Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 223 / Friday, November 17, 2000 / Notices 69601

through Friday, except Federal holidays.

The telephone number is 202–366–

9329.

The DMS maintains these public

docket for this requests. Comments will

become part of this docket and will be

available for inspection or copying in

room PL–401, located on the Plaza Level

of the Nassif Building at the above

address between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.,

Monday through Friday, except Federal

holidays. You may also access this

docket on the Internet at http://

dms.dot.gov. 

Copies of the complete ICRs are

available through this docket on the

Internet at http://dms.dot.gov and also

from Commandant (G–CIM–2), U.S.

Coast Guard Headquarters, room 6106

(Attn: Barbara Davis), 2100 Second

Street SW., Washington, DC 20593–

0001. The telephone number is 202–

267–2326.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Barbara Davis, Office of Information

Management, 202–267–2326, for

questions on these documents; or

Dorothy Beard, Chief, Documentary

Services Division, U.S. Department of

Transportation, 202–366–9330, for

questions on the docket.

Request for Comments

The Coast Guard encourages

interested persons to submit written

comments. Persons submitting

comments should include their names

and addresses, identify this document

[USCG 2000–8252], and give the reason

for the comments. Please submit all

comments and attachments in an

unbound format no larger than 81⁄2 by

11 inches, suitable for copying and

electronic filing. Persons wanting

acknowledgment of receipt of comments

should enclose stamped, self-addressed

postcards or envelopes.

Information Collection Request

1. Title: U.S. Coast Guard Academy—

Preliminary Application and

Supplemental Forms.

OMB Control Number: 2115–0012.

Summary: Any person who wishes to

compete for an appointment as a Coast

Guard Cadet must fill out a Preliminary

Application and Supplemental Forms.

Need: 14 U.S.C. 211 authorizes the

Superintendent of the U.S. Coast Guard

Academy to ensure that qualified people

have every opportunity to compete for

appointments as cadets.

Respondents: Men and women

between the ages of 17 and 22.

Frequency: As needed.

Burden Estimate: The estimated

burden is 6,640 hours annually.

2. Title: International Oil Pollution

Prevention Certificate.

OMB Control Number: 2115–0518.

Summary: The information collected

aids in the prevention of pollution from

ships. An International Oil Pollution

Prevention Certificate and other records

serve to verify vessels’ compliance with

certain international and domestic rules

on shipping.

Need: 33 U.S.C. 1901–1915 require

that domestic rules implement

MARPOL 73/78.

Respondents: Owners and operators

of vessels.

Frequency: On occasion and every

five years.

Burden Estimate: The estimated

burden is 6,858 hours annually.

Dated: November 7, 2000.

S.A. Richardson,

Acting, Director of Information and

Technology.

[FR Doc. 00–29422 Filed 11–16–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–15–U

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

High Density Traffic Airports; Slot

Allocation and Transfer Method

ACTION: Statement of policy.

SUMMARY: This action explains the

adoption and implementation of a

temporary policy regarding the

minimum slot usage requirement for

slots and slot exemptions at LaGuardia

Airport for the winter season. A recent

increase in the total number of

operations at the airport, largely as a

result of recently enacted legislation

liberalizing access to slot-controlled

airports, has had a significant

operational impact at the airport. This

policy will assist carriers in addressing

operational issues by allowing limited

flexibility of the slot usage requirement.

EFFECTIVE DATE: Effective upon

publication.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Lorelei D. Peter, Office of the Chief

Counsel, AGC–230, Federal Aviation

Administration, 800 Independence

Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20591;

telephone number 202–267–3073.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

On April 5, 2000, the ‘‘Wendell H

Ford Aviation Investment and Reform

act of the 21st Century’’ (‘‘AIR 21’’) was

enacted. Section 231 of AIR 21

significantly amends 49 U.S.C. § 41714

and created 49 U.S.C. §§ 41716, 41717,

and 41718. These provisions enable air

carriers meeting specified criteria to

obtain new slot exemptions at New

York’s LaGuardia Airport (LaGuardia)

and John F. Kennedy International

Airport (JFK); Chicago’s O’Hare

International Airport (O’Hare); and

Washington, DC’s Ronald Reagan

Washington National Airport (National).

As a result of this legislation, the

Department of Transportation

(Department) issued eight orders

establishing procedures for the

processing of various applications. This

policy statement addresses operations at

LaGuardia as authorized under Order

2000–4–11 (LaGuardia—Exemptions for

air service to small and nonhub

airports—limited to aircraft with a

seating capacity of less than 71) and

Order 2000–4–10 (LaGuardia—

Exemptions for new entrant and limited

incumbent air carriers).

Specifically, Order 2000–4–11

implements 49 U.S.C. 41716(a), which

provides in pertinent part that

exemptions must be granted to any

airline using Stage 3 aircraft with less

than 71 seats that proposes to provide

nonstop service between LaGuardia and

an airport that was designated as a small

hub or nonhub in 1997 under certain

conditions. The exemption must be

granted if: (1) The airline was not

providing such nonstop service between

the small hub or nonhub and LaGuardia

Airport during the week of November 1,

1999; (2) the proposed service between

the small hub or nonhub and LaGuardia,

exceeds the number of flights provided

between such airports during the week

of November 1, 1999; or (3) if the air

transportation pursuant to the

exemption would be provided with a

regional jet as replacement of turboprop

service that was being provided during

the week of November 1, 1999.

According to AIR–21 and the

Department’s Orders, air carriers

meeting the statutory tests delineated

above automatically receive blanket

approval for slot exemptions, provided

that they certify in accordance with 14

CFR 302.4(b) that they meet each and

every one of the statutory criteria. The

certification should state the

communities and airport to be served,

that the community was designated a

small hub or nonhub as of 1997, that the

aircraft used to provide the service have

fewer than 71 seats, that the aircraft are

Stage 3 compliant, and the planned

effective dates. Carriers must also certify

that the proposed service represents

new service, additional frequencies, or

regional jet service that has been

upgraded from turboprop service when

compared to service of the week of

November 1, 1999. In addition, carriers

must state the number of slot

69602 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 223 / Friday, November 17, 2000 / Notices

exemptions and the times needed to

provide the service.

Order 2000–4–10 implements the

provisions of 49 U.S.C. § 41716(b),

which states in pertinent part, that

exemptions must be granted to any new

entrant or limited incumbent airline

using Stage 3 aircraft that proposes

‘‘* * * to provide air transportation to

or from LaGuardia or John F. Kennedy

International Airport if the number of

slot exemptions granted under this

subsection to such air carrier with

respect to such airport when added to

the slots and slot exemptions held by

such air carrier with respect to such

airport does not exceed 20.’’

Applications submitted under this

provision must identify the airports to

be served and the time requested.

In August, there were 55 additional

exemption operations at LaGuardia

authorized by the Department and

allocated by the FAA Slot

Administration Office under the

provisions of AIR 21. The number of

exemptions increased to 192 by midSeptember and is expected to reach 274

by mid-November 2000.

Preliminary FAA air traffic operations

data reported by OPSNET for September

2000 indicate that there were 1,163

average daily operations at LaGuardia.

This is an increase of approximately 18

percent over the September 1999 level

of 982 average daily operations.

OPSNET reported that air traffic control

delays of 15 minutes or more at

LaGuardia increased to 10,515 for

September 2000 from 3,108 in

September 1999. The percentage of

flights recorded with air traffic delays

increased to 30.13 percent from 10.55

percent. In comparison, the second

highest level of OPSNET reported air

traffic delays was at Newark

International Airport where the

percentage of flights delayed showed a

small decline to 8.5 percent in

September 2000 compared to 8.7

percent in September 1999.

Since September, traffic management

programs have been implemented

regularly by the FAA Air Traffic Control

System Command Center due to the

increased volume of flights at the

airport. Peak period demand routinely

exceeds airport capacity. Delays of one

hour or more are frequent, even during

ideal weather conditions. Delays often

increase to several hours in duration

when adverse aviation weather reduces

system capacity. Many airlines have

operationally addressed the increased

delays through various means,

including waiting for the assigned

clearance time, canceling flights,

reaccommodating passengers on later

flights, and adding flying time to

account for increased operating times.

Statement of Policy

As a result of the additional

operations and the impact described

above on the operating environment at

LaGuardia, the FAA finds that it is

necessary to issue a temporary policy

concerning the slot usage requirement

for operations at LaGuardia. This change

in policy is effective for the reporting

periods of September/October and

November/December in 2000, and

January/February and March/April in

2001. At least 60 days prior to the end

of the March/April reporting period, the

FAA will evaluate operations at the

airport and determine whether to extend

this policy or take other action regarding

slot usage.

In response to the large increase in

volume-related delays, the FAA believes

that airlines’ decisions to cancel flights

or otherwise make determinations on

the operation of a flight should not be

unduly influenced by the slot use or

lose provision. While the cancellation of

flights may be burdensome on both the

airline passenger and the airline,

advance planning should permit more

efficient overall carrier operations while

allowing passengers to be appropriately

accommodated. One result of this

temporary policy may be that fewer

flights will operate, which may decrease

delays for the remaining operations.

During the above stated months, the

FAA will permit carriers operating slots

or slot exemptions at LaGuardia to

temporarily return to the FAA slots

issued under the authority of 14 CFR

part 93, subpart S, or exemption slots

issued by the Department. This allows

carriers to turn in slots and exemption

slots in advance due to schedule

planning or other decisions by the

carriers without jeopardizing the

permanent loss of the slot or slot

exemption. Carriers that plan to return

slots or slot exemptions must notify the

FAA Slot Administration Office in

advance and provide the slot

withdrawal number, frequency and

effective period of the return. Slots and

slot exemptions returned to the FAA

under this policy will not be allocated

to any other carrier during the effective

period and will revert automatically to

the operator at the expiration of the

period for which it was returned.

Carriers must contact the FAA Slot

Administration Office concerning the

date and frequency of restart-up should

dates change. The Department has

determined that a carrier returning slot

exemptions under this policy will not

need to recertify under Order 2000–4–

10 and Order 2000–4–11 provided that

all other certified conditions remain

valid.

The FAA will treat a slot or slot

exemption as used if the flight was

scheduled but canceled for operational

reasons and the slot would not

otherwise have been subject to

withdrawal. In the use or lose reports

submitted to the FAA, carriers should

indicate the flight was scheduled and, if

appropriate, was canceled due to

operational reasons. Carriers may report

a slot or slot exemption as operated only

if the flight was in fact operated. The

FAA advises carriers to retain records of

such cancellations should the FAA

request additional documentation

regarding the reason for the

cancellation.

The FAA notes that when the slot

usage requirements was last revised in

1992, the FAA specifically addressed

the fact that adoption of the 80 percent

usage threshold takes into account

certain factors such as weather and

operational delay. The adopted 80

percent usage requirement provides an

appropriate balance that ensures limited

slot resources are used and allows a

reasonable level of nonoperation due to

operational, scheduling or other

reasons. The FAA recognizes, however,

that the additional operations at

LaGuardia as a result of AIR–21 slot

exemptions have impacted operational

performance and significantly increased

air traffic delays at the airport beyond

this historical rates. Consequently, the

FAA believes that is necessary to

implement this policy on a temporary

basis through the April 2001 reporting

period.

The FAA will also extend the due

date for the September/October 2000

reporting period by three weeks in order

to allow operators additional time to

review their reports in light of this

policy statement. This extension will

apply to slots and slot exemptions at the

four high density airports. Slot usage

reports for the September/October 2000

reporting period will be due by

December 5, 2000.

This temporary policy on

nonoperation or return of slots and slot

exemptions does not apply to the use or

lose provisions for slots at other high

density traffic airports unless the

operator can provide clear and

convincing evidence that a flight

cancellation at that airport was directly

related to the non-operation of a slot at

LaGuardia, as described in this policy

statement. This policy is not intended to

provide blanket relief to any slot

operator not meeting the minimum

usage requirement due to reasons other

than those discussed previously. It is

also not intended to establish a basis for

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 223 / Friday, November 17, 2000 / Notices 69603

the FAA to routinely consider delays

and traffic management programs as

grounds for a usage waiver. These

factors were considered during the

rulemaking process. Any waiver of the

slot usage requirement at other high

density airports for non-operation of

flights at LaGuardia not covered by this

policy will continue to be processed in

accordance with 14 CFR Section 39.227.

Issued in Washington, DC, on November

13, 2000.

Jane F. Garvey,

Administrator.

[FR Doc. 00–29408 Filed 11–14–00; 3:09 pm]

BILLING CODE 4910–13–M

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration

Environmental Impact Statement:

Athens and Meigs Counties, Ohio

AGENCY: Federal Highway

Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Retraction of notice of intent.

SUMMARY: The FHWA is issuing this

notice to advise the public of the

retraction of the Notice of Intent to

prepare an Environmental Impact

Statement for a proposed highway

project in Athens and Meigs Counties,

Ohio, that was originally published in

the Federal Register on October 19,

1999.

The FHWA determined

environmental studies to document

consultations between the Ohio

Department of Transportation and

FHWA were necessary. Based on these

environmental studies, FHWA has

determined that potentially significant

impacts were avoided and the Finding

Of No Significant Impact designation

remains valid. An Environmental

Impact Statement will not be prepared.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Andreas Garnes, Rural Programs

Engineer, Federal Highway

Administration, 200 N. High Street,

Room 328, Columbus, Ohio 43215,

Telephone: (614) 280–6856.

(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: November 8, 2000.

Andreas Garnes,

Rural Programs Engineer, Federal Highway

Administration, Columbus, Ohio.

[FR Doc. 00–29481 Filed 11–16–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–22–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

[Docket No. RSAC–96–1, Notice No. 23]

Railroad Safety Advisory Committee;

Notice of Meeting

AGENCY: Federal Railroad

Administration (FRA), Department of

Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice of Railroad Safety

Advisory Committee (‘‘RSAC’’) meeting.

SUMMARY: FRA announces the next

meeting of the RSAC, a Federal

Advisory Committee that develops

railroad safety regulations through a

consensus process. The meeting will

address a wide range of topics,

including possible adoption of specific

recommendations for regulatory action.

DATES: The meeting of the RSAC is

scheduled to commence at 9:30 a.m. and

conclude at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday,

December 7, 2000.

ADDRESSES: The meeting of the RSAC

will be held at the Wyndham

Washington, DC Hotel in the Vista

Ballroom, 1400 M Street, NW,

Washington, DC 20005, (202) 429–1700.

The meeting is open to the public on a

first-come, first-served basis and is

accessible to individuals with

disabilities. Sign and oral interpretation

can be made available if requested 10

calendar days before the meeting.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Trish Paolella, or Lydia Leeds, RSAC

Coordinators, FRA, 1120 Vermont

Avenue, NW, Stop 25, Washington, DC

20590, (202) 493–6212/6213 or Grady

Cothen, Deputy Associate Administrator

for Safety Standards and Program

Development, FRA, 1120 Vermont

Avenue, NW, Stop 25, Washington, DC

20590, (202) 493–6302.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION: Pursuant to

section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory

Committee Act (Pub. L. 92–463), FRA is

giving notice of a meeting of the

Railroad Safety Advisory Committee

(‘‘RSAC’’). The meeting is scheduled to

begin at 9:30 a.m. and conclude at 3:30

p.m. on Thursday, December 7, 2000.

The meeting of the RSAC will be held

at the Wyndham Hotel in the Vista

Ballroom, 1400 M Street, NW,

Washington, DC, 20005 (202) 429–1700.

All times noted are Eastern Standard

Time.

RSAC was established to provide

advice and recommendations to the

FRA on railroad safety matters. The

Committee consists of 48 individual

voting representatives and five associate

representatives drawn from among 30

organizations representing various rail

industry perspectives, two associate

representatives from the agencies with

railroad safety regulatory responsibility

in Canada and Mexico and other diverse

groups. Staffs of the National

Transportation Safety Board and Federal

Transit Administration also participate

in an advisory capacity.

The RSAC will be briefed on the

current status of activities of RSAC

working groups and task forces

responsible for carrying out tasks the

RSAC has accepted involving blue

signal protection, cab working

conditions, and the definition of

reportable ‘‘train accident.’’

There will be discussion about the

possible tasking of the Training and

Qualification of Safety Critical

personnel and a briefing on the status of

the North American Joint Positive Train

Control Project. Also, if the draft Notice

of Proposed Rulemaking for Cab

Working Conditions is approved by the

Working Group, the full committee may

be requested to consider

recommendations for FRA action on

that issue. The committee may also be

asked to consent to mail balloting with

respect to future recommendations of

the Locomotive Crashworthiness

Working Group, following an update on

the group’s activities.

Informational status briefings

concerning the Switching Operations

Fatality Analysis task force efforts, the

Grade Crossing Technical Working

Group, the American Public

Transportation Association’s Passenger

Rail Equipment Safety Standards and

the Harriman Awards will be presented.

Please refer to the notice published in

the Federal Register on March 11, 1996

(61 FR 9740) for more information about

the RSAC.

Issued in Washington, DC on November 13,

2000.

George Gavalla,

Associate Administrator for Safety.

[FR Doc. 00–29421 Filed 11–16–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–06–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Maritime Administration

[Docket No. MARAD–2000–8292]

Sea Princess Trading, Inc. and the

Sabine Transportation Company;

Notice of Petition for a Declaratory

Order

AGENCY: Maritime Administration,

Transportation.

ACTION: Notice of petition.

SUMMARY: The Maritime Administration

is seeking public comment on the