Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 64 / Tuesday, April 3, 2012 / Notices 20097 

determinations needed to conclude the 

environmental review process. 

(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: March 27, 2012. 

Yvette G. Taylor, 

Regional Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 2012–7897 Filed 4–2–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Transit Administration 

Intent To Prepare an Environmental 

Impact Statement for the Georgia 

Multi-Modal Passenger Terminal 

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration 

(FTA), United States Department of 

Transportation (USDOT). 

ACTION: Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare 

an Environmental Impact Statement 

(EIS). 

SUMMARY: The FTA and the Georgia 

Department of Transportation (GDOT) 

intend to prepare an Environmental 

Impact Statement (EIS) for a proposed 

transit terminal project in Atlanta, 

Fulton County, Georgia. The EIS will be 

prepared in accordance with the 

National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA: 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) of 1969 

and the regulations implementing NEPA 

set forth in 40 CFR Parts 1500–1508 and 

23 CFR Part 771, as well as provision of 

the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and 

Efficient Transportation Equity Act—A 

Legacy for Users (SAFETEA–LU). 

The purpose of this Notice is to: 

• Advise the public of FTA serving as 

the lead Federal agency; 

• Provide information on the 

proposed project, purpose and need for 

the project, and alternatives to be 

considered; and 

• Invite public and agency 

participation in the EIS process. 

The EIS will examine alternatives to 

provide a facility to serve as a 

destination and transfer point for a 

variety of regional and local 

transportation services in Downtown 

Atlanta. 

DATES: The date, time, and location for 

the public scoping meetings are as 

follows: 

April 24, 2012 

4 p.m. to 7 p.m. 

Georgia Railroad Freight Depot, The 

Freight Room, 65 Martin Luther King Jr. 

Drive SE., Atlanta, GA 30303. 

May 1, 2012 

11 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

Georgia State University Student 

Center, Court Salon, 44 Gilmer Street, 

Atlanta, GA 30302. 

May 3, 2012 

4 p.m. to 7 p.m. 

Antioch Baptist Church North, 540 

Cameron M. Alexander Blvd. NW., 

Atlanta, Georgia, 30318. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the 

project should be sent to: 

Jonathan Cox, Georgia Department of 

Transportation, One Georgia Center, 600 

West Peachtree Street NW., Atlanta, 

Georgia 30308. Telephone: (404) 631– 

1197. Email: jocox@dot.ga.gov. 

Brian Smart, Federal Transit 

Administration, 230 Peachtree Street 

NW., Suite 800, Atlanta, GA 30327. 

Telephone: 404–865–5607. Email: 

brian.smart@dot.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 

accordance with Section 6002 of 

SAFETEA–LU, FTA and GDOT invite 

comment on the scope of the EIS, 

specifically on the project’s purpose and 

need, the alternatives to be evaluated 

that may address the purpose and need, 

and the potential impacts of the 

alternatives considered. 

1. Scoping 

On April 24, 2012, May 1, 2012, and 

May 3, 2012, public scoping meetings 

will be held to solicit public comments 

on the scope of the EIS. Oral and written 

comments will be accepted from the 

public at the scoping meeting. If special 

services such as translation, including 

sign language, are needed, please 

contact Jonathan Cox at the number 

listed above. 

A notice of the public scoping briefing 

will be published in local newspapers 

and on the project Web site 

(www.georgiap3.com/mmpt). The notice 

will also identify the closing date of the 

public comment period on the scope of 

the EIS. 

2. Description of the Project Area 

The historic hub of Atlanta’s freight 

railroads lies just west of the Five Points 

intersection in Downtown Atlanta. 

While some lines remain active, others 

have been converted to passenger use by 

the Metropolitan Atlanta Regional 

Transportation Authority (MARTA) or 

are abandoned. Portions of Atlanta’s 

massive rail yards were decked over for 

large-scale public and private 

developments, including CNN Center, 

the Georgia World Congress Center, 

Philips Arena, and the Georgia Dome. 

In-between Five Points and the CNN 

Center, a portion of the former rail yards 

serve as parking or vacant land. The 

street grid crosses these parcels on 

viaduct such that the parking and 

vacant land is 20 feet or so below 

ground elevation. This area of parking 

and vacant land is commonly referred to 

as the ‘‘Gulch.’’ 

The EIS will focus on an area 

bounded by Centennial Olympic Park 

Drive to the west, Trinity Avenue to the 

south, Peachtree Street to the east, and 

Marietta Street to the north. Many 

blocks in this area are surface or 

structured parking or vacant buildings 

or lots. A few parcels contain office or 

commercial uses. 

3. Purpose and Need 

The Atlanta region lacks a 

transportation hub that provides a 

central facility and transfer point for its 

variety of existing and future inter-city, 

regional and local modal services. At 

the same time, the Gulch creates a large 

void in the downtown that physically 

and psychologically isolates 

surrounding destinations and districts 

from one another. 

The purpose of the Georgia Multimodal Passenger Terminal is to 

establish a multimodal hub to enhance 

regional mobility and connectivity 

among existing and proposed transit 

systems; to establish new connections 

between downtown neighborhoods; and 

to provide the opportunity to fill the 

Gulch, which will create an activity 

center and link existing and planned 

residential, employment and 

entertainment destinations in and near 

Downtown Atlanta. 

The EIS will evaluate alternatives that 

address the following project goals: 

(1) Provide a facility to serve as a 

destination and transfer point for a 

variety of regional and local 

transportation services; 

(2) Improve passenger and freight 

connectivity in and within downtown 

Atlanta; and 

(3) Attract new or renewed 

investment in a transit-centered 

environment. 

4. Alternatives 

FTA and GDOT will consider all 

reasonable alternatives to provide a 

multi-modal passenger terminal, and 

potentially related development that 

meet the purpose and need defined 

above. The alternatives considered will 

include at least a No Build Alternative 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

20098 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 64 / Tuesday, April 3, 2012 / Notices 

and one Build Alternative. The No 

Build Alternative consists of the 

transportation system expected to be in 

place in the project design year if the 

proposed project were not built. It 

includes all other projects currently in 

the Regional Transportation Plan and 

the Atlanta Regional Commission’s 

Transportation Improvement Program 

(TIP) for the planning horizon. The 

Build alternatives will involve 

construction of a new multi-modal 

transit terminal and contributing 

features and amenities within the 

Gulch. Preliminary alternatives will be 

presented to the public during the 

scoping process for the EIS, and the 

public will have the opportunity to 

comment on the alternatives. The EIS 

will consider all reasonable alternatives 

that meet the project purpose and need 

and are considered prudent options by 

the project sponsors, agencies, and the 

public during the scoping process. 

5. Probable Effects 

The EIS will consider in detail the 

potential environmental effects of the 

alternatives under consideration based 

on the current scoping efforts. The Draft 

EIS (DEIS) and Final EIS (FEIS) will 

summarize the results of coordination 

with federal, state, and local agencies 

and the public at large; present the 

appropriate federal, state, and local 

regulations and policies; inventory and 

compile previous studies pertinent to 

the project; describe the methodology 

used to assess impacts; identify and 

describe the affected environment; 

analyze and document the constructionrelated (short-term) and operational 

(long-term) environmental 

consequences (direct, indirect, and 

cumulative) of the project alternatives; 

and identify opportunities and measures 

that mitigate any identified adverse 

impacts. The specific scope of analysis 

and study areas used to undertake the 

analysis in the EIS will be established 

during the public and agency scoping 

process. 

6. FTA Procedures 

The EIS is being prepared in 

accordance with the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 

(NEPA), as amended, and implemented 

by the Council on Environmental 

Quality (CEQ) regulations (40 CFR parts 

1500 to 1508) and FHWA environmental 

impact regulations (49 CFR part 622, 23 

CFR Part 771, and 23 CFR part 774) and 

Section 6002 of the Safe, Accountable, 

Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity 

Act—A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA– 

LU) of 2005. This EIS will also comply 

with requirements of Section 106 of the 

National Historic Preservation Act of 

1966, as amended, Section 4(f) of the 

U.S. Department of Transportation Act 

of 1966, the 1990 Clean Air Act 

Amendments, Executive Order 12898 

(Federal Actions to Address 

Environmental Justice in Minority and 

Low-Income Populations), Executive 

Order 11990 (Protection of Wetlands), 

and other applicable federal laws, rules, 

and regulations. This EIS will also 

satisfy environmental review 

requirements of the Georgia 

Environmental Policy Act (GEPA). 

Regulations implementing NEPA, as 

well as provisions of SAFETEA–LU, call 

for enhanced agency and public 

involvement in the EIS process. An 

invitation to all Federal and non-Federal 

agencies and Native American tribes 

that may have an interest in the 

proposed project will be extended. In 

the event that an agency or tribe is not 

invited and would like to participate, 

please contact Jonathan Cox at the 

contact information listed above. A 

Coordination Plan and Public 

Involvement Plan have been developed 

summarizing how the public and 

agencies will be engaged in the process. 

The plans will be posted to the project 

Web site (www.dot.ga.gov/MMPT). The 

public coordination and outreach efforts 

will include public meetings, open 

houses, a project Web site, stakeholder 

advisory and work groups, and public 

hearings. 

The project sponsor may identify a 

locally preferred alternative in the DEIS 

when made available for public and 

agency comments. Public hearings on 

the DEIS will be held in Fulton County. 

On the basis of the DEIS and the public 

and agency comments received, the 

Project Sponsor will identify the locally 

preferred alternative in the FEIS. The 

FEIS will serve as the basis for federal 

and state environmental findings and 

determinations needed to conclude the 

environmental review process. 

(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: March 27, 2012. 

Yvette G. Taylor, 

Regional Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 2012–7892 Filed 4–2–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Maritime Administration 

[Docket No. MARAD–2012 0034] 

Inventory of U.S.-Flag Launch Barges 

AGENCY: Maritime Administration, 

Department of Transportation. 

ACTION: Inventory of U.S.-Flag Launch 

Barges. 

SUMMARY: The Maritime Administration 

is updating its inventory of U.S.-flag 

launch barges. Additions, changes and 

comments to the list are requested. 

Launch barge information may be found 

at http://www.marad.dot.gov/ 

ships_shipping_landing_page/ 

domestic_shipping/ 

launch_barge_program/ 

Launch_Barge_Program.htm. 

DATES: Any comments on this inventory 

should be submitted in writing to the 

contact person by May 3, 2012. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Joann Spittle, Office of Cargo Preference 

and Domestic Trade, Maritime 

Administration, MAR–730, 1200 New 

Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 

20590. Telephone 202–366–5979; email: 

Joann.Spittle@dot.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant 

to 46 CFR part 389 (Docket No. 

MARAD–2008–0045) Determination of 

Availability of Coastwise-Qualified 

Vessels for the Transportation of 

Platform Jackets, the Final Rule requires 

that the Maritime Administration 

publish a notice in the Federal Register 

requesting that owners or operators (or 

potential owners or operators) of 

coastwise qualified launch barges notify 

us of: 

(1) Their interest in participating in 

the transportation and, if needed, the 

launching or installation of offshore 

platform jackets; (2) the contact 

information for their company; and, (3) 

the specifications of any currently 

owned or operated coastwise qualified 

launch barges or plans to construct 

same. In addition, we are also seeking 

information on non-coastwise qualified 

(U.S.-flag) launch barges as well. 

Privacy Act 

Anyone is able to search the 

electronic form of all comments 

received into any of our dockets by the 

name of the individual submitting the 

comment (or signing the comment, if 

submitted on behalf of an association, 

business, labor union, etc.). You may 

review DOT’s complete Privacy Act 

Statement in the Federal Register 

published on April 11, 2000 (Volume 

65, Number 70; Pages 19477–78). 

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