15450 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 51 / Thursday, March 15, 2012 / Notices 

use) military airfields or former military 

airports that are included in the FAA’s 

National Plan of Integrated Airport 

Systems (NPIAS). Airports designated to 

the MAP may obtain funds from a setaside (currently four percent) of AIP 

discretionary funds for airport 

development, including certain projects 

not otherwise eligible for AIP assistance. 

These airports are also eligible to 

receive grants from other categories of 

AIP funding. 

Additional information required for 

application to the MAP may be found in 

the original Federal Register Notice Vol. 

76, No. 184/Thursday, September 22, 

2011/Notices Pg. 58861. The original 

notice may also be found at: http:// 

www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR–2011–09– 

22/html/2011–24350.htm. 

This notice is issued pursuant to Title 

49 U.S.C. 47118. 

Issued at Washington, DC, on March 7, 

2012. 

Elliott Black, 

Deputy Director, Office of Airport Planning 

and Programming. 

[FR Doc. 2012–6350 Filed 3–14–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Railroad Administration 

Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement 

for the Chicago, Illinois, to Omaha, 

Nebraska, Regional Passenger Rail 

System 

AGENCY: Federal Railroad 

Administration (FRA), U.S. Department 

of Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). 

SUMMARY: FRA is issuing this notice to 

advise the public that FRA with the 

Iowa Department of Transportation 

(Iowa DOT) will jointly prepare a Tier 

1 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

to evaluate potential passenger rail 

improvements for the Chicago, Illinois 

to Omaha, Nebraska regional passenger 

rail system in compliance with the 

National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969 (NEPA). The Tier 1 EIS will 

evaluate environmental and related 

impacts for reasonable corridor-level 

passenger rail route alternatives 

between Chicago, Illinois and Omaha, 

Nebraska. The route alternatives will 

support proposed conventional 

locomotive-hauled, passenger train 

service, operating on track used jointly 

with freight trains, at an initial 

maximum speed of seventy-nine (79) to 

ninety (90) miles per hour (mph). The 

Tier 1 EIS will also examine passenger 

rail service levels. 

FRA is issuing this Notice to alert 

interested parties, including the public 

and resource agencies about the EIS, to 

provide information on the nature of the 

proposed action, including the purpose 

and need for the proposed action, and 

possible route alternatives to be 

considered in the preparation of the Tier 

1 EIS. To ensure all significant issues 

are identified and considered, all 

interested parties are invited to 

comment on the proposed scope of 

environmental review. Comments on 

the scope of the EIS, including the 

proposed action’s purpose and need, the 

route alternatives to be considered, the 

impacts to be evaluated, and the 

methodologies to be used in the 

evaluations will be accepted online and 

in writing up to thirty (30) days 

following the publication of this Notice. 

DATES: Iowa DOT will host an online, 

self-directed public scoping meeting 

during the months of March and April, 

2012. The online public scoping 

meeting will be available for thirty (30) 

days following the publication of this 

Notice. Detailed information on the 

public scoping meeting is also available 

on the following Web site: http:// 

www.iowadot.gov/chicagotoomaha. 

Interested parties, including the public 

and resource agencies can provide 

written comments on the Tier 1 EIS up 

to thirty (30) days following the 

publication of this Notice, by writing 

Ms. Tamara Nicholson, Director, Office 

of Rail Transportation, Iowa Department 

of Transportation, 800 Lincoln Way, 

Ames, Iowa 50010. 

If a member of the public wishes to 

participate in the scoping process and 

does not have access to a computer or 

the internet, they can request an 

informational scoping package and 

comment form by contacting Ms. 

Tamara Nicholson at the above address 

or by telephone (515) 239–1052 or (800) 

488–7119. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. 

Andrea Martin, Environmental 

Protection Specialist, Federal Railroad 

Administration, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue Southeast, (Mail Stop 20), 

Washington, DC 20590, telephone (202) 

493–6201; or Ms. Tamara Nicholson, 

Director, Office of Rail Transportation, 

Iowa Department of Transportation, 800 

Lincoln Way, Ames, Iowa 50010, 

telephone (515) 239–1052 or (800) 488– 

7119. Information and documents 

regarding the environmental review 

process will be made available for the 

duration of the Tier 1 EIS process on the 

following Web site: http:// 

www.iowadot.gov/chicagotoomaha. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FRA, 

in cooperation with Iowa DOT, will 

prepare a Tier 1 EIS to evaluate 

passenger rail service improvements 

from Chicago, Illinois to Omaha, 

Nebraska. The agencies will use a tiered 

process, as provided for in 40 CFR 

1508.28 and in accordance with FRA’s 

Procedures for Considering 

Environmental Impacts (64 FR 28454) 

(Environmental Procedures), in the 

completion of the environmental 

review. Tiering is a staged 

environmental review process applied 

to environmental reviews for complex 

projects. The proposed Tier 1 EIS 

described in this Notice is a service 

level analysis that will examine a range 

of reasonable corridor route alternatives 

between Chicago, Illinois and Omaha, 

Nebraska and will consider 

improvements necessary to support 

additional passenger trains while 

accommodating the anticipated growth 

in freight rail traffic. The Tier 1 EIS will 

assess potential track improvements, a 

potential increase in the number of 

higher-speed passenger trains, potential 

corridor route alternatives between 

Chicago, Illinois and Omaha, Nebraska, 

and the associated transportation and 

environmental impacts. It is anticipated 

that the route alternative analysis will 

involve a screening process to identify 

reasonable and feasible alternatives for 

evaluation in the Tier 1 EIS. Potential 

route alternatives include the former 

Illinois Central route, the former 

Chicago and North Western route, the 

former Milwaukee Road route, the 

former Rock Island route, and the 

former Burlington route. The No-Action 

(or No-Build) Alternative will also be 

considered. 

The Tier 1 EIS will also appropriately 

address Section 106 of the National 

Historic Preservation Act (see 36 CFR 

part 800), Section 4(f) of the U.S. 

Department of Transportation Act of 

1966 (49 U.S.C. 303) and other 

applicable Federal and state laws and 

regulations. The result will be a Tier 1 

EIS NEPA document that addresses 

broad overall issues of concern for 

corridor decisions including, but not 

limited to: 

• Describing the purpose and need for 

the proposed action. 

• Describing the environment 

potentially affected by the proposed 

action. 

• Developing evaluation criteria to 

identify route alternatives that meet the 

purpose and need of the proposed 

action and those that do not. 

• Identifying the range of reasonable 

route alternatives that satisfy the 

purpose and need for the proposed 

action. 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 51 / Thursday, March 15, 2012 / Notices 15451 

• Developing the no-build alternative 

to serve as a baseline for comparison. 

• Describing and evaluating the 

potential environmental impacts and 

mitigation associated with the proposed 

route alternatives. 

• Identifying component projects for 

Tier 2 NEPA evaluation as described 

below. 

Follow-on Tier 2 assessment(s) will 

address component projects of the 

overall rail corridor improvement 

alternative selected in the Tier 1 EIS, 

and will incorporate by reference the 

data and evaluations included in the 

Tier 1 EIS. The Tier 2 NEPA evaluations 

will concentrate on the site-specific 

issues and alternatives relevant to 

implementing component projects of the 

selected Tier 1 alternative; and identify 

the environmental consequences and 

measures necessary to mitigate 

environmental impacts at a site-specific 

level of detail. 

Study Area: The Chicago to Omaha 

corridor extends from Chicago Union 

Station, in downtown Chicago, Illinois 

on the east to a terminal in Omaha, 

Nebraska on the west. The study area 

consists of the five previously 

established passenger rail routes 

between Chicago and Omaha that pass 

through the states of Illinois and Iowa. 

Each route is approximately 500 miles 

long. In Illinois, the study area runs 

generally west from Chicago Union 

Station, which is the hub for the 

Midwest Regional Rail Initiative 

(MWRRI) to the Mississippi River and, 

depending on the route, is a distance of 

between 150 and 250 miles. In Iowa, the 

study area runs west from the 

Mississippi River across the entire state 

to the Missouri River, a distance of 

approximately 300 miles. The study 

area terminates in Omaha, which is 

located at the Missouri River, the 

eastern border of the state of Nebraska. 

The location for the terminal in Omaha 

will be identified as part of the Tier 1 

EIS. 

The five previously established 

passenger rail routes are numbered from 

north to south. For each route, the 

counties that are traversed in Illinois, 

Iowa, and Nebraska are listed east to 

west, as follows: 

• Route 1, Illinois Central: Canadian 

National Railway via Rockford, Illinois, 

and Dubuque, Waterloo, and Fort 

Dodge, Iowa through Cook, DuPage, 

Kane, DeKalb, Boone, Winnebago, 

Stephenson, and Jo Daviess counties, 

Illinois; Dubuque, Delaware, Buchanan, 

Black Hawk, Butler, Franklin, Hardin, 

Hamilton, Webster, Calhoun, Sac, 

Crawford, Harrison, and Pottawattamie 

counties, Iowa; and Douglas County, 

Nebraska. 

• Route 2, Chicago and North 

Western: Union Pacific Railroad via 

Clinton, Cedar Rapids, and Ames, Iowa 

through Cook, DuPage, Kane, DeKalb, 

Ogle, Lee, and Whiteside counties, 

Illinois; Clinton, Cedar, Linn, Benton, 

Tama, Marshall, Story, Boone, Greene, 

Carroll, Crawford, Harrison, and 

Pottawattamie counties, Iowa; and 

Douglas County, Nebraska. 

• Route 3, Milwaukee Road: Canadian 

Pacific Railroad from Chicago to Sabula, 

Iowa, and Burlington Northern Santa Fe 

(BNSF) Railway from Bayard, Iowa, to 

Omaha, and abandoned except for 

several small stubs in between through 

Cook, DuPage, Kane, DeKalb, Ogle, and 

Carroll counties, Illinois; Jackson, 

Clinton, Jones, Linn, Benton, Tama, 

Marshall, Story, Boone, Dallas, Guthrie, 

Carroll, Crawford, Shelby, Harrison, and 

Pottawattamie counties, Iowa; and 

Douglas County, Nebraska. 

• Route 4, Rock Island: CSX 

Transportation from Chicago to Utica, 

Illinois, and Iowa Interstate Railroad via 

Moline, Illinois, and Iowa City and Des 

Moines, Iowa through Cook, Will, 

Grundy, La Salle, Bureau, Henry, and 

Rock Island counties, Illinois; Scott, 

Muscatine, Cedar, Johnson, Iowa, 

Poweshiek, Jasper, Polk, Dallas, 

Madison, Guthrie, Adair, Cass, 

Pottawattamie counties, Iowa; and 

Douglas County, Nebraska. 

• Route 5, Burlington: BNSF Railway 

via Galesburg, Illinois, and Burlington 

and Ottumwa, Iowa through Cook, 

DuPage, Kane, Kendall, DeKalb, La 

Salle, Bureau, Henry, Knox, Warren, 

and Henderson counties, Illinois; Des 

Moines, Henry, Jefferson, Wapello, 

Monroe, Lucas, Clarke, Union, Adams, 

Montgomery, Mills, and Pottawattamie 

counties, Iowa; and Douglas County, 

Nebraska. 

Purpose and Need: The Chicago to 

Omaha Regional Passenger Rail System 

would provide a competitive passenger 

rail transportation option between 

Chicago and Omaha to help meet 

current and future demand for travel in 

the study area. The proposed action 

would create a competitive rail 

transportation alternative to automobile, 

bus, and air service and would meet the 

need for a rail travel option by: 

• Decreasing travel times 

• Increasing frequency of service 

• Improving service reliability 

• Providing safe and efficient service 

• Providing amenities to improve 

passenger ride quality and comfort 

• Promoting environmental benefits: 

reduced air pollutant emissions, 

improved land use options, and fewer 

adverse impacts to surrounding habitat 

and water resources 

The need for the proposed 

improvements in the study area stems 

from travel demand and increasing 

congestion, resulting from population 

growth and changing demographics 

along the corridor from Chicago, Illinois 

to Omaha, Nebraska as well as the lack 

of competitive and attractive travel 

alternatives to highway and air 

transportation. 

Midwest Regional Rail Inititive 

(MWRRI): The MWRRI is a cooperative, 

multi-agency effort that began in 1996 

and involves nine Midwest states 

(Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, 

Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, 

and Wisconsin) as well as the FRA. 

MWRRI elements include: Use of 3,000 

miles of existing rail right of way to 

connect rural and urban areas; operation 

of a hub and spoke passenger rail 

system; introduction of modern, highspeed trains operating at speeds up to 

110 mph; and multi-modal connections 

to improve system access. The goal of 

the MWRRI is to develop a passenger 

rail system that offers business and 

leisure travelers shorter travel times, 

additional train frequencies, and 

connections between urban centers and 

smaller communities. The proposed EIS 

will evaluate one aim of the MWRRI ‘‘to 

meet current and future regional travel 

needs through significant improvements 

to the level and quality of passenger rail 

service’’ (Transportation Economics & 

Management Systems, Inc., September 

2004). 

Alternatives to be Considered: The 

Tier 1 EIS will evaluate preliminary 

alternatives including a No-Build 

Alternative and various Build 

Alternatives. The No-Build Alternative 

is defined to serve as the baseline for 

comparison of all alternatives. The NoBuild Alternative represents the 

transportation system as it exists, and as 

it will exist after completion of 

programs or projects currently funded or 

being implemented. The No-Build 

Alternative will draw upon the State 

Transportation Improvement Program 

and existing freight and passenger rail 

plans. 

The Tier 1 EIS will assess 

environmental and related impacts for a 

range of reasonable Build Alternatives. 

The Build Alternatives are corridorlevel route alternatives between 

Chicago, Illinois and Omaha, Nebraska 

for a conventional locomotive-hauled, 

passenger train service, operating on 

track used jointly with freight trains, at 

an initial maximum speed of seventynine (79) to ninety (90) miles per hour 

(mph), and infrastructure improvements 

to support the additional passenger 

trains. Several route alternatives were 

identified for the Tier 1 EIS based on 


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15452 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 51 / Thursday, March 15, 2012 / Notices 

review of previous studies. In addition, 

the Tier 1 EIS will consider ideas or 

concepts that are suggested by resource 

agencies or the public during the 

scoping process. Potential route 

alternatives for the corridor were 

identified by the MWRRI and the Iowa 

DOT 10 Year Strategic Passenger-Rail 

Plan. The previously established 

primary passenger rail routes are the 

Illinois Central, Chicago & North 

Western, Milwaukee Road, Rock Island, 

and Burlington and are nominally 

oriented from north to south and east to 

west. The MWRRI considered these five 

routes as well as a combination of the 

Rock Island and Burlington routes to 

provide a different approach into 

Chicago, Illinois. Tier 2 component 

projects will also be identified during 

the Tier 1 EIS process. Tier 2 project 

component assessments will incorporate 

by reference the data and evaluations 

included in the Tier 1 EIS. 

Possible Effects: The FRA and Iowa 

DOT will evaluate direct, indirect and 

cumulative changes to the social, 

economic, and physical environment, 

including land use and socioeconomic 

conditions, ecology, water resources, 

historic and archaeological resources, 

visual character and aesthetics, 

contaminated and hazardous materials, 

transportation, air quality, noise and 

vibration. Potential for disproportionate 

and adverse impacts to environmental 

justice communities will be examined 

for all alternatives, and accommodations 

made for limited English proficiency 

and Title VI requirements. The 

evaluation will take into account both 

beneficial and adverse affects and 

identify measures to avoid, minimize, 

and mitigate adverse community and 

environmental impacts. The analysis 

will be undertaken consistent with 

NEPA, CEQ regulations, Section 106 of 

the National Historic Preservation Act, 

the Endangered Species Act, Clean Air 

Act, Clean Water Act, FRA’s 

Environmental Procedures, Iowa DOT 

guidance, and Section 4(f) of the 

Department of Transportation Act of 

1966, along with other applicable 

Federal and state regulations. 

Scoping Process: The FRA and Iowa 

DOT are inviting comments and 

suggestions regarding the scope of the 

Tier 1 EIS from all interested parties, to 

ensure that all issues are addressed 

related to this proposal and any 

significant impacts are identified. 

Comments or questions concerning the 

proposed action and the Tier 1 EIS 

should be directed to the Iowa DOT at 

the address above. Letters describing the 

proposed action and soliciting 

comments will be sent to the 

appropriate Federal, State and local 

agencies, Native American tribes and to 

private organizations who might have 

previously expressed or who are known 

to have an interest in this proposal. 

Federal agencies with jurisdiction by 

law or special expertise with respect to 

potential environmental issues will be 

requested to act as a Cooperating 

Agency in accordance with 40 CFR 

1501.6. 

Iowa DOT will lead the outreach 

activities, beginning with the online 

scoping meeting described above in 

DATES. Public involvement initiatives, 

including public meetings, newsletters, 

and outreach will be held throughout 

the course of this study. Opportunities 

for public participation will be 

announced through mailings, notices, 

advertisements, press releases and a 

project Web site: http:// 

www.iowadot.gov/chicagotoomaha. 

Issued in Washington, DC, on March 12, 

2012. 

Paul Nissenbaum, 

Associate Administrator for Railroad Policy 

and Development, Federal Railroad 

Administration. 

[FR Doc. 2012–6304 Filed 3–14–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–06–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

National Highway Traffic Safety 

Administration 

[Docket No. NHTSA–2010–0053] 

Visual-Manual NHTSA Driver 

Distraction Guidelines for In-Vehicle 

Electronic Devices 

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic 

Safety Administration (NHTSA), 

Department of Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Announcement of technical 

workshop. 

SUMMARY: On February 24, 2012, 

NHTSA published proposed VisualManual Driver Distraction Guidelines 

for In-Vehicle Electronic Devices. 

NHTSA is announcing a public 

workshop to discuss technical issues 

relevant to these proposed Guidelines. 

The workshop will include brief 

NHTSA presentations outlining the 

content of and basis for the Guidelines 

and will provide opportunities for the 

public to ask questions and present 

information on the technical aspects of 

the proposed Guidelines. 

DATES: Technical Workshop. The 

technical workshop will be held on 

March 23, 2012, at the location 

indicated in the ADDRESSES section 

below. The workshop will start at 9 a.m. 

and is scheduled to continue until 12 

p.m., local time. However, the workshop 

will continue beyond 12 p.m. if there 

are presenters who have not yet had a 

chance to make their presentation or if 

the presiding official believes that 

allowing the discussion to extend 

beyond that time would be beneficial. If 

you would like to attend the technical 

workshop and either make a 

presentation or participate in the 

discussion, please contact the person 

identified under FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT no later than 

March 16, 2012. 

Written comments. As announced in 

the proposal, to be assured of 

consideration, written comments on the 

proposed NHTSA Guidelines must be 

received by April 24, 2012 (77 FR 

11200). 

ADDRESSES: The March 23, 2012 

technical workshop will be held at the 

National Highway Traffic Safety 

Administration Vehicle and Research 

Test Center, 10820 State Route 347— 

Bldg. 60, East Liberty, Ohio 43319. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If 

you would like to attend the technical 

workshop and either make a 

presentation or participate in the 

discussion, please contact Elizabeth 

Mazzae, by the date specified under 

DATES section above, at: Applied Crash 

Avoidance Research Division, Vehicle 

Research and Test Center, NHTSA, 

10820 State Route 347—Bldg. 60, East 

Liberty, Ohio 43319; Telephone (937) 

666–4511; Facsimile: (937) 666–3590; 

email address: 

elizabeth.mazzae@dot.gov. 

Please provide her with the following 

information: Name, affiliation, address, 

email address, telephone and fax 

numbers, and indicate whether you 

require accommodations such as a sign 

language interpreter or translator or 

whether you plan to use technological 

aids (e.g., audio-visuals, computer 

slideshows). 

You may learn more about the 

proposed NHTSA Guidelines by visiting 

the Department of Transportation’s Web 

site on distracted driving, 

Distraction.gov, NHTSA’s Web site, 

www.nhtsa.gov, or by searching the 

public docket (NHTSA–2010–0053) at 

www.regulations.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

proposed NHTSA Guidelines are meant 

to promote safety by discouraging the 

introduction of excessively distracting 

devices in vehicles. These NHTSA 

Guidelines, which are voluntary, apply 

to communications, entertainment, 

information gathering, and navigation 

devices or functions that are not 

required to operate the vehicle safely 

and that are operated by the driver 

through visual-manual means (meaning 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES