Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 204 / Friday, October 20, 2000 / Notices 63115

1Stagecoach controls Coach through various

subsidiaries, namely, SUS 1 Limited, SUS 2

Limited, Stagecoach Nevada, and SCH US Holdings

Corp. 2See Stagecoach Holdings PLC—Control—Coach

USA, Inc., et al., STB Docket No. MC–F–20948 (STB

served July 22, 1999). 3See Coach USA, Inc. and Coach USA North

Central, Inc.—Control—Nine Motor Carriers of

Passengers, STB Docket No. MC–F–20931, et al.

(STB served July 14, 1999). 4Royal is a Florida corporation, based in San

Diego, CA. It holds federally-issued operating

authority in Docket No. MC–239135, authorizing it

to provide charter and special services between

points in the United States, as well as regular route

service between specified points in California and

other southwestern states. Royal also holds

intrastate operating authority issued by the

California Public Service Commission. Royal

operates a fleet of 29 buses and one van and

employs approximately 56 employees. Its

operations are composed primarily of charter

services provided in California and between

California and other states. For the 12-month period

ended June 30, 2000, Royal earned operating

revenues of approximately $3.6 million.

information; and (4) ways that the

burdens could be minimized, including

the use of electronic technology,

without reducing the quality of the

collected information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Carmen Sevier, (202) 366–1595, Civil

Rights Service Business Unit, Federal

Highway Administration, 400 7th Street,

SW., Washington, DC 20590–0001.

Office hours are from 7:45 a.m. to 4:15

p.m., Monday through Friday, except

Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

OMB Control Number: 2125–0019

(Expiration Date: December 31, 2000).

Title: Federal-Aid Highway

Construction Equal Employment

Opportunity.

Abstract: Under the provisions of

Title 23 U.S.C. Part 140(a), the Federal

Highway Administration (FHWA) is

required to ensure equal opportunity in

contractors’ employment practices on

federal-aid highway projects. In order to

implement this provision of the law,

FHWA regulation, 23 CFR 230, Subpart

A, requires that contractors submit to

State Departments of Transportation

(State DOTs) an annual report providing

employment workforce data, which

includes the number of minorities,

women, and non-minority group

employees in each construction craft.

The information is reported on Form

PR–1391, Federal-Aid Highway

Construction Contractors Annual EEO

Report. The regulation also requires

State DOTs to submit an annual report

to FHWA summarizing PR–1391 data.

This summary is provided on Form PR–

1392, Federal-aid Highway

Construction, Summary of Employment

Data.

Affected Public: Approximately 4,500

Federal-aid contractors and 52 State

Departments of Transportation.

Estimated Total Annual Burden

Hours: 3,916. FHWA estimates that

approximately 4,500 federal-aid

contractors are required to complete and

submit Form PR–1391 for

approximately 7,000 projects and that

each report takes approximately 30

minutes. In addition, FHWA estimates

that it takes each State DOT

approximately 8 hours to complete and

submit Form PR–1392.

Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act

of 1995; 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended;

and 49 CFR 1.48.

Issued on: October 16, 2000.

James R. Kabel,

Chief, Management Programs and Analysis

Division.

[FR Doc. 00–26996 Filed 10–19–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–22–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

[STB Docket No. MC–F–20974]

Stagecoach Holdings PLC and Coach

USA, Inc., et al.—Control—Royal West

Tours & Cruises, Inc.

AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board,

Transportation.

ACTION: Notice tentatively approving

finance transaction.

SUMMARY: Stagecoach Holdings PLC

(Stagecoach) and its subsidiary, Coach

USA, Inc. (Coach), noncarriers, and

various subsidiaries of each

(collectively, applicants), filed an

application under 49 U.S.C. 14303 to

acquire control of Royal West Tours &

Cruises, Inc. (Royal), a motor passenger

carrier. Persons wishing to oppose this

application must follow the rules under

49 CFR part 1182.5 and 1182.8. The

Board has tentatively approved the

transaction, and, if no opposing

comments are timely filed, this notice

will be the final Board action.

DATES: Comments must be filed by

December 4, 2000. Applicants may file

a reply by December 19, 2000. If no

comments are filed by December 4,

2000, this notice is effective on that

date.

ADDRESSES: Send an original and 10

copies of any comments referring to STB

Docket No. MC–F–20974 to: Surface

Transportation Board, Office of the

Secretary, Case Control Unit, 1925 K

Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20423–

0001. In addition, send one copy of any

comments to applicants’

representatives: Betty Jo Christian and

David H. Coburn, Steptoe & Johnson

LLP, 1330 Connecticut Avenue, N.W.,

Washington, DC 20036–1795.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Joseph H. Dettmar (202) 565–1600. [TDD

for the hearing impaired: 1–800–877–

8339.]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Stagecoach is a public limited

corporation organized under the laws of

Scotland. With operations in several

countries, Stagecoach is one of the

world’s largest providers of passenger

transportation services. Stagecoach had

annual revenues of $3.29 billion for the

fiscal year ending April 30, 2000. Coach

is a Delaware corporation that currently

controls over 80 motor passenger

carriers.

Stagecoach and its subsidiaries

currently control Coach,1 its noncarrier

regional management subsidiaries, and

the motor passenger carriers jointly

controlled by Coach and the

management subsidiaries.2 In previous

Board decisions, Coach management

subsidiaries, including Coach USA

West, Inc., have obtained authority to

control motor passenger carriers jointly

with Coach.3

Applicants state that, on July 25,

2000, Coach purchased all of the stock

of Royal, a motor passenger carrier

holding federally authorized operating

authority. Simultaneously with that

acquisition, Coach placed the stock of

Royal into an independent voting trust.

The control transaction that is the

subject of this application will not

involve any further transfer of the

federal operating authority held by

Royal and will not entail any change in

its operations.4 Royal will also be jointly

controlled by Coach USA West, Inc.

Applicants have submitted

information, as required by 49 CFR

1182.2(a)(7), to demonstrate that the

proposed acquisition of control is

consistent with the public interest

under 49 U.S.C. 14303(b). Applicants

state that the proposed transaction will

not reduce competitive options,

adversely impact fixed charges, or

adversely impact the interests of the

employees of Royal. Applicants assert

that granting the application will allow

Royal to take advantage of economies of

scale and substantial benefits offered by

applicants, including interest cost

savings and reduced operating costs. In

addition, applicants have submitted all

of the other statements and

certifications required by 49 CFR

1182.2. Additional information,

including a copy of the application, may

be obtained from the applicants’

representatives.

Under 49 U.S.C. 14303(b), we must

approve and authorize a transaction we

63116 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 204 / Friday, October 20, 2000 / Notices

1The Board will grant a stay if an informed

decision on environmental issues (whether raised

by a party or by the Board’s Section of

Environmental Analysis in its independent

investigation) cannot be made before the

exemption’s effective date. See Exemption of Outof-Service Rail Lines, 5 I.C.C.2d 377 (1989). Any

request for a stay should be filed as soon as possible

so that the Board may take appropriate action before

the exemption’s effective date.

2Each offer of financial assistance must be

accompanied by the filing fee, which currently is

set at $1000. See 49 CFR 1002.2(f)(25).

find consistent with the public interest,

taking into consideration at least: (1)

The effect of the transaction on the

adequacy of transportation to the public;

(2) the total fixed charges that result;

and (3) the interest of affected carrier

employees.

On the basis of the application, we

find that the proposed acquisition of

control is consistent with the public

interest and should be authorized. If any

opposing comments are timely filed,

this finding will be deemed vacated

and, unless a final decision can be made

on the record as developed, a

procedural schedule will be adopted to

reconsider the application. See 49 CFR

1182.6(c). If no opposing comments are

filed by the expiration of the comment

period, this decision will take effect

automatically and will be the final

Board action.

Board decisions and notices are

available on our website at

‘‘WWW.STB.DOT.GOV.’’

This decision will not significantly

affect either the quality of the human

environment or the conservation of

energy resources.

It is ordered:

1. The proposed acquisition of control

is approved and authorized, subject to

the filing of opposing comments.

2. If timely opposing comments are

filed, the findings made in this decision

will be deemed as having been vacated.

3. This decision will be effective on

December 4, 2000, unless timely

opposing comments are filed.

4. A copy of this notice will be served

on: (1) The U.S. Department of

Transportation, Federal Motor Carrier

Safety Administration—MC–RI, 400

Virginia Avenue, S.W., Suite 600,

Washington, DC 20024; (2) the U.S.

Department of Justice, Antitrust

Division, 10th Street & Pennsylvania

Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20530;

and (3) the U.S. Department of

Transportation, Office of the General

Counsel, 400 7th Street, S.W.,

Washington, DC 20590.

Decided: October 13, 2000.

By the Board, Chairman Morgan, Vice

Chairman Burkes, and Commissioner

Clyburn.

Vernon A. Williams,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 00–27070 Filed 10–19–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4195–00–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

[STB Docket No. AB–414 (Sub-No. 3X)]

Iowa Interstate Railroad, Ltd.—

Abandonment Exemption—in Marion

and Jasper Counties, IA

Iowa Interstate Railroad, Ltd. (IAIS)

has filed a notice of exemption under 49

CFR Part 1152 Subpart F—Exempt

Abandonments and Discontinuances to

abandon a 13.36-mile line of railroad

between milepost 123.50 near Otley and

milepost 136.86 near Prairie City, in

Marion and Jasper Counties, IA. The

line traverses United States Postal

Service Zip Codes 50170, 50214, 50219

and 50228.

IAIS has certified that: (1) No local

traffic has moved over the line for at

least 2 years; (2) there is no overhead

traffic on the line; (3) no formal

complaint filed by a user of rail service

on the line (or by a state or local

government entity acting on behalf of

such user) regarding cessation of service

over the line either is pending with the

Surface Transportation Board (Board) or

with any U.S. District Court or has been

decided in favor of complainant within

the 2-year period; and (4) the

requirements at 49 CFR 1105.7

(environmental reports), 49 CFR 1105.8

(historic reports), 49 CFR 1105.11

(transmittal letter), 49 CFR 1105.12

(newspaper publication), and 49 CFR

1152.50(d)(1) (notice to governmental

agencies) have been met.

As a condition to this exemption, any

employee adversely affected by the

abandonment shall be protected under

Oregon Short Line R. Co.—

Abandonment—Goshen, 360 I.C.C. 91

(1979). To address whether this

condition adequately protects affected

employees, a petition for partial

revocation under 49 U.S.C. 10502(d)

must be filed. Provided no formal

expression of intent to file an offer of

financial assistance (OFA) has been

received, this exemption will be

effective on November 21, 2000, unless

stayed pending reconsideration.

Petitions to stay that do not involve

environmental issues,1 formal

expressions of intent to file an OFA

under 49 CFR 1152.27(c)(2),2 and trail

use/rail banking requests under 49 CFR

1152.29 must be filed by October 30,

2000. Petitions to reopen or requests for

public use conditions under 49 CFR

1152.28 must be filed by November 9,

2000, with: Surface Transportation

Board, Office of the Secretary, Case

Control Unit, 1925 K Street, N.W.,

Washington, DC 20423.

A copy of any petition filed with the

Board should be sent to applicant’s

representative: T. Scott Bannister, 1300

Des Moines Building, 405—Sixth

Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50309.

If the verified notice contains false or

misleading information, the exemption

is void ab initio.

IAIS has filed an environmental

report which addresses the

abandonment’s effects, if any, on the

environment and historic resources. The

Section of Environmental Analysis

(SEA) will issue an environmental

assessment (EA) by October 25, 2000.

Interested persons may obtain a copy of

the EA by writing to SEA (Room 500,

Surface Transportation Board,

Washington, DC 20423) or by calling

SEA, at (202) 565–1545. Comments on

environmental and historic preservation

matters must be filed within 15 days

after the EA becomes available to the

public.

Environmental, historic preservation,

public use, or trail use/rail banking

conditions will be imposed, where

appropriate, in a subsequent decision.

Pursuant to the provisions of 49 CFR

1152.29(e)(2), IAIS shall file a notice of

consummation with the Board to signify

that it has exercised the authority

granted and fully abandoned the line. If

consummation has not been effected by

IAIS’s filing of a notice of

consummation by October 20, 2001, and

there are no legal or regulatory barriers

to consummation, the authority to

abandon will automatically expire.

Board decisions and notices are

available on our website at

‘‘WWW.STB.DOT.GOV.’’

Decided: October 13, 2000.

By the Board, David M. Konschnik,

Director, Office of Proceedings.

Vernon A. Williams,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 00–27069 Filed 10–19–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4915–00–P