Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 229 / Wednesday, November 30, 2005 / Notices 71887 

1 In 1995, Southern Pacific Transportation 

Company (SPT) was granted authority to 

discontinue rail service on the line. See Southern 

Pacific Transportation Company—Discontinuance 

of Service Exemption—in Imperial County, CA, 

Docket No. AB–12 (Sub-No. 157X) (ICC served Nov. 

3, 1995). The line became a line of UP on February 

1, 1998, when SPT was merged into UP pursuant 

to the Board’s decision in Union Pacific/Southern 

Pacific Merger, 1 S.T.B. 233 (1996). 

tractor-trailer combinations for 38 years, 

accumulating 3 million miles. He holds 

a Class A CDL from Texas. His driving 

record for the last 3 years shows no 

crashes and one conviction—failure to 

use his seat belt properly—in a CMV. 

Robert A. Sherry 

Mr. Sherry, 48, has had amblyopia in 

his right eye since childhood. The best 

corrected visual acuity in his right eye 

is 20/400 and in the left, 20/15. His 

optometrist examined him in 2005 and 

noted ‘‘Uncorrected visual acuity meets 

criteria to operate a commercial 

vehicle.’’ Mr. Sherry reported that he 

has driven straight trucks for 5 years, 

accumulating 25,000 miles and tractortrailer combinations for 30 years, 

accumulating 1.95 million miles. He 

holds a Class A CDL from Pennsylvania. 

His driving record for the last 3 years 

shows no crashes or convictions for 

moving violations in a CMV. 

Thomas E. Voyles, Jr. 

Mr. Voyles, 53, has had 

histoplasmosis retinitis in his left eye 

since 1999. The best corrected visual 

acuity in his right eye is 20/15 and in 

the left, count-finger-vision at 10 feet. 

His optometrist examined him in 2005 

and noted ‘‘It is my opinion that 

Thomas E. Voyles, Jr. has adequate 

vision to safely operate a commercial 

motor vehicle.’’ Mr. Voyles reported that 

he has driven straight trucks for 30 

years, accumulating 150,000 miles. He 

holds a Class M chauffer license from 

Indiana. His driving record for the last 

3 years shows no crashes or convictions 

for moving violations in a CMV. 

Issued on: November 21, 2005. 

Rose A. McMurray, 

Associate Administrator, Policy and Program 

Development. 

[FR Doc. 05–23490 Filed 11–29–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–EX–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Maritime Administration 

Reports, Forms and Recordkeeping 

Requirements; Agency Information 

Collection Activity Under OMB Review 

AGENCY: Maritime Administration, DOT. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: In compliance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 

U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice 

announces that the new Information 

Collection abstracted below has been 

forwarded to the Office of Management 

and Budget (OMB) for emergency 

processing. The Maritime 

Administration (MARAD) is requesting 

approval of this collection for the period 

December 9, 2005 to September 30, 

2006. With this one-time survey, 

MARAD has made a concerted effort to 

keep the burden on the public to an 

absolute minimum. 

DATES: Comments must be submitted on 

or before December 30, 2005. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Gilda Lee, Maritime Administration, 

400 Seventh Street Southwest, 

Washington, DC 20590. Telephone: 

202–366–3971; FAX: 202–366–3746; or 

E-MAIL: gilda.lee@dot.gov. Copies of 

this collection also can be obtained from 

that office. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Maritime 

Administration (MARAD). 

Title: Great Lakes/St. Lawrence 

Seaway Survey for the New Cargoes/ 

New Vessels Study. 

OMB Control Number: 2133–NEW. 

Type of Request: Emergency approval 

of a one-time collection. 

Affected Public: Great Lakes/St. 

Lawrence Seaway shippers. 

Forms: Great Lakes/St. Lawrence 

Seaway System Shipper Survey (Unnumbered) 

Abstract: The United States and 

Canada are jointly undertaking a multiyear assessment of the Great Lakes/St. 

Lawrence Seaway (GLSLS) System. This 

assessment will evaluate the ongoing 

maintenance and long-term capital 

requirements to ensure the GLSLS 

system is a competitive, reliable and 

sustainable component of North 

America’s transportation infrastructure. 

Annual Estimated Burden Hours: 433 

hours. 

ADDRESSES: Send comments to the 

Office of Information and Regulatory 

Affairs, Office of Management and 

Budget, 725 17th Street Northwest, 

Washington, DC 20503, Attention 

MARAD Desk Officer. 

Comments are invited on: Whether 

the proposed collection of information 

is necessary for the proper performance 

of the functions of the agency, including 

whether the information will have 

practical utility; the accuracy of the 

agency’s estimate of the burden of the 

proposed information collection; ways 

to enhance the quality, utility and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and ways to minimize the 

burden of the collection of information 

on respondents, including the use of 

automated collection techniques or 

other forms of information technology. 

A comment to OMB is best assured of 

having its full effect if OMB receives it 

within 30 days of publication. 

Authority: 49 CFR 1.66. 

Issued in Washington, DC, on November 

23, 2005. 

Murray A. Bloom, 

Acting Secretary, Maritime Administration. 

[FR Doc. 05–23477 Filed 11–29–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–81–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Surface Transportation Board 

[STB Docket No. AB–33 (Sub–No. 228X)] 

Union Pacific Railroad Company—

Abandonment Exemption—in Imperial 

County, CA 

Union Pacific Railroad Company (UP) 

has filed a notice of exemption under 49 

CFR 1152 Subpart F—Exempt 

Abandonments to abandon segments of 

the Holtville Industrial Lead from 

milepost 711.90 near El Centro to 

milepost 703.26 at Holtville, and from 

milepost 702.72 to milepost 703.46 near 

Holtville, for a total distance of 9.38 

miles, in Imperial County, CA.1 The line 

traverses United States Postal Service 

Zip Codes 92243, 92244, and 92250. 

UP has certified that: (1) No local 

traffic has moved over the line for at 

least 2 years; (2) there is no overhead 

traffic on the line; (3) no formal 

complaint filed by a user of rail service 

on the line (or by a state or local 

government entity acting on behalf of 

such user) regarding cessation of service 

over the line either is pending with the 

Surface Transportation Board or with 

any U.S. District Court or has been 

decided in favor of complainant within 

the 2-year period; and (4) the 

requirements at 49 CFR 1105.7 

(environmental reports), 49 CFR 1105.8 

(historic reports), 49 CFR 1105.11 

(transmittal letter), 49 CFR 1105.12 

(newspaper publication), and 49 CFR 

1152.50(d)(1) (notice to governmental 

agencies) have been met. 

As a condition to this exemption, any 

employee adversely affected by the 

abandonment shall be protected under 

Oregon Short Line R. Co.—

Abandonment—Goshen, 360 I.C.C. 91 

(1979). To address whether this 

condition adequately protects affected 

employees, a petition for partial 

revocation under 49 U.S.C. 10502(d) 

must be filed. 

71888 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 229 / Wednesday, November 30, 2005 / Notices 

2The Board will grant a stay if an informed 

decision on environmental issues (whether raised 

by a party or by the Board’s Section of 

Environmental Analysis (SEA) in its independent 

investigation) cannot be made before the 

exemption’s effective date. See Exemption of Outof-Service Rail Lines, 5 I.C.C.2d 377 (1989). Any 

request for a stay should be filed as soon as possible 

so that the Board may take appropriate action before 

the exemption’s effective date. 3Each OFA must be accompanied by the filing 

fee, which currently is set at $1,200. See 49 CFR 

1002.2(f)(25). 

1See Blackwell & Northern Railway Company, 

Inc.—Operation Exemption—Oklahoma 

Department of Transportation and Blackwell 

Industrial Authority, STB Finance Docket No. 

34265 (STB served Nov. 4, 2002). 

Provided no formal expression of 

intent to file an offer of financial 

assistance (OFA) has been received, this 

exemption will be effective on 

December 30, 2005, unless stayed 

pending reconsideration. Petitions to 

stay that do not involve environmental 

issues,2 formal expressions of intent to 

file an OFA under 49 CFR 

1152.27(c)(2),3 and trail use/rail banking 

requests under 49 CFR 1152.29 must be 

filed by December 9, 2005. Petitions to 

reopen or requests for public use 

conditions under 49 CFR 1152.28 must 

be filed by December 20, 2005, with the 

Surface Transportation Board, 1925 K 

Street, NW., Washington, DC 20423–

0001. 

A copy of any petition filed with the 

Board should be sent to UP’s 

representative: Mack H. Shumate, Jr., 

Senior General Attorney, 101 North 

Wacker Drive, Room 1920, Chicago, IL 

60606. 

If the verified notice contains false or 

misleading information, the exemption 

is void ab initio. 

UP has filed a combined 

environmental report and historic report 

which addresses the effects, if any, of 

the abandonment on the environment 

and historic resources. SEA will issue 

an environmental assessment (EA) by 

December 5, 2005. Interested persons 

may obtain a copy of the EA by writing 

to SEA (Room 500, Surface 

Transportation Board, Washington, DC 

20423–0001) or by calling SEA, at (202) 

565–1539. [Assistance for the hearing 

impaired is available through the 

Federal Information Relay Service 

(FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339.] Comments 

on environmental and historic 

preservation matters must be filed 

within 15 days after the EA becomes 

available to the public. Environmental, historic preservation, 

public use, or trail use/rail banking 

conditions will be imposed, where 

appropriate, in a subsequent decision. Pursuant to the provisions of 49 CFR 

1152.29(e)(2), UP shall file a notice of 

consummation with the Board to signify 

that it has exercised the authority 

granted and fully abandoned the line. If 

consummation has not been effected by 

UP’s filing of a notice of consummation 

by November 30, 2006, and there are no 

legal or regulatory barriers to 

consummation, the authority to 

abandon will automatically expire. 

Board decisions and notices are 

available on our Web site at http:// 

www.stb.dot.gov. 

Decided: November 22, 2005. 

By the Board, David M. Konschnik, 

Director, Office of Proceedings. 

Vernon A. Williams, 

Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 05–23424 Filed 11–29–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4915–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Surface Transportation Board 

[STB Finance Docket No. 34777] 

Blackwell Northern Gateway Railroad 

Company—Change in Operators 

Exemption—Oklahoma Department of 

Transportation and Blackwell 

Industrial Authority 

Blackwell Northern Gateway Railroad 

Company (BNGR), a noncarrier, has 

filed a verified notice of exemption 

under 49 CFR 1150.31 to operate 35.26 

miles of the rail line, owned by the State 

of Oklahoma by and through the 

Oklahoma Department of Transportation 

and Blackwell Industrial Authority. The 

rail line extends: (1) Between milepost 

34.3 at Blackwell, OK, and milepost 18 

+ 1712.9 feet at the Oklahoma/Kansas 

State line near Hun Newell, KS; (2) 

between milepost 35 + 1848 feet, west 

of Blackwell, OK, and milepost 34.3 at 

Blackwell, OK; and (3) between 

milepost 18 + 1712.9 feet at the 

Oklahoma/Kansas State line near Hun 

Newell, KS, and milepost 0 + 466.3 feet, 

at Wellington, KS. BNGR will replace 

Blackwell & Northern Railway 

Company, which has been operating 

over the line, and will become a class 

III rail carrier.1 BNGR certifies that its 

projected revenues as a result of this 

transaction will not exceed those that 

would quality it as a Class III carrier and 

that such revenues would not exceed $5 

million. 

The transaction was scheduled to be 

consummated no earlier than November 

7, 2005, the effective date of the 

exemption (7 days after the exemption 

was filed). 

If the verified notice contains false or 

misleading information, the exemption 

is void ab initio. Petitions to reopen the 

proceeding to revoke the exemption 

under 49 U.S.C. 10502(d) may be filed 

at any time. The filing of a petition to 

revoke will not automatically stay the 

transaction. 

An original and 10 copies of all 

pleadings, referring to STB Finance 

Docket No. 34777, must be filed with 

the Surface Transportation Board, 1925 

K Street, NW., Washington, DC 20423–

0001. In addition, a copy of each 

pleading must be served on, Thomas F. 

McFarland, Thomas F. McFarland, P.C., 

208 South LaSalle Street, Suite 1890, 

Chicago, IL 60604–1112. 

Board decisions and notices are 

available on our Web site at http:// 

www.stb.dot.gov. 

Decided: November 22, 2005. 

By the Board, David M. Konschnik, 

Director, Office of Proceedings. 

Vernon A. Williams, 

Secretary. 

[FR Doc. E5–6678 Filed 11–29–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4915–01–P 

U.S.-CHINA ECONOMIC AND 

SECURITY REVIEW COMMISSION 

Notice of Open Public Hearing 

AGENCY: U.S.-China Economic and 

Security Review Commission. 

ACTION: Notice of open public hearing. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of the 

following hearing of the U.S.-China 

Economic and Security Review 

Commission. 

Name: C. Richard D’Amato, Chairman 

of the U.S.-China Economic and 

Security Review Commission. 

The Commission is mandated by 

Congress to investigate, assess, evaluate 

and report to Congress annually on ‘‘the 

national security implications of the 

bilateral trade and economic 

relationship between the United States 

and the People’s Republic of China.’’

Pursuant to this mandate, the 

Commission will be holding a public 

hearing in Washington, DC on December 

8, 2005. 

Background 

This event is the first in a series of 

public hearings the Commission will 

hold during its 2005–2006 report cycle 

to collect input from leading experts in 

academia, business, industry, 

government and the public on the 

impact of U.S-China trade and economic 

relations. The December 8 hearing is 

being conducted to secure commentary 

about issues connected to the Hong 

Kong Ministerial Conference of the 

Doha Round of the World Trade 

Organization’s trade expansion 

negotiations that will occur on 

December 13–18, 2005. Information on