52598 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 178 / Friday, September 14, 2007 / Notices 

appear to present any barrier to wetland 

establishment. 

Much of the Bear Creek Reservoir 

shoreline has eroded since the reservoir 

was filled in 1969, and rock outcrops 

and bluffs are common along the 

shoreline. No critically eroding 

shoreline has been identified. At the 

576-foot elevation, shoreline vegetation 

present prior to the 2005 emergency 

drawdown has not decreased. Refilling 

the reservoir under Alternatives 1 and 2 

is not expected to cause additional 

erosion. Thus, establishment of 

shoreline buffers to prevent erosion is 

neither feasible nor necessary. 

Returning the reservoir to its original 

full summer pool is expected to result 

in water quality conditions virtually 

identical to the pre-2005 conditions. 

Most of the shoreline surrounding Bear 

Creek Reservoir is undeveloped and 

forested. Runoff from upland areas 

enters the reservoir primarily via 

tributary streams. The degree of upland 

runoff filtered by wetlands is dependent 

on those wetlands present in coves and 

associated with streams. These areas 

have not been affected dramatically by 

changes in reservoir levels. Historically, 

low levels of dissolved oxygen have 

occurred in the deeper portions of the 

reservoir. Currently there are no plans to 

improve dissolved oxygen. However, 

TVA will continue to monitor water 

quality on Bear Creek Reservoir and 

would take remedial measures as 

necessary. 

Decision 

TVA has decided to implement 

Alternative 2, Modify Dam and 

Maintain Summer Pool Level of 576 

Feet. Under this alternative, the original 

project objectives of flood control, 

recreation, economic development, and 

water supply would be met. The new 

seasonal minimum flows would 

improve conditions for endangered 

species downstream of the dam, and the 

one-foot increase in the winter pool 

level would improve operating 

conditions for the public water supply 

intake and treatment plant on the 

reservoir. 

Three alternative methods of repairing 

the dam are identified in the EIS. TVA 

has selected Alternative 2a, the 

construction of a roller-compacted 

concrete structure at the downstream 

edge of the existing dam. 

Environmentally Preferred Alternative 

Alternative 2—Modify Dam and 

Maintain Summer Pool Level of 576 

Feet is the environmentally preferred 

alternative. Implementation of this 

alternative would afford a stable water 

supply source for the Franklin County 

Water Service Authority and would 

restore water-based recreational 

opportunities on Bear Creek Reservoir. 

Repair of the dam under this alternative 

would provide increased flood 

protection to downstream areas 

compared to the other alternatives. 

Operation of the dam under Alternative 

2 to provide target minimum flows 

would provide improved water quality 

for three federally listed mussel species 

known to occur downstream of Bear 

Creek Dam. 

The potential environmental 

consequences of implementing any of 

the three Alternative 2 repair methods 

are similar. However, Alternative 2a—

Roller-Compacted Concrete Structure is 

preferable to the other two methods in 

that it would most likely provide the 

best long-term solution to the leakage 

problems. It would provide protection 

against the probable maximum flood. 

The need for future construction 

disturbance would be reduced under 

Alternative 2a. 

Mitigation 

Standard construction best 

management practices would be 

followed in all aspects of the proposed 

repairs and construction to avoid or 

minimize adverse environmental 

impacts. TVA would ensure that all 

necessary permits are obtained from the 

appropriate regulatory agencies and that 

permit requirements are met. TVA 

would ensure that all site operations 

adhere to the requirements in each 

permit and would employ all necessary 

actions to minimize environmental 

impacts. The following non-routine 

measures would be implemented to 

reduce the potential for adverse 

environmental effects: 

• Construction buffers would be 

delineated around any caves within 

one-fourth mile of a construction area. 

The buffer for caves would be 200 feet. 

Within this buffer, vegetation would not 

be cleared, and vehicles or equipment 

would be restricted to existing roads. 

• TVA would increase patrols and 

monitoring of cultural resources within 

the reservoir drawdown area until 

conditions are stabilized or protected. 

• Archaeological surveys as required 

by the Memorandum of Agreement 

between TVA and the Alabama State 

Historic Preservation Officer will be 

conducted, and mitigation will be 

performed on any sites or resources 

determined to be eligible for inclusion 

on the National Register of Historic 

Places in accordance with the terms of 

the Memorandum of Agreement. 

Dated: September 10, 2007. 

Janet C. Herrin, 

Senior Vice President, River Operations. 

[FR Doc. E7–18146 Filed 9–13–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 8120–08–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Corridors of the Future Program 

AGENCY: Department of Transportation 

(DOT). 

ACTION: Notice; announcement of the 

Corridors of the Future under the 

Corridors of the Future Program. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of 

Transportation (DOT) announces the 

selection of the Corridors of the Future 

(CFP) Phase 2 applications to be 

designated as the Corridors of the 

Future. The DOT has identified 

nationally significant corridors and the 

corresponding CFP applications that 

have the potential to alleviate 

congestion and provide national and 

regional long-term transportation 

benefits that will increase freight 

reliability and enhance the quality of 

life for U.S. citizens within the corridors 

and across the Nation. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. 

Alla C. Shaw, Attorney-Advisor, (202) 

366–1042 (alla.shaw@dot.gov), Federal 

Highway Administration, Office of the 

Chief Counsel, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue, E84–463, Washington, DC 

20590. Office hours are from 7:45 a.m. 

to 4:15 p.m., e.t., Monday through 

Friday, except Federal holidays. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Electronic Access: An electronic copy 

of this document may also be 

downloaded from the Office of the 

Federal Register’s home page at: http:// 

www.archives.gov and the Government 

Printing Office’s Web page at: http:// 

www.access.gpo.gov/nara. 

Background: On September 5, 2006, 

the DOT published a notice in the 

Federal Register seeking applications 

from States, or private sector entities, 

interested in working together to build 

and manage corridors in a way that 

alleviates congestion on our highways, 

rail, or waterways (71 FR 52364). The 

notice outlined a two-phase submission 

and selection process and explained 

that the DOT would select up to 5 

corridors in need of investment. 

However, the compelling nature of the 

Phase 2 applications justified DOT’s 

selection of the 6 corridors outlined 

below. For Phase 1, interested parties 

were asked to submit proposals 

containing general information about 

the proposed corridor projects. The DOT 


rmajette on PROD1PC64 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 178 / Friday, September 14, 2007 / Notices 52599 

received 38 Phase 1 proposals. The DOT 

established a team comprised of 

representatives from DOT’s surface 

transportation administrations with 

expertise in the areas of finance, 

environment and planning, 

infrastructure, and operations to review 

the proposals (CFP Team). The 

proposals were evaluated based on each 

applicant’s responsiveness to the 

information requested for Phase 1. In a 

Federal Register Notice published on 

February 7, the DOT invited 14 Phase 1 

applicants, with proposals for projects 

located on 8 major transportation 

corridors, to participate in Phase 2. (72 

FR 5787) 

At the end of Phase 2, the DOT 

received 11 applications for projects 

located on the 8 corridors identified 

during Phase 1. The CFP Team 

evaluated the applications based on 

each applicant’s responsiveness to the 

information requested for Phase 2 in the 

September 5, 2006 Federal Register 

notice. For Phase 2, applicants were 

asked to submit detailed information 

about the proposed corridor including 

how the proposed corridor would 

reduce current national and regional 

areas of congestion or address future 

congestion, increase mobility of people 

and freight, support national and 

international commerce by reducing 

congestion and providing reliable travel 

times, and information about innovative 

project delivery and financing features 

proposed for the project. Based on the 

recommendations of the CFP Team, the 

DOT identified the following corridors 

and corresponding Phase 2 applications, 

to designate as the Corridors of the 

Future. 

1. Interstate 95 

A. Interstate 95 (I–95)—Florida to the 

District of Columbia—Submitted by the 

North Carolina DOT in partnership with 

the Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, 

and Virginia DOTs. 

B. I–95—Florida to the Canadian 

Border—Submitted by the I–95 Corridor 

Coalition. 

2. Interstate 70 Dedicated Truck 

Lanes—Submitted by the Indiana DOT 

in partnership with the Illinois, 

Missouri, and Ohio DOTs. 

3. Interstate 15—A Corridor without 

Borders—Submitted by the Nevada DOT 

on behalf of the Western States 

Coalition (Arizona, California, Nevada, 

and Utah DOTs). 

4. Interstate 5—A Roadmap for 

Mobility—Submitted by the Washington 

DOT in partnership with the California 

and Oregon DOTs. 

5. Interstate 10—Submitted by the I–

10 National Freight Corridor Coalition. 

6. Interstate 69 Corridor—Submitted 

by Arkansas State Highway and 

Transportation Department on behalf of 

the I–69 Steering Committee. 

The DOT encourages State 

departments of transportation and other 

project sponsors to continue to advance 

those ideas contained in the 

applications that were not selected. 

Authority: 49 U.S.C. 101. 

Issued on: September 5, 2007. 

Thomas J. Barrett, 

Deputy Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 07–4550 Filed 9–11–07; 11:07 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Railroad Administration 

Petition for Waiver of Compliance 

In accordance with part 211 of title 49 

Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), 

notice is hereby given that the Federal 

Railroad Administration (FRA) received 

a request for a waiver of compliance 

from certain requirements of its safety 

standards. The individual petition is 

described below, including the party 

seeking relief, the regulatory provisions 

involved, the nature of the relief being 

requested, and the petitioner’s 

arguments in favor of relief. 

CSX Transportation 

[Docket Number FRA–2007–28612] 

CSX Transportation (CSX) seeks a 

permanent waiver of compliance from 

certain provisions of the Locomotive 

Safety Standards, 49 CFR 229.129(c), as 

it pertains to railroad locomotive horn 

testing. CSX seeks to utilize an 

automated sound measurement system 

(ASMS) to test locomotive horns as 

required in Sections 229.129(a) and (b). 

The ASMS utilizes a Class 1 sound-level 

measuring instrument that is 

permanently mounted in a fixed test site 

and uses the same technology that is 

used to measure noise at airports 

nationwide. 

CSX requests to extend the 

requirement for acoustic calibration (49 

CFR 229.129(c)(2) and (9)) from 

immediately before and after each 

session of compliance tests to a period 

of not more than every 6 months. The 

6-month period is to be extended to 1 

year if the system demonstrates a 

history of stability that indicates the 6- 

month testing is unnecessary. CSX 

states in their petition that the ASMS is 

equipped with an electrostatic test 

device that monitors acoustic 

calibration, and that they would review 

these tests daily and perform calibration 

as needed. 

In addition, CSX requests a waiver to 

reduce the requirement from a 

locomotive needing a 200-foot clearance 

(49 CFR 229.129(c)(5)) to the front and 

sides from large reflective surfaces to 

150 feet at the side clearance. CSX states 

in their request that they performed 

horn testing at 150 feet and again at the 

required 200 feet with no measurable 

difference in meter readings. A 

reduction in the side clearance would 

assist the railroad in finding suitable 

test sites closer to their maintenance 

facilities. 

Finally, CSX requests a waiver from 

the requirement of testing cab- and lowmounted horns (49 CFR 229.129(c)(7)) at 

a 4-foot level in order to allow all 

locomotive horns to be tested at the 15- 

foot level. CSX feels that testing all 

horns at the 15-foot level would provide 

more consistent and meaningful 

measurements for both types of horn 

mountings. CSX testing shows that caband low-mounted horns showed 

reduced sound measurement at the 4- 

foot level compared to the 15-foot level, 

due to the effect of the acoustic shadow 

created by the locomotive. 

Interested parties are invited to 

participate in these proceedings by 

submitting written views, data, or 

comments. FRA does not anticipate 

scheduling a public hearing in 

connection with these proceedings since 

the facts do not appear to warrant a 

hearing. If any interested party desires 

an opportunity for oral comment, they 

should notify FRA in writing before the 

end of the comment period and specify 

the basis for their request. 

All communications concerning these 

proceedings should identify the 

appropriate docket number (e.g., Waiver 

Petition Docket Number FRA–2007–

28612) and must be submitted in 

triplicate to the Docket Clerk, DOT 

Central Docket Management Facility, 

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Room 

W12–140, Washington, DC 20590–0001. 

Communications received within 45 

days of the date of this notice will be 

considered by FRA before final action is 

taken. Comments received after that 

date will be considered as far as 

practicable. All written communications 

concerning these proceedings are 

available for examination during regular 

business hours (9 a.m.–5 p.m.) at DOT 

Central Docket Management Facility, 

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., West 

Building Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 

Washington, DC 20590. All documents 

in the public docket are also available 

for inspection and copying on the 

Internet at the docket facility’s Web site 

at http://dms.dot.gov. 

Anyone is able to search the 

electronic form of all comments 


rmajette on PROD1PC64 with NOTICES