Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 90 / Wednesday, May 9, 2001 / Notices 23755

The FHWA and MDOT are seeking

input as a part of the scoping process to

assist in determining and clarifying

issues relative to this project. Letters

describing the proposed action and

soliciting comments will be sent to

appropriate federal, state, and local

agencies, and to private organizations

and citizens who have previously

expressed or are known to have interest

in this proposal. A formal scoping

meeting with federal, state, and local

agencies, and other interested parties

will be held in the near future.

Coordination will be continued with

appropriate federal, state, and local

agencies, tribes, and private

organizations and citizens who have

previously expressed or are known to

have an interest in this proposal. Of

paramount importance to this effort is

the public participation process. Several

public involvement meetings will be

held, a newsletter will be developed,

and a website will be created to keep the

public informed. The draft EIS will be

available for public and agency review

and comment prior to the official public

hearing.

To ensure that the full range of issues

related to this proposed action are

addressed and all significant issues

identified, comments and suggestions

are invited from all interested parties.

Comments or questions concerning this

proposed action and the EIS should be

directed to the FHWA at the address

provided above.

Andrew H. Hughes,

Division Administrator, Jackson, Mississippi.

[FR Doc. 01–11586 Filed 5–8–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–22–M

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Maritime Administration

[Docket Number MARAD–2001–9615]

Requested Administrative Waiver of

the Coastwise Trade Laws

AGENCY: Maritime Administration,

Department of Transportation.

ACTION: Invitation for public comments

on a requested administrative waiver of

the Coastwise Trade Laws for the vessel

ISABELLA.

SUMMARY: As authorized by Pub. L. 105–

383, the Secretary of Transportation, as

represented by the Maritime

Administration (MARAD), is authorized

to grant waivers of the U.S.-build

requirement of the coastwise laws under

certain circumstances. A request for

such a waiver has been received by

MARAD. The vessel, and a description

of the proposed service, is listed below.

Interested parties may comment on the

effect this action may have on U.S.

vessel builders or businesses in the U.S.

that use U.S.-flag vessels. If MARAD

determines that in accordance with Pub.

L. 105–383 and MARAD’s regulations at

46 CFR Part 388 (65 FR 6905; February

11, 2000) that the issuance of the waiver

will have an unduly adverse effect on a

U.S.-vessel builder or a business that

uses U.S.-flag vessels, a waiver will not

be granted.

DATES: Submit comments on or before

June 8, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Comments should refer to

docket number MARAD–2001–9615.

Written comments may be submitted by

hand or by mail to the Docket Clerk,

U.S. DOT Dockets, Room PL–401,

Department of Transportation, 400 7th

St., SW, Washington, DC 20590–0001.

You may also send comments

electronically via the Internet at http://

dmses.dot.gov/submit/. All comments

will become part of this docket and will

be available for inspection and copying

at the above address between 10 a.m.

and 5 p.m., E.T., Monday through

Friday, except federal holidays. An

electronic version of this document and

all documents entered into this docket

is available on the World Wide Web at

http://dms.dot.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Kathleen Dunn, U.S. Department of

Transportation, Maritime

Administration, MAR–832 Room 7201,

400 Seventh Street, SW, Washington,

DC 20590. Telephone 202–366–2307.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title V of

Pub. L. 105–383 provides authority to

the Secretary of Transportation to

administratively waive the U.S.-build

requirements of the Jones Act, and other

statutes, for small commercial passenger

vessels (no more than 12 passengers).

This authority has been delegated to the

Maritime Administration per 49 CFR

§ 1.66, Delegations to the Maritime

Administrator, as amended. By this

notice, MARAD is publishing

information on a vessel for which a

request for a U.S.-build waiver has been

received, and for which MARAD

requests comments from interested

parties. Comments should refer to the

docket number of this notice and the

vessel name in order for MARAD to

properly consider the comments.

Comments should also state the

commenter’s interest in the waiver

application, and address the waiver

criteria given in § 388.4 of MARAD’S

regulations at 46 CFR Part 388.

Vessel Proposed for Waiver of the U.S.-

build Requirement

(1) Name of vessel and owner for

which waiver is requested. Name of

vessel: Isabella. Owner: A B Creel, LLC.

(2) Size, capacity and tonnage of

vessel. According to the applicant:

‘‘Length 58 feet, Breadth 16.1 feet,

Depth 11.7 feet, Gross Tons 54, Net

Tons 49, Measurement pursuant to 46

U.S.C. 14502’’

(3) Intended use for vessel, including

geographic region of intended operation

and trade. According to the applicant:

‘‘Vessel will be used for six to twelve

passenger charters. Vessels’ intended

market is corporate charters for full day

sails and meetings and overnight or

weekend charters for one or two

couples. Areas will be out of Fajardo,

Puerto Rico and local islands, Culebra

and Vieques November through June

and the mid-Chesapeake Bay and local

waters July through October.’’

(4) Date and Place of construction and

(if applicable) rebuilding. Date of

construction: 1997. Place of

construction: Kaohsiung Hsien Taiwan,

Republic of China.’’

(5) A statement on the impact this

waiver will have on other commercial

passenger vessel operators. According to

the applicant: ‘‘Fajardo, Puerto Rico.

The industry in Puerto Rico is limited

to sports fishing vessels, large multihulls, bare boats, and a single mono-hull

vessel of which I am aware. There will

be no impact on the sports fishing

vessels. There will be no impact on the

large multi-hulls as these are big

catamarans, which * * * take out large

groups * * * for hotel guests. There is

no impact on the bare boat charter fleet

as they are all foreign manufactured

vessels and are strictly for rent with the

renter being the captain. The single

mono-hull in the same area is

overbooked most of the time and turns

down enough charters that the overflow

to my vessel alone would keep me in

business with out competing for

customers. * * * There are no other

vessels like the one I operate in Puerto

Rico and there is a high demand, since

most vessels of my size and quality

charter out of the U.S. or British Virgin

islands * * * If my analysis of this

market is as accurate * * * I alone will

not be able to fill the demand and my

presence will not unduly adversely

affect existing operations * * *

Chesapeake Bay: I intend my primary

base to be in the Solomon Island area of

the Chesapeake Bay. There are some

very large day sail vessels in the Norfolk

area and the Baltimore and Annapolis

area of the bay however these are mostly

to take out large groups 20 to 100 on

23756 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 90 / Wednesday, May 9, 2001 / Notices

harbor tours. Other area interests are

powerboat harbor tours, ferry boats, or

bare boats none of which will be

competing for the same customer base.

In my inquiries I have found no other

crewed vessels in the area, which will

compete, for the same clientele * * * My

presence in this market area will not

unduly adversely affect other

commercial passenger vessels.’’

(6) A statement on the impact this

waiver will have on U.S. shipyards.

According to the applicant: ‘‘For over

five years I searched intently for the

vessel I would choose to charter. * * *

I found that less than one percent of the

yachts in the 50 ton category are U.S.

manufactured, and of those which are

supposedly U.S. manufactured many

have the subcomponents including

hulls manufactured in foreign countries

and only the final assemble is done in

the U.S. * * * The fact that no U.S.

shipyard is manufacturing this vessel or

a similar design with a deck salon

would indicate that the presence of this

vessel does not unduly adversely affect

U.S. shipyards. * * * As a practicable

matter this vessel, which was not

available in the U.S., was delivered into

the U.S. and commissioned entirely by

U.S. labor in U.S. yards with U.S.

purchased components, which

amounted to about 1/6 the cost of the

vessel. Every year thousands of dollars

in yard work and slip fees are paid by

this vessel to U.S. shipyards. This will

continue for the life of the vessel as long

as it is U.S. flagged. I can only view this

as a positive impact to U.S. shipyards

that otherwise would not have enjoyed

any revenue from this vessel.’’

Dated: May 3, 2001.

By Order of the Maritime Administrator.

Joel C. Richard,

Secretary, Maritime Administration.

[FR Doc. 01–11709 Filed 5–8–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–81–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Research and Special Programs

Administration

International Standards on the

Transport of Dangerous Goods; Public

Meetings

AGENCY: Research and Special Programs

Administration (RSPA), Department of

Transportation.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

SUMMARY: This notice is to advise

interested persons that RSPA will

conduct a public meeting in preparation

for the nineteenth session of the United

Nation’s Sub-Committee of Experts on

the Transport of Dangerous Goods

(UNSCOE) to be held July 2–6, 2000 in

Geneva, Switzerland and the first

session of the United Nation’s SubCommittee on the Globally Harmonized

System of Classification and Labeling of

Chemicals (Geneva, Switzerland—July

9–11, 2001).

DATES: June 19, 2001, 9:30 am–12:30

pm, Room 6332–6336.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at

DOT Headquarters, Nassif Building,

Room 6332–6336, 400 Seventh Street

SW., Washington, DC 20590.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bob

Richard, Acting International Standards

Coordinator, Office of Hazardous

Materials Safety, Department of

Transportation, Washington, DC 20590;

(202) 366–0656.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

primary purpose of the meeting will be

to prepare and discuss positions for the

nineteenth session of the UNSCOE and

the first session of the United Nation’s

Sub-Committee on the Globally

Harmonized System of Classification

and Labeling of Chemicals. Topics to be

covered during the public meeting will

include (1) Global harmonization of

classification criteria, (2) Criteria for

Environmentally Hazardous Substances,

(3) Intermodal requirements for the

transport of solids in bulk containers,

(4) Harmonized requirements for

compressed gas cylinders, (5)

Classification of individual substances,

(6) Requirements for packagings used to

transport hazardous materials, (7)

Requirements for infectious substances,

and (8) Hazard communication

requirements. The meeting will be held

in conjunction with the Coast Guard’s

public meeting in preparation for the

sixth session of the Dangerous Goods,

Solid Cargoes and Containers SubCommittee. This public meeting will be

held from 1:00–3:30 pm on June 19,

2001 in Nassif Bldg. Room 6332–6336.

The public is invited to attend

without prior notification.

Documents

Copies of documents for the UNSCOE

meeting may be obtained by

downloading them from the United

Nations Transport Division’s web site at

http://www.unece.org/trans/main/dgdb/

dgsubc/c3doc.html. Information

concerning UN dangerous goods

meetings include agendas can be

downloaded at http://www.unece.org/

trans/main/dgdb/dgsubc/c3.html. These

sites may also be accessed through

RSPA’s Hazardous Materials Safety

Homepage at http://hazmat.dot.gov/

intstandards.htm. RSPA’s site provides

information regarding the UNSCOE and

the Globally Harmonized System of

Classification and Labeling for

Chemicals, a summary of decisions

taken at the 21st session of the UN

Committee of Experts, meeting dates

and a summary of the primary topics

which are to be addressed in the 2001–

2002 biennium.

Robert A. McGuire,

Associate Administrator for Hazardous

Materials Safety.

[FR Doc. 01–11708 Filed 5–8–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–60–M

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

[STB Docket No. MC–F–20981]

Laidlaw Inc.—Continuance in

Control—Victoria Tours Limited

AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board,

Transportation.

ACTION: Notice Tentatively Approving

Finance Transaction.

SUMMARY: Laidlaw Inc. (Laidlaw), a

noncarrier, filed an application under

49 U.S.C. 14303 for Laidlaw to continue

in indirect control of Victoria Tours

Limited (Victoria), upon Victoria’s

becoming a regulated motor passenger

carrier. Persons wishing to oppose the

application must follow the rules at 49

CFR 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 June

25, 2001. Applicant may file a reply by

July 9, 2001. If no comments are filed

by June 25, 2001, this notice is effective

on that date.

ADDRESSES: Send an original and 10

copies of any comments referring to STB

Docket No. MC-F–20981 to: Surface

Transportation Board, Office of the

Secretary, Case Control Unit, 1925 K

Street, NW., Washington, DC 20423–

0001. In addition, send one copy of

comments to applicant’s representative:

Fritz R. Kahn, 1920 N Street, NW. (8th

floor), Washington, DC 20036–1601.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Beryl Gordon, (202) 565–1600. (TDD for

the hearing impaired: 1–800–877–8339.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Laidlaw

controls, either directly or indirectly, a

family of motor passenger carriers,

including Greyhound Lines, Inc.

(Greyhound) (MC–1515). With the

exception of Greyhound, which

conducts mainly nationwide,

scheduled, regular-route operations, the

controlled carriers are engaged