Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 229 / Wednesday, November 27, 2024 / Notices 93823 

The Agency Scoping Meeting was 

held July 29, 2024. 

Public Scoping Meeting: January 21 

and 23, 2025. 

The FEIS/ROD is anticipated Summer 

2027. 

In addition to the public scoping 

meeting, a public hearing will be held 

after the Draft EIS is prepared. Public 

notice will provide the time and place 

of the hearing. After the public hearing 

and end of Draft EIS comment period, 

issuance of the Final EIS/Record of 

Decision is anticipated. If a build 

alternative is selected, all permits and 

authorization decisions would occur 

before construction. 

The following entities have been 

invited to be cooperating agencies for 

this EIS: U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural 

Resource Conservation Service, National 

Park Service, U.S. Army Corp of 

Engineers, Federal Emergency 

Management Agency, Federal Transit 

Administration, Federal Railroad 

Administration, International Boundary 

and Water Commission, U.S. Customs 

and Border Protection, U.S. Department 

of Housing and Urban Development, 

Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, 

Lower Rio Grande Valley National 

Wildlife Refuge, Kiowa Tribe, Mescalero 

Apache Tribe, Tonkawa Tribe of 

Oklahoma, Apache Tribe of Oklahoma, 

and Comanche Nation of Oklahoma. 

The following entities have been 

invited to be participating agencies for 

this EIS: Texas Commission on 

Environmental Quality, McAllen 

Historic Preservation Council, Texas 

Division of Emergency Management, 

The Texas General Land Office, Texas 

Historical Commission/State Historic 

Preservation Officer, Texas Parks and 

Wildlife Department, Cameron County 

Regional Mobility Authority, Hidalgo 

County Regional Mobility Authority, 

Hidalgo County Planning and 

Development, Cameron County 

Planning and Development, Hidalgo 

County, Cameron County, Willacy 

County, Texas Department of Public 

Safety, City of Harlingen, City of Lyford, 

City of McAllen, City of Donna, City of 

Edinburg, City of Elsa, City of La Feria, 

City of La Villa, City of Alamo, City of 

San Juan, City of Weslaco, City of 

Mercedes, City of Palm Valley, City of 

Pharr, City of Raymondville, Town of 

Combes, Rio Grande Valley 

Metropolitan Planning Organization, 

Cameron County Historical 

Commission, Hidalgo County Historical 

Commission, Willacy County Historical 

Commission, Hidalgo County Drainage 

District No. 1, Cameron County 

Irrigation District No. 2, McAllen 

Economic Development Corporation 

(EDC), Harlingen EDC, Edinburg EDC, 

Alamo EDC, Donna EDC, Lyford EDC, 

Mercedes EDC, Pharr EDC, San Juan 

EDC, Weslaco EDC, Elsa EDC, and 

Combes EDC. 

TxDOT will issue a single Final 

Environmental Impact Statement and 

Record of Decision document pursuant 

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

determines statutory criteria or 

practicability considerations preclude 

issuance of a combined document. 

In accordance with 23 U.S.C. 139, 

cooperating agencies, participating 

agencies, and the public will be given 

an opportunity for continued input on 

project development. A in-person public 

scoping meeting is planned for Tuesday, 

January 21, 2025, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. 

CST at J. Economedes High School 1414 

N Alamo Rd, Edinburg, Texas 78541, 

and January 23, 2025, from 5 p.m. to 7 

p.m. CST at Elma E. Barrera Elementary 

School, Hwy 107, Santa Rosa, Texas 

78593. The public scoping meeting will 

provide an opportunity for the public to 

review and comment on the draft 

coordination plan and schedule, the 

project purpose and need, the range of 

alternatives, and methodologies and 

level of detail for analyzing alternatives. 

It will also allow the public an 

opportunity to provide input on any 

expected environmental impacts, 

anticipated permits or other 

authorizations, and any significant 

issues that should be analyzed in depth 

in the EIS. In addition to the public 

scoping meeting, a public hearing will 

be held after the draft EIS is prepared. 

Public notice will be given of the time 

and place of the meeting and hearing. 

The public meeting will be conducted 

in English. If you need an interpreter or 

document translator because English is 

not your primary language or you have 

difficulty communicating effectively in 

English, one will be provided to you. If 

you have a disability and need 

assistance, special arrangements can be 

made to accommodate most needs. If 

you need interpretation or translation 

services or you are a person with a 

disability who requires an 

accommodation to attend and 

participate in the public scoping 

meeting, please contact Norma Robledo, 

TxDOT Pharr District, at (956) 702–6161 

no later than 4 p.m. CT, Thursday, 

January 16, 2025. Please be aware that 

advance notice is required as some 

services and accommodations may 

require time for the Texas Department of 

Transportation to arrange. 

The public is requested to provide 

public comments on alternatives or 

impacts and on relevant information, 

studies, or analyses with respect to this 

proposed project. Comments may be 

provided in writing by mail to Francisco 

Chapa, TxDOT Project Manager at 600 

West I–2, Pharr, Texas, 78577 or by 

email to Francisco.Chapa@txdot.gov or 

to PHR_I69_Connector@txdot.gov. 

Comments must be received by Friday, 

February 7, 2025. 

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

Program Number 20.205, Highway Planning 

and Construction.) 

Michael T. Leary, 

Director, Planning and Program Development, 

Federal Highway Administration. 

[FR Doc. 2024–27823 Filed 11–26–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Railroad Administration 

[Docket Number [FRA–2010–0029] 

The National Railroad Passenger 

Corporation’s Request To Amend Its 

Positive Train Control Safety Plan and 

Positive Train Control System 

AGENCY: Federal Railroad 

Administration (FRA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Notice of availability and 

request for comments. 

SUMMARY: This document provides the 

public with notice that, on November 

14, 2024, the National Railroad 

Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) 

submitted a request for amendment 

(RFA) to its FRA-approved Positive 

Train Control Safety Plan (PTCSP) to 

provide supplemental information to its 

initial RFA, submitted November 7, 

2024, to support updates to Amtrak’s 

Onboard Computer (OBC) Serial 

platform and Fusion software release. 

As this RFA may involve a request for 

FRA’s approval of proposed material 

modifications to an FRA-certified 

positive train control (PTC) system, FRA 

is publishing this notice and inviting 

public comment on Amtrak’s RFA to its 

PTCSP. 

DATES: FRA will consider comments 

received by December 17, 2024. FRA 

may consider comments received after 

that date to the extent practicable and 

without delaying implementation of 

valuable or necessary modifications to a 

PTC system. 

ADDRESSES: 

Comments: Comments may be 

submitted by going to https://

www.regulations.gov and following the 

online instructions for submitting 

comments. 

Instructions: All submissions must 

include the agency name and the 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
93824 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 229 / Wednesday, November 27, 2024 / Notices 

applicable docket number. The relevant 

PTC docket number for this host 

railroad is Docket No. FRA–2010–0029. 

For convenience, all active PTC dockets 

are hyperlinked on FRA’s website at 

https://railroads.dot.gov/researchdevelopment/program-areas/traincontrol/ptc/railroads-ptc-dockets. All 

comments received will be posted 

without change to https://

www.regulations.gov; this includes any 

personal information. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Gabe Neal, Staff Director, Signal, Train 

Control, and Crossings Division, 

telephone: 816–516–7168, email: 

Gabe.Neal@dot.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In general, 

Title 49 United States Code (U.S.C.) 

Section 20157(h) requires FRA to certify 

that a host railroad’s PTC system 

complies with Title 49 Code of Federal 

Regulations (CFR) part 236, subpart I, 

before the technology may be operated 

in revenue service. Before making 

certain changes to an FRA-certified PTC 

system or the associated FRA-approved 

PTCSP, a host railroad must submit, and 

obtain FRA’s approval of, an RFA to its 

PTCSP under 49 CFR 236.1021. 

Under 49 CFR 236.1021(e), FRA’s 

regulations provide that FRA will 

publish a notice in the Federal Register 

and invite public comment in 

accordance with 49 CFR part 211, if an 

RFA includes a request for approval of 

a material modification of a signal or 

train control system. Accordingly, this 

notice informs the public that, on 

November 14, 2024, Amtrak submitted 

an RFA to its PTCSP for its Advanced 

Civil Speed Enforcement System II 

(ACSES II), which seeks FRA’s approval 

for updates to its OBC Serial platform 

and Fusion software release. That RFA 

is available in Docket No. FRA–2010– 

0029. 

Interested parties are invited to 

comment on Amtrak’s RFA to its PTCSP 

by submitting written comments or data. 

During FRA’s review of Amtrak’s RFA, 

FRA will consider any comments or 

data submitted within the timeline 

specified in this notice and to the extent 

practicable, without delaying 

implementation of valuable or necessary 

modifications to a PTC system. See 49 

CFR 236.1021; see also 49 CFR 

236.1011(e). Under 49 CFR 236.1021, 

FRA maintains the authority to approve, 

approve with conditions, or deny a 

railroad’s RFA to its PTCSP at FRA’s 

sole discretion. 

Privacy Act Notice 

In accordance with 49 CFR 211.3, 

FRA solicits comments from the public 

to better inform its decisions. DOT posts 

these comments, without edit, including 

any personal information the 

commenter provides, to https://

www.regulations.gov, as described in 

the system of records notice (DOT/ALL– 

14 FDMS), which can be reviewed at 

https://www.transportation.gov/privacy. 

See https://www.regulations.gov/ 

privacy-notice for the privacy notice of 

regulations.gov. To facilitate comment 

tracking, we encourage commenters to 

provide their name, or the name of their 

organization; however, submission of 

names is completely optional. If you 

wish to provide comments containing 

proprietary or confidential information, 

please contact FRA for alternate 

submission instructions. 

Issued in Washington, DC 

Carolyn R. Hayward-Williams, 

Director, Office of Railroad Systems and 

Technology. 

[FR Doc. 2024–27818 Filed 11–26–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–06–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Transit Administration 

[Docket No. FTA–2024–0015] 

Notice of Availability of Proposed 

Circular Updates and Request for 

Comments 

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration 

(FTA), Department of Transportation 

(DOT). 

ACTION: Notice; request for comments. 

SUMMARY: The Federal Transit 

Administration (FTA) has placed in the 

docket and on its website proposed 

guidance in the form of an updated 

circular pertaining to procurements 

financed in whole or part with Federal 

assistance awarded by FTA through 

grants or cooperative agreements (i.e., 

‘‘third party’’ procurements). This 

updated circular would cancel and 

replace Circular FTA C 4220.1F, most 

recently revised March 18, 2013. The 

proposed updates reflect statutory and 

regulatory changes that have occurred 

since the last update, as well as 

providing additional non-binding 

guidance. By this notice, FTA invites 

public comment on its proposed 

circular, ‘‘Third Party Contracting 

Guidance.’’ 

DATES: Comments must be submitted by 

December 27, 2024. Late-filed comments 

will be considered to the extent 

practicable. 

ADDRESSES: Please submit your 

comments by only one of the following 

methods, identifying your submission 

by docket number FTA–2024–0015. All 

electronic submissions must be made to 

the U.S. Government electronic site at 

https://www.regulations.gov/. 

(1) Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

https://www.regulations.gov/ and follow 

the online instructions for submitting 

comments. 

(2) Mail: Docket Management Facility: 

U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 

New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building, 

Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 

Washington, DC 20590–0001. 

(3) Hand Delivery or Courier: West 

Building Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 

1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, between 9 

a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern time, Monday 

through Friday, except Federal holidays. 

(4) Fax: 202–366–7951. 

Instructions: You must include the 

agency name (Federal Transit 

Administration) and docket number 

(FTA–2024–0015) at the beginning of 

your comments. Submit two copies of 

your comments if you submit them by 

mail. For confirmation that FTA 

received your comments, include a selfaddressed stamped postcard. Note that 

all comments received will be posted 

without change to https://

www.regulations.gov/ including any 

personal information provided and will 

be available to internet users. For 

information on DOT’s compliance with 

the Privacy Act, please visit https://

www.transportation.gov/privacy. 

Docket: For access to the docket to 

read background documents and 

comments received, go to https://

www.regulations.gov/ at any time or to 

the U.S. Department of Transportation, 

1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Docket 

Operations, M–30, West Building 

Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 

Washington, DC 20590 between 9 a.m. 

and 5 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday 

through Friday, except Federal holidays. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

third party contracting questions, 

contact Tara Murphy, Division Chief, 

Office of Administration, Federal 

Transit Administration, 1200 New 

Jersey Ave. SE, Room E41–311, 

Washington, DC 20590, phone: (202) 

366–5647 or email tara.murphy@

dot.gov. For legal questions, Christopher 

Hall, Office of Chief Counsel, same 

address, Room E56–312, phone (202) 

941–9595 or email christopher.hall@

dot.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Overview 

FTA proposes an update to its Third 

Party Contracting Guidance Circular, 

which would replace and cancel the 

current iteration dated March 18, 2013 

(C 4220.1F). The proposed circular 

would update FTA’s guidance for 


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