46548 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 170 / Wednesday, September 3, 1997 / Notices

and local public agencies and

authorities for the construction of transit

facilities and for other transit activities

are Federal actions subject to this NEPA

requirement. A method used by FTA for

the consideration and documentation of

impacts is the Environmental

Assessment. The Environmental

Assessment evaluates alternatives to the

proposed project and describes the

probable adverse effects of the proposed

project and the alternatives considered,

including land use impacts, traffic

impacts, noise, residential and business

displacements, impacts on parks,

wetlands, and historic sites, and other

possible impacts. The Environmental

Assessment is conducted by the grant

applicant, in cooperation with FTA. It

allows FTA and the grant applicant,

prior to a decision to proceed with the

grant, in the case of FTA, or with the

project itself, in the case of the transit

authority seeking FTA grants funds, to

assess the environmental consequences

of proposed transit projects and

alternative, less costly or less harmful

methods for achieving project

objectives. The Environmental

Assessment also provides opportunities

for public involvement and

coordination with other interested

government agencies. When it is

completed, it includes a detailed

description of the project alternative for

which the grant funds will be provided,

a description that includes any

measures that have been incorporated

into the project to reduce environmental

harm and adverse impacts on the

surrounding community.

Respondents: State and local

government agencies and authorities

seeking FTA grants.

Estimated Annual Burden on

Respondents: An average of 120 hours

for each Environmental Assessment.

There are an average of 60 such

assessments per year.

Estimated Total Annual Burden:

7,200 hours.

Frequency: Annual.

Issued: August 28, 1997.

Gordon J. Linton,

Administrator.

[FR Doc. 97–23313 Filed 9–2–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–57–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration

[FTA Docket No. 97–2865]

Notice of Request for the Extension of

Currently Approved Information

Collection

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration,

DOT.

ACTION: Notice of request for comments.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this

notice announces the intention of the

Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to

request the Office of Management and

Budget (OMB) to extend the following

currently approved information

collection: Americans with Disabilities

Act.

DATES: Comments must be submitted

before November 3, 1997.

ADDRESSES: All written comments must

refer to the docket number that appears

at the top of this document and be

submitted to the United States

Department of Transportation, Central

Dockets Office, Pub. L. 401, 400 Seventh

Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20590.

All comments received will be available

for examination at the above address

from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., e.t.,

Monday through Friday, except Federal

holidays. Those desiring notification of

receipt of comments must include a selfaddressed, stamped postcard/envelope.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Americans with Disabilities Act—Mr.

Arthur Andrew Lopez, Director, Office

of Civil Rights, (202) 366–4018.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Interested

parties are invited to send comments

regarding any aspect of this information

collection, including: (1) The necessity

and utility of the information collection

for the proper performance of the

functions of the FTA; (2) the accuracy

of the estimated burden; (3) ways to

enhance the quality, utility, and clarity

of the collected information; and (4)

ways to minimize the collection burden

without reducing the quality of the

collected information. Comments

submitted in response to this notice will

be summarized and/or included in the

request for OMB approval of this

information collection.

Title: Americans with Disabilities Act

(OMB Number: 2132–0555).

Background: On July 26, 1990, the

President signed into law civil rights

legislation entitled, ‘‘The Americans

with Disabilities Act of 1990’’ (ADA)

(Pub. L. 101–336). It contains sweeping

changes for individuals with disabilities

in every major area of American life.

One key area of the legislation addresses

transportation services provided by

public and private entities. Some of the

requirements under the ADA are: (1) No

transportation entity shall discriminate

against an individual with a disability

in connection with the provision of

transportation service; (2) All new

vehicles purchased by public and

private entities after August 25, 1990,

must be readily accessible to and usable

by persons with disabilities, including

individuals who use wheelchairs; (3)

Public entities that provide fixed route

transit must provide complementary

paratransit service for persons with

disabilities, who are unable to use the

fixed route system, that is comparable to

the level of service provided to

individuals without disabilities; and (4)

Transit authorities who are able to

substantiate that compliance with all

service criteria of the paratransit

provisions would cause undue financial

burden, may request a temporary time

extension in implementing ADA

complementary paratransit service.

On September 6, 1991, DOT issued a

final rule implementing the

transportation provisions of ADA (Title

49 CFR Parts 27, 37 and 38), which

includes the requirements for

complementary paratransit service by

public entities operating a fixed route

system and the provision of

nondiscriminatory accessible

transportation service. The regulation

sets forth the changes needed to fulfill

the Congressional mandate to

substantially improve access to mass

transit service for persons with

disabilities. Effective January 26, 1997,

paratransit plans are no longer required.

However, if FTA reasonably believes

that an entity may not be complying

with all service criteria, FTA may

require an annual update to the entity’s

plan. In addition, all other ADA

compliance requirements must still be

satisfied. The information collected

provides FTA with a basis for

monitoring compliance. The public

entities, including recipients of FTA

funds, are required to provide

information during triennial reviews,

complaint investigations, resolutions of

complaints, and compliance reviews.

Respondents: State and local

government, business or other for-profit

institutions, non-profit institutions, and

small business organizations.

Estimated Annual Burden on

Respondents: 100 hours for each of the

750 respondents.

Estimated Total Annual Burden:

75,000 hours.

Frequency: Annual.
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 170 / Wednesday, September 3, 1997 / Notices 46549

Issued: August 28, 1997.

Gordon J. Linton,

Administrator.

[FR Doc. 97–23314 Filed 9–2–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–57–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

[STB Finance Docket No. 33443]

RailAmerica, Inc.—Continuance in

Control Exemption—St. Croix Valley

Railroad Company

RailAmerica, Inc. (RailAmerica) has

filed a notice of exemption to continue

in control of the St. Croix Valley

Railroad Company (SCV), upon SCV’s

becoming a Class III railroad.

The transaction was expected to be

consummated on or after the August 21,

1997 effective date of the exemption.

This transaction is related to STB

Finance Docket No. 33442, St. Croix

Valley Railroad Company—Acquisition

and Operation Exemption—The

Burlington Northern and Santa Fe

Railway Company, wherein SCV seeks

to acquire and operate certain rail lines

from The Burlington Northern and

Santa Fe Railway Company.

RailAmerica directly controls 11

common carrier Class III railroads

operating in 9 states: the Cascade and

Columbia River Railroad Company; the

Delaware Valley Railway Company,

Inc.; the Evansville Terminal Company,

Inc.; the Gettysburg Railway; the Huron

& Eastern Railway Company, Inc.; the

Minnesota Northern Railroad, Inc.; the

Otter Tail Valley Railroad Company; the

Saginaw Valley Railway Company, Inc;

the West Texas & Lubbock Railroad

Company, Inc.; the Dakota Rail, Inc.;

and the South Central Tennessee

Railroad Company.

RailAmerica states that: (i) The rail

lines to be operated by SCV do not

connect with any railroad in the

corporate family; (ii) the transaction is

not part of a series of anticipated

transactions that would connect SCV

with any railroad in the corporate

family; and (iii) the transaction does not

involve a Class I carrier. Therefore, the

transaction is exempt from the prior

approval requirements of 49 U.S.C.

11323. See 49 CFR 1180.2(d)(2).

Under 49 U.S.C. 10502(g), the Board

may not use its exemption authority to

relieve a rail carrier of its statutory

obligation to protect the interests of its

employees. Section 11326(c), however,

does not provide for labor protection for

transactions under sections 11324 and

11325 that involve only Class III rail

carriers. Because this transaction

involves Class III rail carriers only, the

Board, under the statute, may not

impose labor protective conditions for

this transaction.

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 will not

automatically stay the transaction.

An original and 10 copies of all

pleadings, referring to STB Finance

Docket No. 33443, must be filed with

the Surface Transportation Board, Office

of the Secretary, Case Control Unit, 1925

K Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20423–

0001. In addition, a copy of each

pleading must be served on Gary

Laakso, Esq., RailAmerica, Inc., 301

Yamato Road, Suite 1190, Boca Raton,

FL 33431.

Decided: August 26, 1997.

By the Board, David M. Konschnik,

Director, Office of Proceedings.

Vernon A. Williams,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 97–23349 Filed 9–2–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4915–00–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

[STB Finance Docket No. 33442]

St. Croix Valley Railroad Company—

Acquisition and Operation

Exemption—The Burlington Northern

and Santa Fe Railway Company

St. Croix Valley Railroad Company

(SCV), a noncarrier, has filed a verified

notice of exemption under 49 CFR

1150.31 to acquire from The Burlington

Northern and Santa Fe Railway

Company (BNSF) and to operate

approximately 33.3 miles of rail line

between Hinckley, MN, milepost 74.0,

and North Branch, MN, milepost 40.7,

and 11.1 miles of rail line between

Brook Park, MN, milepost 58.0, and

Mora, MN, milepost 46.9. In addition,

SCV will acquire incidental overhead

trackage rights to operate between

Hinckley, MN, milepost 74.0, and Brook

Park, MN, milepost 58.0, and over

BNSF’s yard tracks in its Hinckley yard.

The transaction was expected to be

consummated on or after the August 21,

1997 effective date of the exemption.

This transaction is related to STB

Finance Docket No. 33443, RailAmerica,

Inc.—Continuance in Control

Exemption—St. Croix Valley Railroad

Company, wherein RailAmerica, Inc.

has concurrently filed a verified notice

to continue in control of SCV upon its

becoming a Class III rail carrier.

If the verified notice contains false or

misleading information, the exemption

is void ab initio. Petitions to reopen the

proceeding 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. 33442, must be filed with

the Surface Transportation Board, Office

of the Secretary, Case Control Unit, 1925

K Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20423–

0001. In addition, a copy of each

pleading must be served on Gary

Laakso, Esq., 301 Yamato Road, Suite

1190, Boca Raton, FL 33431.

Decided: August 26, 1997.

By the Board, David M. Konschnik,

Director, Office of Proceedings.

Vernon A. Williams,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 97–23350 Filed 9–2–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4915–00–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

U.S. Customs Service

[T.D. 97–74]

Bonds; Approval to Use Authorized

Facsimile Signatures and Seal

The use of facsimile signatures and

seal on Customs bonds by the following

corporate surety has been approved

effective this date:

Intercargo Insurance Company

Authorized facsimile signature on file

for:

Stanley A. Galanski

The corporate surety has provided the

Customs Service with copies of the

signatures to be used, a copy of the

corporate seal, and a certified copy of

the corporate resolution agreeing to be

bound by the facsimile signatures and

seal. This approval is without prejudice

to the surety’s right to affix signatures

and seal manually.

Dated: August 27, 1997.

Jerry Laderberg,

Chief, Entry Procedures and Carriers Branch.

[FR Doc. 97–23256 Filed 9–2–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4820–02–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

Customs Service

Renewal of the Generalized System of

Preferences

AGENCY: Customs Service, Treasury.

ACTION: General notice.