, Department authority to

conduct operations in foreign air

transportation using only small aircraft.

(Order 98–1–31, issued February 3,

1998.) For purposes of the exemption,

small aircraft are those designed to have

a maximum passenger capacity of not

more than 60 seats or a maximum

payload capacity of not more than

18,000 pounds. Unless a foreign carrier

falls within the above exemption, the

requirements of section 41313 apply to

all foreign carriers, including those

holding only all-cargo authority.

Each foreign carrier, except those

exempted, should submit its plan in its

entirety, that is, the plan as it exists with

the new assurances as set forth in AIR–

21. We expect each affected foreign

carrier to give a high priority to the

timely preparation and submission of its

updated plan and meet the 180-day

deadline for submission of the plan

required by AIR–21. We remind each

foreign carrier that while it may, if it

chooses, contract with an outside source

to act as a point of contact and provide

services covered in the submitted plan

in the event of an accident, in such a

situation full responsibility for

complying with the provisions of the

law remains with the foreign carrier. We

would also like to take this opportunity

to request, on behalf of the NTSB, that

each foreign carrier provide the NTSB

an updated 24-hour telephone number

for its operations center for use in the

event of an emergency, and that the

number be updated with the NTSB in

the future as necessary.

DATES: Updated plans are due to be filed

not later than Monday, October 2, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Plans should be submitted

to the Department and the NTSB at the

following addresses:

Dockets—Docket OST 98–3304, U.S.

Department of Transportation, 400

Seventh Street SW., Room PL 401,

Washington, DC 20590;

Erik Grosof, Office of Family Affairs,

National Transportation Safety Board,

490 L’Enfant Plaza East, SW.,

Washington, DC 20594.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Questions concerning the content of the

plans may be addressed to Erik Grosof,

Office of Family Affairs, NTSB, at (202)

314–6189. Questions concerning the

applicability of the requirements of

section 41313 to a particular foreign air

carrier should be addressed to George

Wellington, Chief, Foreign Air Carrier

Licensing Division, Office of

International Aviation, DOT, at (202)

366–2391.

Thank you for your cooperation on

this important issue.

Issued in Washington, DC, on June 8, 2000.

Samuel Podberesky,

Assistant General Counsel for Aviation

Enforcement and Proceedings.

[FR Doc. 00–15655 Filed 6–20–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–62–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration

Environmental Impact Statement;

Hamilton County; Indiana

AGENCY: Federal High Administration

(FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Notic of Intent.

SUMMARY: The FHWA is issuing this

notice to advise the public that an

environmental impact statement will be

prepred for a proposed highway project

in Hamilton County, Indiana.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.

Robert Dirks, Environmental Specialist,

Federal Highway Adiminstration, Room

254, Federal Office Building, 575 North

Pennsylvania Street, Indianapolis,

Indiana 46204, Telephone (317) 226–

7492; or James E. Juricic, Manager of

Environmental Assessment Section,

Indiana Department of Transportation

(INDOT), Room N848, 100 N. Senate

Avenue, Indianapolis, Indiana 46204,

Telephone (317) 232–5305. Please refer

to Project Designation Number 9905500

in any correspondence.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

FHWA, in cooperation with the INDOT,

will prepare an environmental impact

statement (EIS) for a proposed

improvement project along U.S. Route

31 between Interstate 465 on the south

and State Route 38 on the north, a

distance of approximately 12 miles.

Improvements in the project area are

needed to reduce overall travel time,

reduce traffic congestion and improve

traffic safety. The proposed project is

part of the state’s effort to provide an

improved highway corridor between

Indianapolis and South Bend.

Preparation of the EIS follows the

completion of the U.S. Route 31

Hamilton County Major Investment

Study in March of 1997.

The range of alternatives under

consideration include the do nothing

alternative; alternatives that use other

transportation modes; alternatives that

maximize the efficiency of the present

transportation system; alternatives that

reduce highway capacity needs by

reducing travel demand; and different

build alternatives that will increase the

capacity of the U.S. Route 31, including

upgrading the facility to a limited

access, multilane highway. An

alternatives screening process will be

conducted to evaluate which

alternatives will be carried forward in

the EIS process for detailed analysis.

Different land use scenarios will be

developed for each of the alternatives

carried forward in the EIS process.

The scoping process will include

early coordination with federal, state

and local agencies; the preparation of a

scoping document; and a scoping

meeting. The scoping meeting will be

held after all parties have had an

opportunity to review the scoping

document and proper notice has been

given.

A public involvement program has

been developed and will consist of a

soon to be established project web site

at www.us31indiana.org; distribution of

project newsletters; outreach to county

and local officials and community and

civic groups; two publis meetings prior

to the issuance of the draft EIS; and a

public hearing to solicit public input on

the draft EIS. The first public meeting is

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 120 / Wednesday, June 21, 2000 / Notices 38625

intended to introduce the public to the

project and to answer questions about

the project schedule and process &

scope? The second public meeting is

intended to provide a preview of the

purpose and need statement and the

complete range of alternatives evaluated

as part of the alternatives screening

process. The dates of the public

meetings, the release of the draft EIS,

and the date of the public hearing will

be announced to the public as such

dates are established and will also be

available at the project web site.

To ensure that the full range of issues

related to this proposed action are

addressed and all significant issues

identified, comments and suggestions

are invited from all interested parties.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Program Number 20.205, Highway Planning

and Construction. The regulations

implementing Executive Order 12372

regarding intergovernmental consultation on

federal programs and activities apply to this

program.)

Authority: 23 U.S.C. 315; 49 CFR 1.48.

Issued on: June 1, 2000.

Robert Dirks,

Environmental Specialist, Indianapolis,

Indiana.

[FR Doc. 00–15588 Filed 6–20–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–22–M

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration

Environmental Impact Statement:

Lycoming County, Pennsylvania

AGENCY: Federal Highway

Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of Intent.

SUMMARY: The FHWA is issuing this

notice to advise the public that an

Environmental Impact Statement will be

prepared for a proposed highway project

in Woodward Township and Piatt

Township in Lycoming County,

Pennsylvania.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

David W. Cough, P.E., Director of

Operations, Federal Highway

Administration, 228 Walnut Street,

Room 536, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

17101–1720, Telephone: (717) 221–

3411; —OR— Eric E. High, P.E., Special

Projects Coordinator, Pennsylvania

Department of Transportation, District

3–0, 715 Jordan Avenue, P.O. Box 218,

Montoursville, Pennsylvania 17754–

0218, Telephone: (570) 368–4258.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

FHWA, in cooperation with the

Pennsylvania Department of

Transportation (PennDOT), will prepare

an Environmental Impact Statement

(EIS) to identify and evaluate

alternatives for improvements to the

U.S. Route 220 corridor between

Williamsport and Jersey Shore in

Lycoming County, Pennsylvania. The

proposed action would consist of

improvements to U.S. Route 220

between and including its interchanges

with PA Route 44 (Main Street) in Jersey

Shore and Route 2014 (West Fourth

Street) in Williamsport. The

approximate project length from the

east-west is approximately 13

kilometers (8 miles). Included in the

overall project will be the identification

of a range of alternatives that meet the

identified project needs and supporting

environmental documentation and

alaysis to recommend a selected

alternative for implementation. A

complete public involvement program is

included as part of the project.

Documentation of the need for the

project will be prepared. This process

will identify the need for roadway

improvements through the study area

based on local and regional

transportation demand, system linkage

and continuity, geometry criteria, safety,

and local and regional planning.

Alternatives that will be considered

may include, but will not be limited to:

No Build; transportation system

management (TSM) upgrade of the

existing facility for short-term

improvements; upgrade of existing

roadway network, construction of a new

roadway on a new alignment, or a

mixture of the upgrade and new

alignment alternatives for long-term

improvements. These alternatives will

be the basis for recommendation of

alternatives to be carried forward for

detailed environmental and engineering

studies in the EIS.

Letters describing the proposed action

and soliciting comments will be sent to

appropriate Federal, State, and Local

agencies, and to public/private

organizations and citizens who express

interest in this proposal. Public

meetings will be held in the area

throughout the study process. Public

involvement and agency coordination

will be maintained throughout the

development of the EIS.

To ensure that the full range of issues

related to this proposed action are

addressed and all significant issues

identified, comments and suggestions

are invited from all interested parties.

Comments or questions concerning this

proposed action and the EIS should be

directed to FHWA or PennDOT at the

addresses provided above.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Program Number 20.205, Highway Planning

and Construction. The regulations

implementing Executive Order 12372

regarding intergovernmental consultation on

Federal programs and activities apply to this

program.)

Issued on: June 9, 2000.

James A. Cheatham,

FHWA Division Administrator, Harrisburg,

Pennsylvania.

[FR Doc. 00–15611 Filed 6–20–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–22–M

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Research and Special Programs

Administration

Office of Hazardous Materials Safety;

Notice of Applications for Modification

of Exemption

AGENCY: Research and Special Programs

Administration, DOT.

ACTION: List of applications for

modification of exemptions.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

procedures governing the application

for, and the processing of, exemptions

from the Department of Transportation’s

Hazardous Materials Regulations (49

CFR part 107, subpart B), notice is

hereby given that the Office of

Hazardous Materials Safety has received

the applications described herein. This

notice is abbreviated to expedite

docketing and public notice. Because

the sections affected, modes of

transportation, and the nature of

application have been shown in earlier

Federal Register publications, they are

not repeated here.

Requests for modifications of

exemptions (e.g., to provide for

additional hazardous materials,

packaging design changes, additional

mode of transportation, etc.) are

described in footnotes to the application

number. Application numbers with the

suffix ‘‘M’’ denote a modification

request. These applications have been

separated from the new applications for

exemptions to facilitate processing.

DATES: Comments must be received on

or before July 6, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Address comments to

Records Center, Research and Special

Programs Administration, U.S.

Department of Transportation,

Washington, DC 20590.

Comments should refer to the

application number and be submitted in

triplicate. If confirmation of receipt of

comments is desired, include a selfaddressed stamped postcard showing

the exemption number.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Copies of the applications are available