Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 123 / Monday, June 26, 2000 / Notices 39467

Following the public scoping process,

public outreach activities will include

meetings with communities and

organizations; public meetings on

alternatives; public hearing(s) on the

Draft EIS; distribution of project fact

sheets and newsletters; and use of other

outreach methods.

II. Description of Study Area and

Transportation Needs

The study area of the proposed Dulles

Corridor Rapid Transit Project is

centered on the alignment of the Dulles

Airport Access Road and the Dulles Toll

Road within Fairfax County, and the

Dulles Greenway—the private extension

of the Toll Road—in Loudoun County.

The length of the Corridor is more than

24 miles, extending from the Metrorail

Orange Line, at a point between the

West Falls Church Station and East Falls

Church in Fairfax County, through the

Washington Dulles International Airport

and onto Route 772 in Loudoun County.

The study area encompasses Tysons

Corner, through which alignment

alternatives traverse. The study area also

includes the vicinity of stations and

ancillary facilities such as parking, bus

maintenance depot, and rail yard. This

study area is generalized and considered

flexible, subject both to the outcome of

the scoping process and the locations of

the alternatives studied in detail.

The Metropolitan Washington

Council of Governments expects the

population and employment in the

Dulles Corridor over the next twenty

years to increase more rapidly than the

metropolitan regional averages. The

increases in households and jobs in the

Corridor are significantly large in both

relative and absolute numbers. MWAA

projects that the Washington Dulles

International Airport will also have

significant increases in air travel

patronage, air cargo operations, and

employees; therefore, ground-side

access volumes at the Airport will be

growing substantially. The projected

consequence of this rapid growth in

travel is markedly higher traffic volumes

on highways and streets throughout the

region and in the Dulles Corridor.

Traffic congestion on the Toll Road will

increase in both severity and duration as

the peak period ‘‘spreads’’ to encompass

earlier and later hours. VDOT projects

travel on parallel arterials to increase

proportionately as increasing congestion

on the Toll Road will cause a higher

fraction of travel in the Corridor to use

alternative routes.

In response to the above

transportation conditions, DRPT

conducted a Major Investment Study

(MIS), with a supplement, for the Dulles

Corridor. The results of the 1997 MIS

study and its 1999 supplement resulted

in a four-phase implementation program

of express bus service in two phases,

then Bus Rapid Transit as an interim

transit service to rail, and then

Metrorail. These documents are

available for inspection by contacting

Mr. Alfredson as described in the DATES

section above or by visiting the DRPT

web site, http://www.drpt.state.va.us/

library.htm.

III. Alternatives

The alternatives proposed for

evaluation include: (1) The No-Build

Alternative, which involves the current

infrastructure of highways and bus

service, in addition to all ongoing and

upcoming roadway and transit projects

outlined in the regional Transportation

Improvement Program (TIP); (2) the

Transportation Systems Management

(TSM) Alternative, which includes all

elements of the No-Build alternative in

addition to enhanced express bus

service in the two counties. The TSM

Alternative is a low cost alternative that

uses existing facilities to the greatest

extent possible to meet the identified

transportation needs in the study area.

The TSM Alternative also provides the

baseline against which the costeffectiveness of capital investments in

other alternatives can be evaluated; and

(3) the Build Alternatives of Bus Rapid

Transit and Metrorail. There are three

Build Alternatives:

(a) Bus Rapid Transit for the full

length of the Dulles Corridor, between

the West Falls Church Station of the

Orange Line and Route 772. This

alternative will be developed to permit

the phased conversion of Bus Rapid

Transit to Metrorail, as proposed in the

1999 Supplement to the MIS.

(b) Metrorail between the Orange Line

and Tysons Corner, plus Bus Rapid

Transit for the remainder of the

Corridor, between Tysons Corner and

Route 772. This alternative will also be

developed to permit the phased

conversion of Bus Rapid Transit to

Metrorail, as proposed in the 1999

Supplement to the MIS.

(c) Metrorail for the full length of the

Dulles Corridor, between the Orange

Line and Route 772.

The Build Alternatives include

alignments in the medians of the Dulles

Airport Access Road and Dulles

Greenway toll road, and through Tysons

Corner and Washington Dulles

International Airport; new stations

along the alignments; and ancillary

facilities of parking, bus maintenance

depot, rail yard, traction power

substations, and tiebreaker stations.

Additional reasonable Build

Alternatives suggested during the

scoping process, including those

involving other modes, may be

considered.

IV. Potential Impacts for Analysis

The FTA, DRPT, and WMATA will

evaluate all environmental, social, and

economic impacts of the alternatives

analyzed in the EIS. Impacts include

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

recreation 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 mitigate

adverse impacts will be identified.

V. FTA Procedures

A Draft EIS will be prepared to

document the evaluation of the

environmental, social, and economic

impacts of the alternatives. Upon

completion, the Draft EIS will be

available for public and agency review

and comment. Public hearing(s) on the

Draft EIS will be held within the study

area. On the basis of the Draft EIS and

the public and agency comments

received, a locally preferred alternative

will be selected and described in full

detail in the Final EIS.

Dated: June 20, 2000.

Hiram J. Walker,

Associate Administrator for Program

Management.

[FR Doc. 00–16036 Filed 6–23–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–62–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Maritime Administration

[Docket Number: MARAD–2000–7550]

Requested Administrative Waiver of

the Coastwise Trade Laws

AGENCY: Maritime Administration,

Department of Transportation.

ACTION: Invitation for public comments

on a requested administrative waiver of

the Coastwise Trade Laws for the vessel

REEF DIVER.

SUMMARY: As authorized by Public Law

105–383, the Secretary of

Transportation, as represented by the

Maritime Administration (MARAD), is

39468 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 123 / Monday, June 26, 2000 / Notices

1 In issuing this notice, the Board is making no

ruling on the property or contractual rights of the

parties. Therefore, by invoking the class exemption,

CCPA has Board permission to acquire these assets

to the extent that it has been able, or will be able,

legally to obtain the property rights. See Central

Columbiana & Pennsylvania Railway, Inc.—Lease

and Operation Exemption—Columbiana County

Port Authority, STB Finance Docket No. 33818 (STB

served Dec. 23, 1999) in which Central Columbiana

& Pennsylvania Railway, Inc. (CCPR), was

authorized to operate over this 3-mile segment and

over a 35.7-mile line segment between Darlington,

PA, and Youngstown, OH, to be purchased by

CCPA.

authorized to grant waivers of the U.S.-

build requirement of the coastwise laws

under certain circumstances. A request

for such a waiver has been received by

MARAD. The vessel, and a description

of the proposed service, is listed below.

Interested parties may comment on the

effect this action may have on U.S.

vessel builders or businesses in the U.S.

that use U.S.-flag vessels. If MARAD

determines that in accordance with Pub.

L. 105–383 and MARAD’s regulations at

46 CFR Part 388 (65 FR 6905; February

11, 2000) that the issuance of the waiver

will have an unduly adverse effect on a

U.S.-vessel builder or a business that

uses U.S.-flag vessels, a waiver will not

be granted.

DATES: Submit comments on or before

July 26, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Comments should refer to

docket number MARAD–2000–7550.

Written comments may be submitted by

hand or by mail to the Docket Clerk,

U.S. DOT Dockets, Room PL–401,

Department of Transportation, 400 7th

St., S.W., Washington, D.C. 20590–0001.

You may also send comments

electronically via the Internet at http://

dmses.dot.gov/submit/. All comments

will become part of this docket and will

be available for inspection and copying

at the above address between 10 a.m.

and 5 p.m., E.T., Monday through

Friday, except federal holidays. An

electronic version of this document and

all documents entered into this docket

is available on the World Wide Web at

http://dms.dot.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Michael Hokana, U.S. Department of

Transportation, Maritime

Administration, MAR–832 Room 7201,

400 Seventh Street, S.W., Washington,

DC 20590. Telephone 202–366–0760.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title V of

P.L. 105–383 provides authority to the

Secretary of Transportation to

administratively waive the U.S.-build

requirements of the Jones Act, and other

statutes, for small commercial passenger

vessels (less than 12 passengers). This

authority has been delegated to the

Maritime Administration per 49 CFR

1.66, Delegations to the Maritime

Administrator, as amended. By this

notice, MARAD is publishing

information on a vessel for which a

request for a U.S.-build waiver has been

received, and for which MARAD

requests comments from interested

parties. Comments should refer to the

docket number of this notice and the

vessel name in order for MARAD to

properly consider the comments.

Comments should also state the

commenter’s interest in the waiver

application, and address the waiver

criteria given in § 388.4 of MARAD’S

regulations at 46 CFR Part 388.

Vessel Proposed for Waiver of the U.S.-

build Requirement

(1) Name of vessel and owner for

which waiver is requested: Name of

vessel: REEF DIVER. Owner: Richard R.

Reth.

(2) Size, capacity and tonnage of

vessel: According to the Applicant: The

vessel is 38 feet long, 12 feet wide and

depth of 5 feet. The gross tonnage is

21.9 tons or 17.5 net tons.

(3) Intended use for vessel, including

geographic region of intended operation

and trade: According to the applicant:

The use of the vessel is for 6 passenger

recreational dive chartering on the

Western shore of Lake Michigan. The

intended region of operation is from

Port Washington, WI, North to Kenosha,

WI, South.

(4) Date and place of construction and

(if applicable) rebuilding: Date of

construction: unknown. Place of

original construction: construction was

believed to have taken place in Winona,

MN, USA. However, due to the absence

of sufficient builder certification

necessary to meet U.S. documentation

standards to qualify for a coastwise

endorsement, for the purposes of

waivers permitted under Pub. L. 105–

383 the vessel is considered to not have

been built in the United States.

(5) A statement on the impact this

waiver will have on other commercial

passenger vessel operators. According to

the applicant: The impact of this waiver

on the commercial vessel operators is

probably of no significance. The vessel

is the only dive charter between

Milwaukee, WI and Kenosha, WI.

Further, according to the applicant, the

three major and oldest dive charter

operators out of the Milwaukee area

encourage this new venture and have

said the more the better. The applicant

also claims a beneficial working

relationship with other existing

operators. For example, the owner

claims operators exchange passengers

when needed and help each other to

find wrecks. Lastly the applicant states

that the operation of all dive charters in

the area is to: charter passengers out to

dive sites, and provide a safe and

enjoyable means to see the historic

ships of the past, that had the

unexpected fate of sinking, mostly due

to weather.

(6) A statement on the impact this

waiver will have on U.S. shipyards.

According to the applicant: The release

of the U.S. build requirements should

have no adverse effect on the U.S.

shipyards, because as of this letter, all

vessels being used today in this area are

refitted existing vessels for this activity.

Therefore the shipbuilders should not

be effected.

Dated: June 20, 2000.

By Order of the Maritime Administrator.

Joel C. Richard,

Secretary, Maritime Administration.

[FR Doc. 00–16021 Filed 6–23–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–81–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

[STB Finance Docket No. 33880]

Columbiana County Port Authority—

Acquisition Exemption—Certain Rail

Assets of Pittsburgh & Lake Erie

Properties, Inc., in Mahoning County,

OH

Columbiana County Port Authority

(CCPA) has filed a verified notice of

exemption under 49 CFR 1150.31 to

acquire certain rail assets from the

bankruptcy estate of Pittsburgh & Lake

Erie Properties, Inc. (P&LEP), including

certain easement rights between survey

stations 46+00 and 146+00 between

Struthers and Youngstown, OH.

This line of railroad was previously

owned by predecessors-in-interest of

P&LEP and were sold to various entities,

subject to easements, which, according

to CCPA, allowed P&LEP to assign the

operation of the line to other parties,

subject to regulatory approval.1 This

transaction is related to STB Docket No.

AB–556 (Sub-No. 2X), Railroad

Ventures, Inc.—Abandonment

Exemption—Between Youngstown, OH,

and Darlington, PA, in Mahoning and

Columbiana Counties, OH, and Beaver

County, PA, in which CCPA has made

an offer of financial assistance to

purchase the 35.7-mile line of railroad

owned by Railroad Ventures, Inc.,

between Darlington and Youngstown.

By entering into an interchange

agreement with The Ohio &

Pennsylvania Railroad Company, CCPR

will be able to operate from Darlington

to the point of interchange with CSX

Transportation, Inc., at milepost ¥3.0 at