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[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 33 (Tuesday, February 19, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11727-11728]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-03759]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Office of the Secretary

National Freight Advisory Committee

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation 
(DOT).

ACTION: Notice of Establishment of National Freight Advisory Committee 
(NFAC or Committee) and Solicitation of Nominations for Membership.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 9(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee 
Act (FACA) (5 U.S.C., App. 2.), and in accordance with Title 41, Code 
of Federal Regulations, Section 102-3.65, and following consultation 
with the Committee Management Secretariat, General Services 
Administration, notice is hereby given that the NFAC will be 
established for a 2-year period.
    The Committee will provide advice and recommendations to the 
Secretary of Transportation on matters related to freight 
transportation in the United States, including: (1) Implementation of 
the freight transportation requirements of the Moving Ahead for 
Progress in the 21st Century Act (Pub. L. 112-141); (2) establishment 
of the National Freight Network; (3) development of a National Freight 
Strategic Plan; (4) development of strategies to help States implement 
State Freight Advisory Committees and State Freight Plans; (5) 
development of measures of conditions and performance in freight 
transportation; (6) development of freight transportation investment, 
data, and planning tools; and (7) legislative recommendations.
    Additionally, the establishment of the NFAC is necessary for the 
Department to carry out its mission and is in the public interest. The 
Committee will operate in accordance with the provisions of the FACA 
and the rules and regulations issued in implementation of that Act.
    This notice also requests nominations for members of the Committee 
to ensure a wide range of member candidates and a balanced Committee.

DATES: Nominations must be received on or before midnight E.D.T. on 
March 21, 2013. The Department encourages nominations submitted any 
time before the deadline.

ADDRESSES: All nomination materials should be emailed to 
freight@dot.gov or faxed to the attention of Shira Bergstein at (202) 
366-0263, or mailed to Shira Bergstein, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, Office of the Secretary Office of Policy, Room W84-317, 
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590. Any person needing 
accessibility accommodations should contact Shira Bergstein at (202) 
366-1999.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shira Bergstein, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, Office of the Secretary Office of Policy, Room W84-317, 
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590; phone (202) 366-1999; 
email: freight@dot.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The U.S. Department of Transportation is 
hereby soliciting nominations for members of the NFAC. The Secretary of 
Transportation will appoint at least 25 committee members. Members will 
be selected with a view toward achieving varied perspectives on freight 
transportation, including (1) modes of transportation; (2) regional 
representation; (3) relevant policy areas such as economic 
competitiveness, safety, labor, and environment; (4) freight customers 
and providers; and (5) government bodies. Specifically, the Committee 
will seek to balance the following interests to the extent practicable: 
State Departments of Transportation; State, local, and tribal elected 
officials; local planning offices; shippers, businesses, and economic 
development; air cargo, freight forwarder, rail, maritime, ports, 
trucking, and pipelines; labor union, and safety, the environment, and 
equity communities. Committee members may serve for a term of 2 years 
or less and may be reappointed for successive terms, with no more than 
2 successive terms. The Chair and Vice Chair of the Committee will be 
appointed by the Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy from 
among the selected members, and the Committee is expected to meet 
approximately three times per year or as necessary. Subcommittees may 
be formed to address specific freight transportation issues. Some 
Committee members may be appointed as representative members; other 
Committee members may be appointed as Special Government Employees and 
will be subject to certain ethical restrictions, and such members will 
be required to submit certain information in connection with the 
appointment process.
    Process and Deadline for Submitting Nominations: Individuals can 
self-nominate or be nominated by any individual or organization. For 
nominators' convenience, a sample template for submitting nominations 
can be downloaded from http://www.freight.dot.gov. To be considered for 
the NFAC, nominators should submit the following information:
    (1) Contact Information for the nominee, consisting of:
    a. Name
    b. Title
    c. Organization or Affiliation
    d. Address
    e. City, State, Zip
    f. Telephone number
    g. Email address
    (2) Statement of interest limited to 250 words on why the nominee 
wants to serve on the NFAC and the unique perspectives and experiences 
the nominee brings to the NFAC;
    (3) R[eacute]sum[eacute] limited to 3 pages describing professional 
and academic expertise, experience, and knowledge, including any 
relevant experience serving on advisory committees, past and present;
    (4) An affirmative statement that the nominee is not a federally 
registered lobbyist, and that the nominee understands that if, 
appointed, the nominee will not be allowed to continue to serve as a 
Committee member if the nominee becomes a federally registered 
lobbyist; and

    (5) Optional letters of support.
Please do not send company, trade association, organization brochures, 
or any other promotional information. Materials submitted should total 
five pages or less and must be formatted in Microsoft Word or PDF. 
Should more information be needed, DOT staff will contact the nominee, 
obtain information from the nominee's past affiliations, or obtain 
information from publicly available sources, such as the Internet.

[[Page 11728]]

    Nominations may be emailed to freight@dot.gov or faxed to the 
attention of Shira Bergstein at (202) 366-0263, or mailed to Shira 
Bergstein, U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of the Secretary 
Office of Policy, Room W84-317 (P-40), 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., 
Washington, DC 20590. Nominations must be received on or before 
midnight E.D.T. on March 21, 2013. The Department encourages 
nominations submitted any time before the deadline. The Department is 
not responsible for any technical difficulties submitting a nomination 
form. Nominees selected for appointment to the Committee will be 
notified by return email and by a letter of appointment.
    A selection team comprising representatives from several DOT 
offices will review the nomination packages. The selection team will 
make recommendations regarding membership to the Under Secretary of 
Transportation for Policy based on criteria including (1) professional 
or academic expertise, experience, and knowledge; (2) stakeholder 
representation; (3) availability and willingness to serve; and (4) 
relevant experience in working in committees and advisory panels. The 
Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy will submit a list of 
recommended candidates to the Secretary of Transportation for review 
and final selection of Committee members.
    Nominations are open to all individuals without regard to race, 
color, religion, sex, national origin, age, mental or physical 
disability, marital status, or sexual orientation. To ensure that 
recommendations to the Secretary of Transportation take into account 
the needs of the diverse groups served by DOT, membership shall 
include, to the extent practicable, individuals with demonstrated 
ability to represent minorities, women, and persons with disabilities. 
Please note, however, that federally registered lobbyists are 
ineligible for nomination.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on February 13, 2013.
Ray LaHood,
Secretary of Transportation.
[FR Doc. 2013-03759 Filed 2-15-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-9X-P
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