Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 51 / Thursday, March 15, 2012 / Notices 15449 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

59th Meeting: RTCA Special 

Committee 135, Environmental 

Conditions and Test Procedures for 

Airborne Equipment 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), U.S. Department 

of Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Notice of meeting RTCA Special 

Committee 135, Environmental 

Conditions and Test Procedures for 

Airborne Equipment. 

SUMMARY: The FAA is issuing this notice 

to advise the public of the fifty-ninth 

meeting of RTCA Special Committee 

135, Environmental Conditions and Test 

Procedures for Airborne Equipment. 

DATES: The meeting will be held April 

19, 2012, from 9 a.m.–5 p.m. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at 

National Center for Aviation Training, 

4004 N. Webb Rd., Wichita, KS 67226. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The 

RTCA Secretariat, 1150 18th Street NW., 

Suite 910, Washington, DC 20036, or by 

telephone at (202) 833–9339, fax at (202) 

833–9434, or Web site at 

http://www.rtca.org. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant 

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

Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92– 

463, 5 U.S.C. App.), notice is hereby 

given for a meeting of Special 

Committee 135. The agenda will include 

the following: 

April 19, 2012 

• Chairmen’s Opening Remarks, 

Introductions 

• Introduce FAA Representative 

• Approval of Summary from the FiftyEighth Meeting—(RTCA Paper No. 

025–12/SC135–687) 

• Review proposed User’s Guide 

• Section 9 

• Section 15 

• Review Working Group activities 

• Section 4 

• Section 5 

• Section 16 

• Section 20 

• Section 21 

• Section 22 

• Section 23 

• RTCA Workspace Presentation 

• New/Unfinished Business 

• Errata Sheet 

• Change Proposal Form User’s Guide 

• Change Proposal Form Rev H 

• Schedule for User’s Guide 

• FAA TSO Template 

• Establish Date for Next SC–135 

Meeting 

• Adjourn 

Attendance is open to the interested 

public but limited to space availability. 

With the approval of the chairman, 

members of the public may present oral 

statements at the meeting. Persons 

wishing to present statements or obtain 

information should contact the person 

listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT section. Members of the public 

may present a written statement to the 

committee at any time. 

Issued in Washington, DC, on March 8, 

2012. 

John Raper, 

Manager, Business Operations Branch, 

Federal Aviation Administration. 

[FR Doc. 2012–6348 Filed 3–14–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

[Docket No FAA–2012–22842] 

Notice of Opportunity To Participate, 

Criteria Requirements and Application 

Procedure for Participation in the 

Military Airport Program (MAP) 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Notice of criteria and 

application procedures for designation 

or redesignation, in the Military Airport 

Program (MAP), for the fiscal year 2012. 

SUMMARY: This notice supplements the 

Federal Register Notice of September 

22, 2011 and implements Military 

Airport Program (MAP) changes in the 

Federal Aviation Administration 

Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, 

Public Law 112–91, February 14, 2012. 

This supplementary notice announces 

the criteria, application procedures, and 

schedule to be applied by the Secretary 

of Transportation in designating or 

redesignating, and funding capital 

development annually for up to 3 

current (joint-use) or former military 

general aviation airports seeking 

designation or redesignation to 

participate in the MAP. Of the 15 

current (joint-use) or former MAP slots 

the new legislation permits up to 3 

general aviation airports to be selected 

for the program. Applicants who 

previously submitted applications based 

on the September 22, 2011 Federal 

Register notice do not need to reapply. 

Their applications will be considered 

for Fiscal Year 2012 MAP along with 

any applications received from 

additional general aviation airports as a 

result of this supplemental notice. 

The MAP allows the Secretary to 

designate current (joint-use) or former 

military airports to receive grants from 

the Airport Improvement Program (AIP). 

The Secretary is authorized to 

designate an airport (other than an 

airport designated before August 24, 

1994) only if: 

(1) The airport is a former military 

installation closed or realigned under 

the Title 10 U.S.C. Sec. 2687 

(announcement of closures of large 

Department of Defense installations 

after September 30, 1977), or under 

Section 201 or 2905 of the Defense 

Authorization Amendments and Base 

Closure and Realignment Acts; or 

(2) the airport is a military installation 

with both military and civil aircraft 

operations. 

The Secretary shall consider for 

designation only those current or former 

military airports, at least partly 

converted to civilian airports as part of 

the national air transportation system, 

that will reduce delays at airports with 

more than 20,000 hours of annual 

delays in commercial passenger aircraft 

takeoffs and landings, or will enhance 

airport and air traffic control system 

capacity in metropolitan areas, or 

reduce current and projected flight 

delays (49 U.S.C. 47118(c)). 

DATES: Applications must be received 

on or before April 16, 2012. 

ADDRESSES: Submit an original and two 

copies of Standard Form (SF) 424, 

‘‘Application for Federal Assistance,’’ 

prescribed by the Office of Management 

and Budget Circular A–102, available at 

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

forms/media/aip_sf424_2010.pdf along 

with any supporting and justifying 

documentation. Applicant should 

specifically request to be considered for 

designation or redesignation as a general 

aviation airport to participate in the 

fiscal year 2012 MAP. Submission 

should be sent to the Regional FAA 

Airports Division or Airports District 

Office that serves the airport. Applicants 

may find the proper office on the FAA 

Web site http://www.faa.gov/ 

airports_airtraffic/airports/ 

regional_guidance/ or may contact the 

office below. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Kendall Ball (Kendall.Ball@faa.gov), 

Airports Financial Assistance Division 

(APP–500), Office of Airport Planning 

and Programming, Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), 800 

Independence Avenue SW., 

Washington, DC 20591 (202) 267–7436. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

General Description of the Program 

The MAP provides capital 

development assistance to civil airport 

sponsors of designated current (jointVerDate Mar<15>2010 16:50 Mar 14, 2012 Jkt 226001 PO 00000 Frm 00095 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\15MRN1.SGM 15MRN1

srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
15450 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 51 / Thursday, March 15, 2012 / Notices 

use) military airfields or former military 

airports that are included in the FAA’s 

National Plan of Integrated Airport 

Systems (NPIAS). Airports designated to 

the MAP may obtain funds from a setaside (currently four percent) of AIP 

discretionary funds for airport 

development, including certain projects 

not otherwise eligible for AIP assistance. 

These airports are also eligible to 

receive grants from other categories of 

AIP funding. 

Additional information required for 

application to the MAP may be found in 

the original Federal Register Notice Vol. 

76, No. 184/Thursday, September 22, 

2011/Notices Pg. 58861. The original 

notice may also be found at: http:// 

www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR–2011–09– 

22/html/2011–24350.htm. 

This notice is issued pursuant to Title 

49 U.S.C. 47118. 

Issued at Washington, DC, on March 7, 

2012. 

Elliott Black, 

Deputy Director, Office of Airport Planning 

and Programming. 

[FR Doc. 2012–6350 Filed 3–14–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Railroad Administration 

Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement 

for the Chicago, Illinois, to Omaha, 

Nebraska, Regional Passenger Rail 

System 

AGENCY: Federal Railroad 

Administration (FRA), U.S. Department 

of Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). 

SUMMARY: FRA is issuing this notice to 

advise the public that FRA with the 

Iowa Department of Transportation 

(Iowa DOT) will jointly prepare a Tier 

1 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

to evaluate potential passenger rail 

improvements for the Chicago, Illinois 

to Omaha, Nebraska regional passenger 

rail system in compliance with the 

National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969 (NEPA). The Tier 1 EIS will 

evaluate environmental and related 

impacts for reasonable corridor-level 

passenger rail route alternatives 

between Chicago, Illinois and Omaha, 

Nebraska. The route alternatives will 

support proposed conventional 

locomotive-hauled, passenger train 

service, operating on track used jointly 

with freight trains, at an initial 

maximum speed of seventy-nine (79) to 

ninety (90) miles per hour (mph). The 

Tier 1 EIS will also examine passenger 

rail service levels. 

FRA is issuing this Notice to alert 

interested parties, including the public 

and resource agencies about the EIS, to 

provide information on the nature of the 

proposed action, including the purpose 

and need for the proposed action, and 

possible route alternatives to be 

considered in the preparation of the Tier 

1 EIS. To ensure all significant issues 

are identified and considered, all 

interested parties are invited to 

comment on the proposed scope of 

environmental review. Comments on 

the scope of the EIS, including the 

proposed action’s purpose and need, the 

route alternatives to be considered, the 

impacts to be evaluated, and the 

methodologies to be used in the 

evaluations will be accepted online and 

in writing up to thirty (30) days 

following the publication of this Notice. 

DATES: Iowa DOT will host an online, 

self-directed public scoping meeting 

during the months of March and April, 

2012. The online public scoping 

meeting will be available for thirty (30) 

days following the publication of this 

Notice. Detailed information on the 

public scoping meeting is also available 

on the following Web site: http:// 

www.iowadot.gov/chicagotoomaha. 

Interested parties, including the public 

and resource agencies can provide 

written comments on the Tier 1 EIS up 

to thirty (30) days following the 

publication of this Notice, by writing 

Ms. Tamara Nicholson, Director, Office 

of Rail Transportation, Iowa Department 

of Transportation, 800 Lincoln Way, 

Ames, Iowa 50010. 

If a member of the public wishes to 

participate in the scoping process and 

does not have access to a computer or 

the internet, they can request an 

informational scoping package and 

comment form by contacting Ms. 

Tamara Nicholson at the above address 

or by telephone (515) 239–1052 or (800) 

488–7119. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. 

Andrea Martin, Environmental 

Protection Specialist, Federal Railroad 

Administration, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue Southeast, (Mail Stop 20), 

Washington, DC 20590, telephone (202) 

493–6201; or Ms. Tamara Nicholson, 

Director, Office of Rail Transportation, 

Iowa Department of Transportation, 800 

Lincoln Way, Ames, Iowa 50010, 

telephone (515) 239–1052 or (800) 488– 

7119. Information and documents 

regarding the environmental review 

process will be made available for the 

duration of the Tier 1 EIS process on the 

following Web site: http:// 

www.iowadot.gov/chicagotoomaha. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FRA, 

in cooperation with Iowa DOT, will 

prepare a Tier 1 EIS to evaluate 

passenger rail service improvements 

from Chicago, Illinois to Omaha, 

Nebraska. The agencies will use a tiered 

process, as provided for in 40 CFR 

1508.28 and in accordance with FRA’s 

Procedures for Considering 

Environmental Impacts (64 FR 28454) 

(Environmental Procedures), in the 

completion of the environmental 

review. Tiering is a staged 

environmental review process applied 

to environmental reviews for complex 

projects. The proposed Tier 1 EIS 

described in this Notice is a service 

level analysis that will examine a range 

of reasonable corridor route alternatives 

between Chicago, Illinois and Omaha, 

Nebraska and will consider 

improvements necessary to support 

additional passenger trains while 

accommodating the anticipated growth 

in freight rail traffic. The Tier 1 EIS will 

assess potential track improvements, a 

potential increase in the number of 

higher-speed passenger trains, potential 

corridor route alternatives between 

Chicago, Illinois and Omaha, Nebraska, 

and the associated transportation and 

environmental impacts. It is anticipated 

that the route alternative analysis will 

involve a screening process to identify 

reasonable and feasible alternatives for 

evaluation in the Tier 1 EIS. Potential 

route alternatives include the former 

Illinois Central route, the former 

Chicago and North Western route, the 

former Milwaukee Road route, the 

former Rock Island route, and the 

former Burlington route. The No-Action 

(or No-Build) Alternative will also be 

considered. 

The Tier 1 EIS will also appropriately 

address Section 106 of the National 

Historic Preservation Act (see 36 CFR 

part 800), Section 4(f) of the U.S. 

Department of Transportation Act of 

1966 (49 U.S.C. 303) and other 

applicable Federal and state laws and 

regulations. The result will be a Tier 1 

EIS NEPA document that addresses 

broad overall issues of concern for 

corridor decisions including, but not 

limited to: 

• Describing the purpose and need for 

the proposed action. 

• Describing the environment 

potentially affected by the proposed 

action. 

• Developing evaluation criteria to 

identify route alternatives that meet the 

purpose and need of the proposed 

action and those that do not. 

• Identifying the range of reasonable 

route alternatives that satisfy the 

purpose and need for the proposed 

action. 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES