56130 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 190 / Tuesday, October 2, 2007 / Notices 

The EIS Process and the Role of 

Participating Agencies and the Public 

The purpose of the NEPA process is 

to explore, in a public setting, the effects 

of the proposed project and its 

alternatives on the physical, human, 

and natural environment. The FTA and 

METRO will evaluate all significant 

environmental, social, and economic 

impacts of the construction and 

operation of the proposed project. 

Impact areas to be addressed include: 

Land use; development potential; 

secondary development; land 

acquisition, displacements, and 

relocations; cultural resources 

(including impacts on historical and 

archaeological resources); parklands and 

recreation areas; visual and aesthetic 

qualities; air quality; noise and 

vibration; ecosystems (including 

threatened and endangered species); 

energy use; business and neighborhood 

disruptions; environmental justice; 

changes in traffic and pedestrian 

circulation and congestion; and changes 

in transit service and patronage. 

Measures to avoid, minimize, or 

mitigate any significant adverse impacts 

will be identified and evaluated. 

The methodology for evaluation of 

impacts will focus on the areas of 

investigation mentioned above. As the 

public involvement and agency 

consultation process proceeds, 

additional evaluation criteria and 

impact assessment measures will be 

included in the analysis. Potential 

alternatives will be developed to a 

conceptual level, and will be screened 

and ranked against these evaluation 

criteria and local community 

considerations. Travel time savings, 

potential for congestion reduction and 

improved mobility options for residents 

of the City of Phoenix and adjacent 

metropolitan areas will be assessed for 

the transportation alternatives 

considered. The public involvement 

program and agency coordination plan 

discussed below will provide the 

vehicle through which these evaluation 

analyses will be conducted. 

The regulations implementing NEPA, 

as well as provisions of the Safe, 

Accountable, Flexible, Efficient 

Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for 

Users (SAFETEA–LU), call for public 

involvement in the EIS process. Section 

6002 of SAFETEA–LU requires that FTA 

and METRO do the following: (1) 

Extend an invitation to other Federal 

and non-Federal agencies and Indian 

tribes that may have an interest in the 

proposed project to become 

‘‘participating agencies’’; (2) provide an 

opportunity for involvement by 

participating agencies and the public in 

helping to define the purpose and need 

for a proposed project, as well as the 

range of alternatives for consideration in 

the EIS; and (3) establish a plan for 

coordinating public and agency 

participation in and comment on the 

environmental review process. 

A list of interested agencies has been 

developed, and an invitation to become 

a participating agency, with the scoping 

information packet appended, will be 

extended to other Federal and nonFederal agencies and Indian tribes that 

may have an interest in the proposed 

project. It is possible that we may not be 

able to identify all Federal and nonFederal agencies and Indian tribes that 

may have such an interest. Any Federal 

or non-Federal agency or Indian tribe 

interested in the proposed project that 

does not receive an invitation to become 

a participating agency should notify, at 

the earliest opportunity, the person 

identified above under ADDRESSES. 

A comprehensive Public Involvement 

Program will be developed, and a public 

and agency involvement Coordination 

Plan will be created. The Public 

Involvement Program will include a full 

range of involvement activities. 

Activities will include outreach to local 

and county officials and community and 

civic groups; a public scoping process to 

define the issues of concern among all 

parties interested in the project; 

organizing periodic meetings with 

various local agencies, organizations 

and committees; a public hearing upon 

release of the Draft Environmental 

Impact Statement (DEIS); development 

and distribution of project newsletters 

and the establishment of a project Web 

site. Opportunities to participate in the 

scoping process, in addition to the 

public meetings announced in this 

notice, will be made available. Specific 

mechanisms for involvement will be 

detailed in the Public Involvement 

Program. 

METRO may seek New Starts funding 

for the proposed project under 49 U.S.C. 

5309 and will therefore be subject to 

New Starts regulations (49 CFR part 

611). The New Starts regulations require 

a planning Alternatives Analysis that 

leads to the selection of a locally 

preferred alternative and the inclusion 

of the locally preferred alternative as 

part of the long-range transportation 

plan adopted by the MAG. The New 

Starts regulations also require the 

submission of certain projectjustification information in support of a 

request to initiate preliminary 

engineering, and this information is 

normally developed in conjunction with 

the NEPA process. Pertinent New Starts 

evaluation criteria will be included in 

the Final EIS. 

The AA/EIS will be prepared in 

accordance with NEPA and its 

implementing regulations issued by the 

Council on Environmental Quality (40 

CFR parts 1500–1508) and with the 

FTA/Federal Highway Administration 

regulations ‘‘Environmental Impact and 

Related Procedures’’ (23 CFR part 771). 

In accordance with 23 CFR 771.105(a) 

and 771.133, FTA will comply with all 

Federal environmental laws, 

regulations, and executive orders 

applicable to the proposed project 

during the environmental review 

process to the maximum extent 

practicable. These requirements 

include, but are not limited to, the 

environmental and public hearing 

provisions of Federal transit laws (49 

U.S.C. 5301(e), 5323(b), and 5324), the 

project-level air quality conformity 

regulation of the U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency (EPA) (40 CFR part 

93), the Section 404(b)(1) guidelines of 

EPA (40 CFR part 230), the regulation 

implementing Section 106 of the 

National Historic Preservation Act (36 

CFR part 800), the regulation 

implementing Section 7 of the 

Endangered Species Act (50 CFR part 

402), and Executive Orders 12898 on 

environmental justice, 11988 on 

floodplain management and 11990 on 

wetlands. The Section 4(f) Evaluation 

will comply with the United States 

Department of Transportation Act (23 

CFR 771.135). 

Issued on: September 27, 2007. 

Leslie T. Rogers, 

Regional Administrator, FTA Region IX. 

[FR Doc. E7–19417 Filed 10–1–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–57–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

National Highway Traffic Safety 

Administration 

[U.S. DOT Docket Number NHTSA–2007–

28638] 

Reports, Forms, and Recordkeeping 

Requirements 

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic 

Safety Administration (NHTSA), 

Department of Transportation. 

ACTION: Request for public comment on 

an extension of a currently approved 

collection. 

SUMMARY: Before a Federal agency can 

collect certain information from the 

public, it must receive approval from 

the Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB). Under procedures established 

by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 

1995, before seeking OMB approval, 

Federal agencies must solicit public 


rmajette on PROD1PC64 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 190 / Tuesday, October 2, 2007 / Notices 56131 

comment on proposed collections of 

information, including extensions and 

reinstatement of previously approved 

collections. 

This document describes one 

collection of information for which 

NHTSA intends to seek OMB approval. 

DATES: Comments must be received on 

or before December 3, 2007. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

[identified by DOT Docket ID Number 

NHTSA 2007–28638] by any of the 

following methods: 

If filing comments by September 27, 

2007, please use: 

• Web site: http://dms.dot.gov. 

Follow the instructions for submitting 

comments on the Department of 

Transportation Docket Management 

System electronic docket site. No 

electronic submissions will be accepted 

between September 28, 2007, and 

October 1, 2007. 

If filing comments on or after October 

1, 2007, use: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

online instructions for submitting 

comments. 

Alternatively, you can file comments 

using the following methods: 

• Mail: Docket Management Facility: 

U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 

New Jersey Avenue, SE., West Building 

Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 

Washington, DC 20590–0001. 

• Hand Delivery or Courier: West 

Building Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., between 

9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET, Monday through 

Friday, except Federal holidays. 

• Fax: 202–493–2251. 

Instructions: For detailed instructions 

on submitting comments and additional 

information on the rulemaking process, 

see the Public Participation heading of 

the Supplementary Information section 

of this document. Note that all 

comments received will be posted 

without change to http:// 

www.dms.dot.gov or http:// 

www.regulations.gov, including any 

personal information provided. Please 

see the Privacy Act heading below. 

Privacy Act: Anyone is able to search 

the electronic form of all comments 

received into any of our dockets by the 

name of the individual submitting the 

comment (or signing the comment, if 

submitted on behalf of an association, 

business, labor union, etc.). You may 

review DOT’s complete Privacy Act 

Statement in the Federal Register 

published on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 

19477–78). 

Docket: For access to the docket to 

read background documents or 

comments received, go to http:// 

dms.dot.gov until September 27, 2007, 

or the street address listed above. The 

DOT docket may be offline at times 

between September 28 through 

September 30 to migrate to the Federal 

Docket Management System (FDMS). 

On October 1, 2007, the internet access 

to the docket will be at http:// 

www.regulations.gov. Follow the online 

instructions for accessing the dockets. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Complete copies of each request for 

collection of information may be 

obtained at no change from Carlita 

Ballard, NHTSA, 1200 New Jersey, SE., 

Room W43–439, NVS–131, Washington, 

DC 20590. Ms. Ballard’s telephone 

number is (202) 366–0846. Please 

identify the relevant collection of 

information by referring to its OMB 

Control Number. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 

before an agency submits a proposed 

collection of information to OMB for 

approval, it must first publish a 

document in the Federal Register 

providing a 60-day comment period and 

otherwise consult with members of the 

public and affected agencies concerning 

each proposed collection of information. 

The OMB has promulgated 

regulations describing what must be 

included in such a document. Under 

OMB’s regulation (at 5 CFR 1320.8(d), 

an agency must ask for public comment 

on the following: 

(1) 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; 

(ii) The accuracy of the agency’s 

estimate of the burden of the proposed 

collection of information, including the 

validity of the methodology and 

assumptions used; 

(iii) How to enhance the quality, 

utility, and clarity of the information to 

be collected and; 

(iv) How to minimize the burden of 

the collection of information on those 

who are to respond, including the use 

of appropriate automated, electronic, 

mechanical, or other technological 

collection techniques or other forms of 

information technology, e.g. permitting 

electronic submission of responses. 

In compliance with these 

requirements, NHTSA asks for public 

comments on the following proposed 

collections of information: 

Title: Petitions for Exemption from 

the Vehicle Theft Prevention Standard 

(49 CFR part 543). 

OMB Control Number: 2127–0542. 

Form Number: None. 

Affected Public: Motor vehicle 

manufacturers. 

Requested Expiration Date of 

Approval: Three years from approval 

date. 

Abstract: Manufacturers of passenger 

vehicle lines may petition the agency for 

an exemption from Part 541 

requirements, if the line is equipped 

with an anti-theft device as standard 

equipment and meets agency criteria. 

Device must be as effective as 

partsmarking. 

Estimated Annual Burden: 3,164. 

Number of Respondents: 14. 

49 U.S.C. Chapter 331 requires the 

Secretary of Transportation to 

promulgate a theft prevention standard 

to provide for the identification of 

certain motor vehicles and their major 

replacement parts to impede motor 

vehicle theft. 49 U.S.C. 33106 provides 

for an exemption to this identification 

process by petitions from manufacturers 

who equip covered vehicles with 

standard original equipment antitheft 

devices, which the Secretary determines 

are likely to be as effective in reducing 

or deterring theft as partsmarking. 

NHTSA may exempt a vehicle line from 

the partsmarking requirements, if the 

manufacturer installs an antitheft device 

as standard equipment on the entire 

vehicle line for which it seeks an 

exemption and NHTSA determines that 

the antitheft device is likely to be as 

effective in reducing and deterring 

motor vehicle theft as compliance with 

the partsmarking requirements. In 

accordance with 49 U.S.C. 33106, after 

model year (MY) 2000, the number of 

new exemptions is contingent on a 

finding by the Attorney General as part 

of its long-range review of effectiveness. 

After consulting with DOJ, the agency 

decided it could continue granting one 

exemption per model year pending the 

results of the long-term review. 

In a final rule published on April 6, 

2004, the Federal Motor Vehicle Theft 

Prevention Standard was extended to 

include all passenger cars and 

multipurpose passenger vehicles with a 

gross vehicle rating of 6,000 pounds or 

less, and to light duty trucks with major 

parts that are interchangeable with a 

majority of the covered major parts of 

multipurpose passenger vehicles. 

Consistent with this DOJ consultation, 

the April 6, 2004 final rule amended the 

general requirements of Section 543.5 of 

Chapter 49 of the Code of Federal 

Regulations, allowing a manufacturer to 

petition NHTSA to grant an exemption 

for one additional line of its passenger 

motor vehicles from the requirements of 

the theft prevention standard for each 

model year after MY 1996. The final 

rule became effective September 1, 

2006. 


rmajette on PROD1PC64 with NOTICES
56132 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 190 / Tuesday, October 2, 2007 / Notices 

Prior to September 1, 2006, 

manufacturers were only allowed to 

petition NHTSA for high-theft vehicle 

lines. In its April 6, 2004 final rule, the 

agency amended part 543 to allow 

vehicle manufacturers to file petitions to 

exempt all vehicle lines that would 

become subject to parts-marking 

requirements beginning with the 

effective date of the final rule. As a 

result of this amendment, vehicle 

manufacturers are allowed to file 

petitions to exempt all vehicle lines that 

would become subject to the partsmarking requirements regardless of their 

theft status (high or low). While there 

are approximately 27 vehicle 

manufacturers, since the effective date 

of the rule, a maximum of 14 petitions 

for exemption from the parts-marking 

requirements have been received by the 

agency for any single model year. We 

anticipate this to remain the average 

number of yearly responses received by 

the agency. 

NHTSA estimates that the average 

hours per submittal will be 226, for a 

total annual burden of 3,164. This was 

an increase from the previous OMB 

inventory of 1,130 burden hours. 

NHTSA estimates that the cost 

associated with these burden hours is 

$36.62 per hour, for a total cost of 

approximately $115,866. 

Comments are invited on: Whether 

the proposed collection of information 

is necessary for the proper performance 

of the functions of the Department, 

including whether the information will 

have practical utility; the accuracy of 

the Department’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. 

Issued on: September 24, 2007. 

Stephen R. Kratzke, 

Associate Administrator for Rulemaking. 

[FR Doc. 07–4796 Filed 10–1–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–59–M 

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY 

Submission for OMB Review; 

Comment Request 

September 26, 2007. 

The Department of Treasury has 

submitted the following public 

information collection requirement(s) to 

OMB for review and clearance under the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 

Public Law 104–13. Copies of the 

submission(s) may be obtained by 

calling the Treasury Bureau Clearance 

Officer listed. Comments regarding this 

information collection should be 

addressed to the OMB reviewer listed 

and to the Treasury Department 

Clearance Officer, Department of the 

Treasury, Room 11000, 1750 

Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., 

Washington, DC 20220. 

DATES: Written comments should be 

received on or before November 1, 2007 

to be assured of consideration. 

Treasury Inspector General for Tax 

Administration (TIGTA) 

OMB Number: 1591—New. 

Type of Review: Emergency. 

Title: Refund Anticipation Loans—

Individual Taxpayers. 

Description: The Treasury Inspector 

General for Tax Administration 

(TIGTA), as part of its FY 2008 audit 

plan, will interview, via survey, a valid 

sample of individual taxpayers who 

received Refund Anticipation Loans 

(RALs) after submitting electronically 

filed (e-file) tax returns. RALs target 

low-income taxpayers, especially those 

who receive an Earned Income Tax 

Credit (EITC) or who do not have 

banking accounts. Because the duration 

of a RAL is approximately 7–14 days 

(the difference between the time a RALs 

are obtained and when they are repaid 

by with taxpayers’ refunds), fees for 

these loans translate into triple digit 

annualized interest rates. While the IRS 

has eliminated the marketing of RALs 

from its Free File Program, educating 

taxpayers about the cost and burden of 

RALs and the ability to receive refunds 

quickly without RALs would further 

help reduce the financial burden RALs 

place on taxpayers. In addition, this 

data will help in learning how RALs 

affect tax administration, what changes 

are possible and could be taken to better 

monitor e-file providers, and what 

actions could be taken to mitigate 

burden through taxpayer education and/ 

or changes to the administration of the 

tax system. 

Respondents: Individuals or 

Households. 

Estimated Total Burden Hours: 51 

hours. 

Clearance Officer: Joseph Ananka, 

(202) 622–5964, Treasury Inspector 

General for Tax Administration, 1125 

15th Street, NW., Suite 700A, 

Washington, DC 20005. 

OMB Reviewer: Alexander T. Hunt, 

(202) 395–7316, Office of Management 

and Budget, Room 10235, New 

Executive Office Building, Washington, 

DC 20503. 

Robert Dahl, 

Treasury PRA Clearance Officer. 

[FR Doc. E7–19366 Filed 10–1–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4830–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY 

Senior Executive Service; 

Departmental Offices Performance 

Review Board 

AGENCY: Treasury Department. 

ACTION: Notice of members of the 

Departmental Offices Performances 

Review Board. 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 

4314(c)(4), this notice announces the 

appointment of members of the 

Departmental Offices Performance 

Review Board (PRB). The purpose of 

this Board is to review and make 

recommendations concerning proposed 

performance appraisals, ratings, bonuses 

and other appropriate personnel actions 

for incumbents of SES positions in the 

Departmental Offices, excluding the 

Legal Division. The Board will perform 

PRB functions for other bureau 

positions if requested. 

Composition of Departmental Offices 

PRB: The Board shall consist of at least 

three members. In the case of an 

appraisal of a career appointee, more 

than half the members shall consist of 

career appointees. The names and titles 

of the Board members are as follows: 

Abbott, Matthew, Deputy Assistant 

Secretary (Federal Finance); 

Carfine, Kenneth E., Fiscal Assistant 

Secretary; 

Carroll, Robert J., Deputy Assistant 

Secretary (Tax Analysis); 

Duffy, Michael D., Deputy Assistant 

Secretary/Chief Information Officer; 

Eddy, Lynn M., Associate Chief 

Information Officer (HR Connect); 

Foster, Wesley T., Deputy Assistant 

Secretary (Management and Budget); 

Fuller, Reese H., Advanced Counterfeit 

Deterrence Program Director. 

Gerardi, Geraldine A., Director for 

Business and International Taxation; 

Glaser, Daniel L., Deputy Assistant 

Secretary (Terrorist Financing and 

Financial Crimes); 

Granat, Rochelle F., Deputy Assistant 

Secretary for Human Resources and 

Chief Human Capital Officer; 

Daly, Nova James, Deputy Assistant 

Secretary (Investment Security); 

Dick, Denise, White House Liaison; 

Foster, Robert U., Deputy Assistant 

Secretary for Legislative Affairs 

(Banking & Finance); 

Foster, Wesley T., Deputy Assistant 

Secretary (Management and Budget); 


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