Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 250 / Wednesday, December 31, 1997 / Notices 68351

testing is 10 percent, and the data

received under the MIS reporting

requirements for that calendar year

indicate that the violation rate is equal

to or greater than 0.5 percent but less

than 1.0 percent, the FAA Administrator

must increase the minimum annual

percentage rate for random alcohol

testing to 25 percent.

When the minimum annual

percentage rate for random alcohol

testing is 25 percent or less, and the data

received under the MIS reporting

requirements for that calendar year

indicate that the violation rate is equal

to or greater than 1.0 percent, the FAA

Administrator must increase the

minimum annual percentage rate for

random alcohol testing to 50 percent.

When the minimum annual

percentage rate for random drug testing

is 50 percent, the FAA Administrator

may lower the rate to 25 percent if data

received under the MIS reporting

requirements for two consecutive

calendar years indicate that the positive

rate is less than 1.0 percent.

When the minimum annual

percentage rate for random drug testing

is 25 percent, and the data received

under the MIS reporting requirements

for any calendar year indicate that the

reported positive rate is equal to or

greater than 1.0 percent, the

Administrator will increase the

minimum annual percentage rate for

random drug testing to 50 percent.

There is a one year lag in the

adjustment in the minimum annual

percentage rates for random drug and

alcohol testing because MIS data for a

given calendar year is not reported to

the FAA until the following calendar

year. For example, MIS data for 1996 is

not reported to the FAA until March 15,

1997, and any rate adjustments resulting

from the 1996 data are not effective

until January 1, 1998, following

publication by the FAA of a notice in

the Federal Register.

The minimum annual percentage rate

for random alcohol testing was 25

percent for calendar year 1996. In this

notice, the FAA announces that it has

determined that the violation rate for

calendar year 1996 is less than one-half

of one percent positive, at

approximately 0.08 percent. The 1995

violation rate was also less than one-half

of one percent. Since the violation rate

is less than 0.5 percent for two

consecutive calendar years, the

minimum annual percentage rate for

random alcohol testing for aviation

industry employers for calendar year

1998 will be lowered to 10 percent.

The minimum annual percentage rate

for random drug testing was also 25

percent in calendar year 1996.

Therefore, the FAA is also announcing

that it has determined that the positive

rate for calendar year 1996 is less than

1 percent, at approximately 0.71

percent, and that the minimum annual

percentage rate for random drug testing

for aviation industry employers for

calendar year 1998 will remain at 25

percent.

Dated: December 23, 1997.

Jon L. Jordan,

Federal Air Surgeon.

[FR Doc. 97–33982 Filed 12–30–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–13–M

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration

Federal Transit Administration

Environmental Impact Statement:

Pitkin, Eagle and Garfield Counties, CO

AGENCY: Federal Highway

Administration (FHWA) and Federal

Transit Administration (FTA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of intent and public

scoping meetings.

SUMMARY: The FHWA and FTA are

jointly issuing this notice to advise the

public that an environmental impact

statement/4(f) evaluation will be

prepared for transportation

improvements in Pitkin, Eagle and

Garfield Counties, Colorado.

Five scoping meetings will be held

from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm at the

following locations and dates as part of

the preparation of the EIS/4(f)

evaluation:

Tuesday, February 17, 1998: Rifle City

Hall, 202 Railroad Avenue, Rifle, CO

Wednesday, February 18, 1998:

Carbondale Town Hall, 511 Colorado

Avenue, Carbondale, CO

Thursday, February 19, 1998: Basalt

High School, 150 Cottonwood Drive,

Basalt, CO

Monday, February 23, 1998: Garfield

County Courthouse, 109 8th Street,

Glenwood Springs, CO

Tuesday, February 24, 1998: Aspen City

Hall, 130 South Galena, Aspen, CO

A 45-day scoping period will begin on

January 6, 1998 and conclude on March

2, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Michael Kulbacki, FHWA Colorado

Division, 555 Zang Street, Room 250;

Lakewood, Colorado 80228,

Telephone (303) 969–6730

Dave Beckhouse, FTA Region VIII, 216

16th Street, Suite 650; Denver,

Colorado 80202, Telephone (303)

844–3242

Joe Tempel, Colorado Department of

Transportation, 4201 East Arkansas,

Room 212; Denver, Colorado 80222,

Telephone (303) 757–9771

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

FHWA and FTA in cooperation with the

Federal Railroad Administration (FRA),

the Colorado Department of

Transportation (CDOT) and the Roaring

Fork Railroad Holding Authority

(RFRHA) will prepare an environmental

impact statement (EIS) and Section 4(f)

evaluation on a proposal to make major

transportation improvements in the

Roaring Fork Valley from Glenwood

Springs to the Aspen Airport, a distance

of approximately 40 miles. The purpose

of these improvements is to

accommodate current and projected

travel demands through the corridor.

The proposed improvements will be

identified in a Corridor Investment

Study which will be combined with the

EIS. At a minimum, the alternatives to

be considered in the EIS/4(f) evaluation

include the following:

(1) The No Build Alternative—This

will include transportation

improvements previously cleared.

(2) A Transportation System

Management (TSM)—This will consist

of low cost improvements to the existing

transportation system to maximize its

capacity and efficiency.

(3) Improved Bus Alternative—This

will consist of adding additional buses

to the existing bus system in the Roaring

Fork Valley. HOV and Exclusive Bus

Lane alternatives will be addressed.

(4) Multimodal Alternatives—These

will consist of trail, rail and highway

improvements. Various alignments,

Station locations, technologies and

access control plans (highway and rail)

will be assessed along the rail corridor

and SH82. Transportation Demand

Management (TDM) elements will be

incorporated into all of the Multimodal

Alternatives to maximize the efficiency

of the transportation system. Initial

scoping meetings with local agencies

and the general public will begin in

January and be completed in March

1998. Letters will be sent to the

appropriate federal, state and local

agencies describing the proposed action

and requesting comments. The general

public will receive notices on location

and time of the scoping meetings

through newspaper advertisements and

individual correspondence. These

scoping meetings provide a forum for

interaction between the public and

government officials during the EIS/4(f)

development. To ensure that a 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
68352 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 250 / Wednesday, December 31, 1997 / Notices

1The trackage rights agreement filed in STB

Finance Docket No. 32940 (Sub-No. 1) will amend

the trackage rights agreement between the parties,

dated May 2, 1996, to include these additional

rights.

2The notice to employees discussed in WCL

Exemption and recently adopted as a requirement

for certain transactions in Acquisition of Rail Lines

Under 49 U.S.C. 10901 and 10902—Advance Notice

of Proposed Transactions, STB Ex Parte No. 562

(STB served Sept. 9, 1997), does not apply to

exempt trackage rights transactions.

proposed action and the EIS/4(f)

evaluation should be directed to the

Colorado Department of Transportation

at the address 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: December 22, 1997.

Ronald A. Speral,

Environmental/ROW Program Manager,

Colorado Division, Federal Highway

Administration, Lakewood, Colorado.

Louis F. Mraz Jr.,

Regional Administrator, Federal Transit

Administration, Region VIII, Denver,

Colorado.

[FR Doc. 97–34043 Filed 12–30–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–22–M; 4910–57–M

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

[STB Finance Docket No. 32940 (Sub-No.

1)]

Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad, Inc.;

Trackage Rights Exemption—Pittsburg

& Shawmut Railroad, Inc.

Pittsburg & Shawmut Railroad, Inc.

(PSR), a Class III rail carrier, has agreed

to grant overhead trackage rights to

Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad, Inc.

(BPRR), a Class II rail carrier, over

approximately 7.4 miles of rail line in

the State of Pennsylvania on PSR’s

Laurel Subdivision between milepost

60.0, near Falls Creek, and milepost

67.0, near East Dubois, together with

approximately 2,200 feet of connecting

track between PSR’s Laurel Subdivision

and BPRR’s Wharton Subdivision (at

approximately mileposts 3.3 and 3.4)

(collectively, the subject lines).1

The purpose of the trackage rights is

to allow BPRR to shift traffic from a

portion of its Wharton subdivision that

is in need of rehabilitation to the subject

lines that are in better condition, and to

allow BPRR to continue to serve its local

customers in a safe and more efficient

manner.

As a condition to this exemption, any

employees affected by the trackage

rights will be protected as required by

49 U.S.C. 11326(b), subject to the

procedural interpretations of the

analogous statutory provisions at 49

U.S.C. 10902 contained in the Board’s

decision in Wisconsin Central Ltd.—

Acquisition Exemption—Lines of Union

Pacific Railroad Company, STB Finance

Docket No. 33116 (STB served Apr. 17,

1997) (WCL Exemption).

The transaction is scheduled to be

consummated on or after December 22,

1997.2

This notice is filed under 49 CFR

1180.2(d)(7). If it 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. 32940 (Sub-No. 1) 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 Eric M. Hockey, Esq.,

Gollatz, Griffin & Ewing, P.C., 213 W.

Miner Street, P.O. Box 796, West

Chester PA 19381–0796.

Decided: December 22, 1997.

By the Board, David M. Konschnik,

Director, Office of Proceedings.

Vernon A. Williams,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 97–34021 Filed 12–30–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4915–00–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

[STB Docket No. AB–312 (Sub–No. 2X)]

South Carolina Central Railroad

Company, Inc., d/b/a Carolina

Piedmont Division— Abandonment

Exemption—in Greenville County, SC

On December 12, 1997, South

Carolina Central Railroad Company,

Inc., d/b/a Carolina Piedmont Division

(CPDR), filed with the Surface

Transportation Board (Board) a petition

under 49 U.S.C. 10502 for exemption

from the provisions of 49 U.S.C. 10903

to abandon two segments of a line of

railroad extending from: (1) railroad

milepost AJK 585.34, in East Greenville,

SC, to railroad milepost AJK 588.63 in

Greenville, SC; and (2) railroad milepost

0.0 to railroad milepost 2.0 in

Greenville, a total distance of 5.29

miles, in Greenville County, SC. The

line traverses U.S. Postal Service Zip

Codes 29602 and 29607. CPDR has

indicated that there are no stations on

the line.

The line does not contain federally

granted rights-of-way. Any

documentation in CPDR’s possession

will be made available promptly to

those requesting it.

The interest of railroad employees

will be protected by the conditions set

forth in Oregon Short Line R. Co.—

Abandonment—Goshen, 360 I.C.C. 91

(1979).

By issuance of this notice, the Board

is instituting an exemption proceeding

pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 10502(b). A final

decision will be issued by April 1, 1998.

Any offer of financial assistance

(OFA) under 49 CFR 1152.27(b)(2) will

be due no later than 10 days after

service of a decision granting the

petition for exemption. Each OFA must

be accompanied by a $900 filing fee. See

49 CFR 1002.2(f)(25).

All interested persons should be

aware that, following abandonment of

rail service and salvage of the line, the

line may be suitable for other public

use, including interim trail use. Any

request for a public use condition under

49 CFR 1152.28 or for trail use/rail

banking under 49 CFR 1152.29 will be

due no later than January 20, 1998. Each

trail use request must be accompanied

by a $150 filing fee. See 49 CFR

1002.2(f)(27).

All filings in response to this notice

must refer to STB Docket No. AB–312

(Sub-No. 2X) and must be sent to: (1)

Surface Transportation Board, Office of

the Secretary, Case Control Unit, 1925 K

Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20423–

0001; and (2) Karl Morell, Ball Janik

LLP, 1455 F Street, N.W., Suite 225,

Washington, DC 20005.

Persons seeking further information

concerning abandonment procedures

may contact the Board’s Office of Public

Services at (202) 565–1592 or refer to

the full abandonment or discontinuance

regulations at 49 CFR part 1152.

Questions concerning environmental

issues may be directed to the Board’s

Section of Environmental Analysis

(SEA) at (202) 565–1545. [TDD for the

hearing impaired is available at (202)

565–1695.]

An environmental assessment (EA) (or

environmental impact statement (EIS), if

necessary) prepared by SEA will be

served upon all parties of record and

upon any agencies or other persons who

commented during its preparation.

Other interested persons may contact

SEA to obtain a copy of the EA (or EIS).

EAs in these abandonment proceedings

normally will be made available within

60 days of the filing of the petition. The