Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 228 / Tuesday, November 29, 2005 / Notices 71597 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Highway Administration 

[Project Number STPD–1069–00 (006)] 

Environmental Impact Statement: 

Washington and Bolivar Counties, MS 

AGENCY: Federal Highway 

Administration (FHWA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Notice of intent. 

SUMMARY: The Federal Highway 

Administration is issuing this notice to 

advise the public that an Environmental 

Impact Statement will be prepared for a 

proposed connector route from the 

proposed Interstate 69 to U.S. Highway 

82 near the City of Greenville, MS in the 

above referenced counties. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Cecil Vick, Realty Officer/ 

Environmental Coordinator, Federal 

Highway Administration, 666 North 

Street, Suite 105, Jackson, MS 39202–

3199, Telephone: (601) 965–4217. 

Contacts at the State and local level, 

respectively are: Mr. Claiborne 

Barnwell, Environmental/Location 

Division Engineer, Mississippi 

Department of Transportation, P. O. Box 

1850, Jackson, MS, 39215–1850, 

telephone: (601) 359–7920; and Mr. 

Walter Lyons, District 3 Engineer, 

Mississippi Department of 

Transportation, 1240 Highway 49 West, 

Yazoo City, MS 39194, telephone (662) 

746–2513. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

FHWA, in cooperation with the 

Mississippi Department of 

Transportation (MDOT) will prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

for an approximate 20-mile alignment of 

the I–69 Connector, which will be built 

to Interstate standards through the Delta 

region east of the Mississippi River, 

moving in a generally north-south 

alignment. This alignment will have 

logical termini on the southern end at 

U.S. Highway 82 in Greenville in 

Washington County and on the northern 

end at the proposed Interstate 69 near 

Benoit in Bolivar County. 

The purpose of the EIS is to address 

the transportation, environmental, and 

safety issues of a connector route to the 

projected I–69. The connection will also 

significantly improve mobility and 

access Statewide and beyond, creating a 

valuable transportation network. The 

need will be further heightened due to 

the increased traffic along the projected 

I–69. The connector route will spur 

economic activity for the City of 

Greenville and surrounding areas in the 

Mississippi Delta region. The highway 

is a proposed full control of access 

facility and appropriate interchanges 

will be studied at various locations. 

Alternatives under consideration 

include (1) taking no action and (2) 

build alternatives. 

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, Native American tribes, 

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 as well as several public 

involvement meetings held throughout 

the EIS process. 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, Federal Highway 

Administration, Mississippi Division, 

Jackson, Mississippi. 

[FR Doc. E5–6645 Filed 11–28–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Highway Administration 

Environmental Impact Statement; 

Skowhegan Transportation Study; 

Skowhegan and Madison, Somerset 

County, MA 

AGENCY: Federal Highway 

Administration (FHWA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of intent. 

SUMMARY: The FHWA is issuing this 

notice to advise the public that an 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

will be prepared for a proposed highway 

project in the Towns of Skowhegan and 

Madison, Maine. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Mark Hasselmann, Right of Way and 

Environmental Programs Manager, 

Maine Division, Federal Highway 

Administration, 40 Western Ave., 

Augusta, Maine 04330, Tel. 207/622–

8350, Ext. 101; Raymond Faucher, 

Project Manager, Maine Department of 

Transportation, State House Station 16, 

Augusta, Maine 04333–0016, Tel. 207/ 

624–3300. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On 

October 14, 2005, FHWA Maine 

Division informed MaineDOT that they 

had completed their review of the NEPA 

process to date for the Skowhegan 

Transportation Study and decided that 

an Environmental Impact Statement will 

be required before location and design 

approval. The principal reason for this 

decision is the public controversy that 

has been generated late in the NEPA 

process regarding proposed highway 

alignments. 

The FHWA, in cooperation with the 

Maine Department of Transportation, 

will prepare an EIS to evaluate 

transportation alternatives to enhance 

mobility, safety, and accessibility 

through and around Skowhegan. The 

EIS will examine both new highway 

alignments and infrastructure 

improvements. The EIS will study 

corridor alternatives, including 

upgrades within existing highway 

corridors, corridors on new location, 

and the no-build alternative. The area 

under consideration extends from Route 

2/201A west of the Town of Skowhegan 

easterly and northerly around 

Skowhegan and then westerly to Route 

201 in Madison just north of 

Skowhegan. The length of the corridor 

is approximately 6.5 miles. Goals for the 

study include: (1) Improving safety and 

relieving congestion on U.S. Routes 2 

and 201, and State Routes 104 and 150, 

(2) improving regional east-west and 

north-south traffic flow, (3) improving 

emergency cross-river access and 

response capabilities, and (4) providing 

the capacity to meet current and future 

traffic demands. The work completed to 

date in the Skowhegan Transportation 

Study will provide the foundation for 

the EIS analysis. 

This project was initiated as a 

transportation planning study in 1998, 

with agency scoping and coordination 

initiated at interagency meetings in that 

year and the intent to prepare a NEPA 

document. Public participation was also 

initiated in 1998 with the formation of 

a Public Advisory Committee, a July 28 

public scoping meeting, and the 

development of a study purpose and 

need. A wide range of alternatives was 

developed and evaluated. Preparation of 

an Environmental Assessment began in 

March of 2002. In July of 2005, 

Alternative E3E received a preliminary 

determination from the Army Corps of 

Engineers that it is the Least 

Environmentally Damaging Practicable 

Alternative (LEDPA). 

71598 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 228 / Tuesday, November 29, 2005 / Notices 

Letters describing the proposed action 

and soliciting comments will be sent to 

appropriate Federal, State and local 

agencies and private organizations that 

have previously expressed or are known 

to have interest in the proposed action. 

All public and agency comments, 

including early scoping comments, 

received during the NEPA process will 

be addressed in the EIS. The draft EIS 

will be available for public and agency 

review and comment prior to a 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 and/or 

MaineDOT at the addresses provided 

above. 

FHWA anticipates that the following 

Federal approvals will be necessary for 

the proposed project. 

Section 404 Clean Water Act permit 

Design, Right of Way, and Construction 

Funding Authorization 

Authority: 23 U.S.C. 315; 49 CFR 1.48. 

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

Program Number 20.205, Highway Planning 

and Construction. The regulations 

implementing Executive Order 12372 

regarding intergovernmental consultation on 

Federal programs and activities apply to this 

program.) 

Issued on: November 17, 2005. 

Jonathan McDade, 

Division Administrator, Federal Highway 

Administration, Augusta, Maine. 

[FR Doc. 05–23415 Filed 11–28–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–22–M 

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 Information 

Collection abstracted below has been 

forwarded to the Office of Management 

and Budget (OMB) for review and 

approval. The nature of the information 

collection is described as well as its 

expected burden. The Federal Register 

Notice with a 60-day comment period 

soliciting comments on the following 

collection of information was published 

on August 29, 2005, and comments were 

due by October 28, 2005. No comments 

were received. 

DATES: Comments must be submitted on 

or before December 29, 2005. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: T. 

Mitchell Hudson, Maritime 

Administration, 400 Seventh Street 

Southwest, Washington, DC 20590. 

Telephone: 202–366–5320; FAX: 202–

366–7485; or e-mail: 

mitch.hudson@dot.gov. Copies of this 

collection also can be obtained from that 

office. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Maritime 

Administration (MARAD). 

Title: Eligibility of U.S.-flag Vessels 

100 feet or Greater in Registered Length 

To Obtain a Fishery Endorsement to the 

Vessel’s Documentation. 

OMB Control Number: 2133–0530. 

Type of Request: Extension of 

currently approved collection. 

Affected Public: Vessel owners, 

charterers, mortgagees, mortgage 

trustees and managers of vessels of 100 

feet or greater who seek a fishery 

endorsement for the vessel. 

Forms: None. 

Abstract: In accordance with the 

American Fisheries Act of 1998 (AFA), 

owners of vessels of 100 feet or greater 

who wish to obtain a fishery 

endorsement to the vessel’s 

documentation will be required to file 

an affidavit of United States citizenship. 

The information collection is necessary 

for MARAD to determine that a given 

vessel is owned and controlled by 

citizens of the United States in 

accordance with the requirements of the 

AFA, and therefore, is eligible to receive 

a fishery endorsement to its 

documentation. 

Annual Estimated Burden Hours: 

2,950 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 16, 

2005. 

Joel C. Richard, 

Secretary, Maritime Administration. 

[FR Doc. E5–6638 Filed 11–28–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–81–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Maritime Administration 

[Docket Number 2005–23095] 

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 

CARIBBEAN SPIRIT. 

SUMMARY: As authorized by Public Law 

105–383 and Public Law 107–295, 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 brief 

description of the proposed service, is 

listed below. The complete application 

is given in DOT docket 2005–23095 at 

http://dms.dot.gov. 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, in 

accordance with Public Law 105–383 

and MARAD’s regulations at 46 CFR 

part 388 (68 FR 23084; April 30, 2003), 

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 in that business, a 

waiver will not be granted. 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. 

DATES: Submit comments on or before 

December 29, 2005. 

ADDRESSES: Comments should refer to 

docket number MARAD–2005 23095. 

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