Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 205 / Monday, October 24, 2011 / Notices 65769 

• Mail: Address your comments to 

the Office of Regulations, Social 

Security Administration, 107 Altmeyer 

Building, 6401 Security Boulevard, 

Baltimore, Maryland 21235–6401. 

Comments are available for public 

viewing on the Federal eRulemaking 

portal at http://www.regulations.gov or 

in person, during regular business 

hours, by arranging with the contact 

person identified below. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Mariangela Rosa, Social Security 

Administration, 6401 Security 

Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21235–6401, 

1–877–794–7395 or e-mail 

SSA.504@ssa.gov. For information on 

eligibility or filing for benefits, call our 

national toll-free number, 1–800–772– 

1213 or TTY 1–800–325–0778, or visit 

our Internet site, Social Security Online, 

at http://www.socialsecurity.gov. 

Dated: October 17, 2011. 

Michael J. Astrue, 

Commissioner of Social Security 

[FR Doc. 2011–27353 Filed 10–21–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4191–02–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Office of the Secretary 

Application of Friendship Airways, Inc. 

d/b/a Yellow Air Taxi for Commuter 

Authority 

AGENCY: Department of Transportation. 

ACTION: Notice of Order to Show Cause 

(Order 2011–10–9), Docket DOT–OST– 

2005–21533. 

SUMMARY: The Department of 

Transportation is directing all interested 

persons to show cause why it should 

revoke the Commuter Air Carrier 

Authorization issued to Friendship 

Airways, Inc. d/b/a Yellow Air Taxi and 

deny its application to resume 

commuter operations, pursuant to 49 

U.S.C. 40109(f) and 14 CFR part 298. 

DATES: Persons wishing to file 

objections should do so no later than 

November 1, 2011. 

ADDRESSES: Objections and answers to 

objections should be filed in Docket 

DOT–OST–2005–21533 and addressed 

to U.S. Department of Transportation, 

Docket Operations, (M–30, Room W12– 

140), 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., 

West Building Ground Floor, 

Washington, DC 20590, and should be 

served upon the parties listed in 

Attachment A to the order. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Catherine J. O’Toole, Air Carrier Fitness 

Division (X–56, Room W86–489), U.S. 

Department of Transportation, 1200 

New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, 

DC 20590, (202) 366–9721. 

Dated: October 18, 2011. 

Susan L. Kurland, 

Assistant Secretary for Aviation and 

International Affairs. 

[FR Doc. 2011–27455 Filed 10–21–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

Airport Improvement Program: 

Modifications to Benefit Cost Analysis 

(BCA) Threshold 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA); DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of changes; comments 

and responses. 

SUMMARY: This document announces the 

publication of the final policy changes 

to the Federal Aviation Administration’s 

policy requiring a benefit cost analysis 

(BCA) for capacity projects funded by 

Airport Improvement Program (AIP) 

discretionary funds. On December 16, 

2010, the FAA issued a Notice of 

Availability of Draft Guidance and 

Request for Comments with regard to 

the modification of its policy requiring 

benefit cost analyses (BCA) for capacity 

projects, which was published in the 

Federal Register. (78 FR 78798–02, 

December 16, 2010). The FAA now is (1) 

Issuing the final policy modifying the 

threshold at which BCAs are required 

from $5 million to $10 million in 

Airport Improvement Program (AIP) 

Discretionary funds, and (2) responding 

to comments requested in the Notice on 

December 16, 2010. 

DATES: Effective date of the modified 

policy October 24, 2011. 

ADDRESSES: Copies of the final guidance 

to begin the implementation of the 

policy for conducting BCAs can be 

obtained from the Federal Aviation 

Administration, Office of Airport 

Planning and Programming, Airports 

Financial Assistance Division (APP– 

500), 800 Independence Avenue, SW., 

Washington, DC 20591. An electronic 

copy of the guidance will be posted on 

the FAA’s Airport’s Division Web site at 

http://www.faa.gov/airports/aip/ 

bc_analysis within 7 days of publication 

of this notice. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Frank San Martin, Manager, Financial 

Assistance Division (APP–500), Office 

of Airport Planning and Programming, 

Federal Aviation Administration, 800 

Independence Avenue, SW., 

Washington, DC 20591, (202) 267–3831. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

A. Background 

Policy History 

In 1994, the FAA established its 

policy on Benefit Cost Analysis (BCA) 

requirements for airport capacity 

projects. Factors leading to these 

requirements included: 

1. The need to improve the 

effectiveness of federal airport 

infrastructure investments in light of a 

decline in federal AIP budgets; 

2. Issuance of Executive Order No. 

12893, ‘‘Principles for Federal 

Infrastructure Investments,’’ 59 FR 4233, 

Jan. 26, 1994; 

3. Guidance from Congress citing the 

need for economic airport investment 

criteria; and 

4. Statutory language from 1994 

included in Title 49 U.S.C. 47115 (d) 

specifying that, in selecting projects for 

discretionary grants to preserve and 

enhance capacity at airports, the 

Secretary shall consider the benefits and 

costs of the projects. 

The FAA implemented BCA 

requirements for capacity projects at all 

categories of airports in order to limit 

the FAA’s risks when investing large 

amounts of discretionary funds. The 

FAA uses the conclusions reached in 

the BCA review to make policy and 

funding decisions on possible future 

federal investments. 

In 1997, a new FAA policy transferred 

responsibility for preparing BCAs from 

the FAA to the sponsor. In addition, the 

policy lowered the projected cost 

threshold from $10 million in AIP 

discretionary funds (established in 

1994) to $5 million. 

The $5 million threshold change was 

made policy in 1997 and formalized in 

a 1999 Federal Register notice, Federal 

Aviation Administration Policy and 

Final Guidance Regarding Benefit Cost 

Analysis (BCA) on Airport Capacity 

Projects for FAA Decisions on Airport 

Improvement Program (AIP) 

Discretionary Grants and Letters of 

Intent (LOI), 64 FR 70107 (Dec. 15, 

1999). 

Since 1997, sponsors have been 

required to conduct BCAs for capacity 

projects for which more than $5 million 

in AIP discretionary funding will be 

requested. In developing the new draft 

guidance increasing the threshold, the 

FAA reviewed the reasons for lowering 

the BCA threshold amount in 1997 and 

concluded that those reasons do not 

present sufficient basis to warrant 

maintaining the $5 million level 

threshold today. 

The FAA has gained valuable 

experience assessing the 

implementation of the policy and the 

need to further clarify the threshold 


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