3706 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 13 / Friday, January 19, 2024 / Notices 

Agency to terminate the exemption. If 

comments are received to the public 

docket, FMCSA will publish a second 

Federal Register notice affirming or 

revoking the renewal. The exemption 

from the requirements of 49 CFR 

395.3(a)(1) (the 10-hour off-duty rule) 

and (a)(2) (the ‘‘14-hour rule’’) is 

otherwise effective beginning April 17, 

2024, through April 16, 2029, 11:59 p.m. 

local time, unless previously revoked. 

B. Applicability of Exemption 

During the exemption period, 

WestRock’s shipping department 

employees and occasional substitute 

CDL holders who transport paper mill 

products between the shipping and 

receiving locations along the designated 

route on Compress Street in 

Chattanooga, TN, may work up to 16 

consecutive hours in a duty period and 

return to work with a minimum of at 

least 8 hours off duty when necessary. 

C. Terms and Conditions 

The exemption is restricted to 

shipping department employees and 

occasional substitute CDL holders 

employed by WestRock who are 

exclusively assigned to a specific route. 

This specific route is entirely on 

Compress Street, between WestRock’s 

shipping and receiving departments, 

measuring approximately 275 feet in 

one direction. 

D. Preemption 

In accordance with 49 U.S.C. 

31315(d), as implemented by 49 CFR 

381.600, during the period this 

exemption is in effect, no State shall 

enforce any law or regulation that 

conflicts with or is inconsistent with 

this exemption with respect to a firm or 

person operating under the exemption. 

E. Notification to FMCSA 

WestRock must notify FMCSA within 

5 business days of any accident (as 

defined in 49 CFR 390.5), involving any 

of the motor carrier’s CMVs operating 

under the terms of this exemption. The 

notification must include the following 

information: 

(a) Name of the exemption: 

‘‘WestRock’’; 

(b) Date of the accident; 

(c) City or town, and State, in which 

the accident occurred, or which is 

closest to the accident scene; 

(d) Driver’s name and license number; 

(e) Vehicle number and State license 

number; 

(f) Number of individuals suffering 

physical injury; 

(g) Number of fatalities; 

(h) The police-reported cause of the 

accident; 

(i) Whether the driver was cited for 

violation of any traffic laws, motor 

carrier safety regulations; and 

(j) The driver’s total driving time and 

total on-duty time prior to the accident. 

Reports filed under this provision 

shall be emailed to MCPSD@DOT.GOV. 

F. Termination 

FMCSA does not believe the drivers 

covered by this exemption will 

experience any deterioration of their 

safety record. The exemption will be 

rescinded if: (1) WestRock and drivers 

operating under the exemption fail to 

comply with the terms and conditions 

of the exemption; (2) the exemption has 

resulted in a lower level of safety than 

was maintained before it was granted; or 

(3) continuation of the exemption would 

not be consistent with the goals and 

objects of 49 U.S.C. 31136(e) and 

31315(b). 

VI. Request for Comments 

FMCSA requests public comment 

from all interested persons regarding 

WestRock’s application for a renewal of 

the exemption. The Agency will 

evaluate any adverse evidence 

submitted and, if it determines safety is 

being compromised or if continuation of 

the exemption would not be consistent 

with the goals and objectives of 49 

U.S.C. 31136(e) and 31315(b), FMCSA 

may take immediate steps to revoke or 

modify the exemption. 

Robin Hutcheson, 

Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 2024–00939 Filed 1–18–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–EX–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Transit Administration 

Preparation of an Environmental 

Impact Statement for the Austin Light 

Rail Project in Austin, Texas 

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration 

(FTA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an 

environmental impact statement. 

SUMMARY: The Federal Transit 

Administration (FTA), as lead Federal 

agency, and the Austin Transit 

Partnership (ATP), as local project 

sponsor and joint lead agency 

(collectively, the Agencies), issue this 

notice to advise the public that they 

intend to prepare an environmental 

impact statement (EIS) for Phase 1 of the 

Austin Light Rail Project (the Project) in 

Austin, Texas (City) pursuant to the 

National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA). The Project is a proposed 9.8- 

mile light rail transit (LRT) branched 

line, including 15 stations, from points 

north, south, and east of downtown 

Austin, as well as an operations and 

maintenance facility (OMF), 

maintenance of way (MOW) shops, and 

associated LRT equipment storage 

functions. FTA has determined that the 

Project is sufficiently developed to 

allow for meaningful public comment 

and requires an EIS. 

DATES: Comments related to the NEPA 

review of the Project must be received 

on or before March 4, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: Comments on the scope of 

the EIS should be sent to: Austin Transit 

Partnership, 203 Colorado St., Austin, 

TX 78701 or via email at input@

atptx.org. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

FTA: Mr. Terence Plaskon, Federal 

Transit Administration, Region VI, 819 

Taylor Street, Fort Worth, TX 76102, at 

(817) 978–0573 or terence.plaskon@

dot.gov. For ATP: Mr. Deron Lozano, 

Austin Transit Partnership, 203 

Colorado Street, Austin, TX 78701, at 

(512) 923–3257 or deron.lozano@

atptx.org. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Agencies will prepare the EIS in 

accordance with NEPA and its 

implementing regulations. The EIS will 

evaluate two alternatives: a No Build 

Alternative and a Build Alternative. 

After circulation of the draft EIS (DEIS) 

and consideration of comments 

received, FTA intends to issue a 

combined final EIS (FEIS)/Record of 

Decision (ROD) document pursuant to 

23 U.S.C. 139(n)(2), unless statutory 

criteria preclude issuance of a combined 

document (i.e., the FEIS makes 

substantial changes to the proposed 

action that are relevant to 

environmental or safety concerns or 

there is a significant new circumstance 

or information relevant to 

environmental concerns that affect the 

proposed action or its impacts). FTA is 

currently evaluating the Project’s 

eligibility for discretionary Federal 

funding under FTA’s Capital Investment 

Grants program. 

I. Purpose and Need for the Proposed 

Action 

The Project is part of the Project 

Connect Long-Term Vision Plan (Project 

Connect). Project Connect includes 

high-capacity transit (HCT) corridors 

and is an integral part of the Austin 

Strategic Mobility Plan that was 

approved by the Austin City Council in 

2019. In 2020, the Capital Area 

Metropolitan Planning Organization 

adopted its 2045 Regional 

Transportation Plan which included 


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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 13 / Friday, January 19, 2024 / Notices 3707 

HCT corridors as priority transit capital 

investments. On November 3, 2020, City 

of Austin voters approved a ballot 

measure (Proposition A) to increase the 

City’s property tax rate to provide a 

dedicated local funding source for 

Project Connect, including LRT. ATP, 

an independent local government 

corporation, is responsible for the 

financing, design, and construction of 

the Project. Respective obligations and 

roles related to operation and 

maintenance of the Project, including 

future funding obligations of ATP, will 

be detailed in a binding implementation 

agreement between ATP, the City, and 

the Capital Metropolitan Transportation 

Authority (CapMetro), the local 

transportation authority. 

In 2020, FTA and CapMetro 

completed two Planning and 

Environmental Linkages (PEL) studies 

following Federal guidance that 

documented the alternatives analysis, 

the purpose and needs, and public 

outreach which led to the selection of a 

locally preferred alternative for an LRT 

system. The PEL process resulted in 

broad public support of the purpose and 

needs and the alternatives analysis. 

However, as the initial environmental 

review process unfolded and design 

work for LRT advanced, the estimated 

project construction costs increased. 

The primary cost drivers were 

increasing real estate costs, inflation, 

supply chain cost escalations, and 

desired scope refinements. Due to this 

material change in circumstances, it 

became clear the LRT alignment and 

design warranted adjustment to ensure 

ATP could deliver a project that was 

fiscally feasible and responsive to the 

needs of the public. In July 2022, taking 

the original PEL studies and cost 

escalation factors into account, ATP 

commenced community-driven 

planning efforts to develop a viable and 

affordable alternative LRT 

implementation plan that addresses the 

purpose and need of providing quality 

and reliable HCT to the Austin 

metropolitan area. On June 6, 2023, the 

City, ATP, and CapMetro unanimously 

approved the advancement of the 

Project into the next phase of 

implementation. 

The purpose of the Project is to meet 

growing corridor travel demand with a 

reliable, safe, cost-effective, time 

competitive, sustainable, and equitable 

LRT system. The lack of transportation 

options and limited roadway capacity to 

accommodate growth in central Texas 

may hinder the continued vitality and 

economic health of the City and 

surrounding areas in the future. 

Inadequate transit access coupled with 

rising travel demand have resulted in 

longer travel times, decreased mobility, 

and additional travel costs for residents 

and businesses. The Project is needed 

to: 

• increase transportation network 

capacity to meet existing travel demand; 

• sustainably support the Austin 

area’s population and employment 

growth; 

• improve transit access between 

affordable housing and jobs; and 

• support growth of and connectivity 

to regional activity centers designated in 

local land use plans. 

II. Description of Proposed Action and 

Alternatives 

The EIS will evaluate two 

alternatives: a No Build Alternative and 

a Build Alternative. The No Build, or No 

Action, Alternative includes existing 

and committed improvements to the 

regional transportation network, not 

including the Project, that are expected 

to be operational by 2045. The No Build 

Alternative is included as a benchmark 

against which the impacts of the Build 

Alternative can be compared. The Build 

Alternative is a 9.8-mile LRT branched 

line (see the project website at https:// 

www.atptx.org/about/light-rail/). 

Beginning at the intersection of 

Guadalupe Street and 38th Street, the 

in-street, LRT-dedicated, double-tracked 

alignment would extend south past the 

University of Texas and the Texas State 

Capitol. At the intersection of 

Guadalupe and 3rd Streets, the 

alignment would extend east on 3rd 

Street, cross Congress Avenue, and 

connect to Trinity Street. The alignment 

would continue south on Trinity Street 

and cross Lady Bird Lake on a new LRTdedicated bridge. On the south shore of 

Lady Bird Lake, the alignment would 

connect to and split on East Riverside 

Drive, where it would split into two 

branches. The western branch of the 

split would cross East Bouldin Creek 

and extend south on South Congress 

Avenue with a terminus at the 

intersection of South Congress Avenue 

and Oltorf Street. The eastern branch of 

the split would continue southeast 

along East Riverside Drive with a 

terminus just west of SH–71 at the 

Yellow Jacket station. 

An OMF would be located in the 

vicinity of the US–183/SH–71 

interchange near Airport Commerce 

Drive in a light-industrial use area. The 

proposed site would include space for 

administration, operations and 

maintenance staff, an LRT control 

center, and light rail vehicle (LRV) 

maintenance. The OMF would also 

serve as an LRV storage yard with the 

capacity to support both LRV operations 

and fleet storage. The OMF would 

include MOW shops and associated LRT 

equipment storage functions. 

III. Summary of Expected Impacts 

The Agencies will evaluate the No 

Build and Build Alternatives for 

potential direct, indirect, and 

cumulative impacts (including benefits) 

to the natural, built, and social 

environments. Resources to be 

evaluated and potential impact areas 

include, but are not limited to, 

transportation, land use, 

socioeconomics and economic 

development, parklands and 

recreational facilities, neighborhoods 

and community facilities, 

environmental justice, noise and 

vibration, hazardous materials, 

ecosystems, water resources, residential 

and commercial displacements and 

relocations, historic and archaeological 

resources, visual quality, vegetation, air 

quality (including greenhouse gas 

emissions), and energy. The potential 

effects of the construction and operation 

of the Project on these resources will be 

evaluated for the short-term 

construction period and long-term 

operation of each alternative. Measures 

to avoid, minimize, or mitigate potential 

adverse impacts will be evaluated and 

proposed. 

IV. Anticipated Permits and Other 

Authorizations 

The Agencies anticipate that required 

permits and other authorizations may 

include: 

• U.S. Department of Transportation 

section 4(f) determination; 

• U.S. Department of Interior 

approval under section 6(f) of the Land 

and Water Conservation Act; 

• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 

approval under section 404 of the Clean 

Water Act and/or section 10 of the River 

and Harbors Act. 

• Memorandum of Agreement with 

the State Historic Preservation Officer 

under section 106 of the National 

Historic Preservation Act; and 

V. Schedule for Decision-Making 

Process 

Below is a tentative schedule of major 

milestones for the EIS: 

• Scoping Period: January 19, 2024 to 

March 4, 2024. 

• DEIS Release, Public Hearing, and 

DEIS Public Comment Period: Fall 2024. 

• FEIS/ROD: Fall 2025. 

As noted in the tentative schedule, 

the Agencies intend to complete the EIS 

for the Project within two years, 

measured from the date of the 

publication of this notice to the date the 

ROD is signed. The Agencies will accept 

public comments on the scope of the 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
3708 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 13 / Friday, January 19, 2024 / Notices 

EIS at https://www.atptx.org/ until 

March 4, 2024. The Environmental 

Protection Agency will publish a notice 

of availability of the DEIS in the Federal 

Register and via local media outlets. 

ATP expects the DEIS will be available 

for a minimum of 45 days for the public 

comment period by Fall 2024. The DEIS 

will be distributed electronically and 

made available for public and agency 

review and comment prior to a public 

hearing. The Agencies will consider 

substantive comments timely submitted 

during the public comment period and 

then anticipate preparing a combined 

FEIS/ROD by Fall 2025. The FEIS/ROD 

will identify the NEPA preferred 

alternative and any necessary mitigation 

commitments. The Agencies expect that 

all Federal environmental authorization 

decisions for the construction of the 

Project will be completed within a 

reasonable period following issuance of 

the FEIS/ROD. 

Notices of public meetings, including 

hearings, have been, and will continue 

to be, given through a variety of media 

providing the time and place of the 

meeting along with other relevant 

information. Meeting date, time, and 

location information can be found on 

the Project website, Meetings and 

Events page, at https://www.atptx.org/. 

Public meeting locations will comply 

with the Americans with Disabilities 

Act. Persons needing special 

accommodations should contact Ms. 

Sophie Petkus at sophie.petkus@

atptx.org or (512) 917–2492. 

VI. Request for Identification of

Potential Alternatives, Information, and

Analysis

The Agencies invite all State, Tribal, 

local governments, and the public to 

comment on potential alternatives, 

information, impacts, and analyses to be 

considered in the EIS, as well as any 

other relevant information, studies, or 

analyses with respect to the proposed 

agency action. 

Gail Lyssy, 

Regional Administrator, FTA Region VI. 

[FR Doc. 2024–00963 Filed 1–18–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–57–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY 

Office of the Comptroller of the 

Currency 

FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM 

FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE 

CORPORATION 

Proposed Agency Information 

Collection Activities; Comment 

Request 

AGENCY: Office of the Comptroller of the 

Currency (OCC), Treasury; Board of 

Governors of the Federal Reserve 

System (Board); and Federal Deposit 

Insurance Corporation (FDIC). 

ACTION: Joint notice and request for 

comment. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

requirements of the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the OCC, 

the Board, and the FDIC (collectively, 

the ‘‘agencies’’) may not conduct or 

sponsor, and the respondent is not 

required to respond to, an information 

collection unless it displays a currently 

valid Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) control number. The Federal 

Financial Institutions Examination 

Council (FFIEC), of which the agencies 

are members, has approved the 

agencies’ publication for public 

comment of a proposal to revise and 

extend for three years, the Foreign 

Branch Report of Condition (FFIEC 030) 

and the Abbreviated Foreign Branch 

Report of Condition (FFIEC 030S), 

which are currently approved 

collections of information. The agencies 

are requesting comment on proposed 

revisions to the FFIEC 030 report that 

would incorporate new line items from 

the FR 2502q, Quarterly Report of 

Assets and Liabilities of Large Foreign 

Offices of U.S. Banks (OMB Control No. 

7100–0079). The revisions are proposed 

to take effect as of the June 30, 2024, 

report date. There are no proposed 

revisions to the FFIEC 030S at this time. 

DATES: Comments must be submitted on 

or before March 19, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: Interested parties are 

invited to submit written comments to 

any or all of the agencies. All comments, 

which should refer to the ‘‘FFIEC 030 or 

FFIEC 030S,’’ will be shared among the 

agencies. 

OCC: You may submit comments, 

which should refer to ‘‘FFIEC 030 or 

FFIEC 030S,’’ by any of the following 

methods: 

• Email: prainfo@occ.treas.gov.

• Mail: Chief Counsel’s Office,

Attention: Comment Processing, Office 

of the Comptroller of the Currency, 

Attention: 1557–0099, 400 7th Street 

SW, Suite 3E–218, Washington, DC 

20219. 

• Hand Delivery/Courier: 400 7th

Street SW, Suite 3E–218, Washington, 

DC 20219. 

• Fax: (571) 293–4835.

Instructions: You must include

‘‘OCC’’ as the agency name and ‘‘1557– 

0099’’ in your comment. In general, the 

OCC will publish comments on 

www.reginfo.gov without change, 

including any business or personal 

information provided, such as name and 

address information, email addresses, or 

phone numbers. Comments received, 

including attachments and other 

supporting materials, are part of the 

public record and subject to public 

disclosure. Do not include any 

information in your comment or 

supporting materials that you consider 

confidential or inappropriate for public 

disclosure. 

Following the close of this notice’s 

60-day comment period, the OCC will

publish a second notice with a 30-day

comment period. You may review

comments and other related materials

that pertain to this information

collection beginning on the date of

publication of the second notice for this

collection by the method set forth in the

next bullet.

• Viewing Comments Electronically:

Go to www.reginfo.gov. Hover over the 

‘‘Information Collection Review’’ tab 

and click on ‘‘Information Collection 

Review’’ from the drop-down menu. 

From the ‘‘Currently under Review’’ 

drop-down menu, select ‘‘Department of 

Treasury’’ and then click ‘‘submit.’’ This 

information collection can be located by 

searching OMB control number ‘‘1557– 

0099’’ or ‘‘FFIEC 030 or FFIEC 030S.’’ 

Upon finding the appropriate 

information collection, click on the 

related ‘‘ICR Reference Number.’’ On the 

next screen, select ‘‘View Supporting 

Statement and Other Documents’’ and 

then click on the link to any comment 

listed at the bottom of the screen. 

• For assistance in navigating

www.reginfo.gov, please contact the 

Regulatory Information Service Center 

at (202) 482–7340. 

Board: You may submit comments, 

which should refer to ‘‘FFIEC 030 or 

FFIEC 030S,’’ by any of the following 

methods: 

• Agency Website: http://

www.federalreserve.gov. Follow the 

instructions for submitting comments at: 

http://www.federalreserve.gov/ 

generalinfo/foia/ProposedRegs.cfm. 

• Email: regs.comments@

federalreserve.gov. Include ‘‘FFIEC 030 

or FFIEC 030S’’ in the subject line of the 

message. 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1