61706 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 210 / Wednesday, October 31, 2007 / Notices 

potentially significant environmental 

and community impacts to be evaluated 

in the EIS/EIR. Concurrent with 

publication of the NOI pursuant to 

NEPA, an NOP will be distributed 

pursuant to CEQA. In conjunction with 

this final scoping of the EIS/EIR and 

consistent with provisions of 23 U.S.C. 

139 and CEQA, invitations will be 

extended to other Federal and nonFederal agencies that may have an 

interest in this matter to be participating 

agencies. 

A plan for coordinating public and 

agency participation in the 

environmental review process and for 

commenting on the issues under 

consideration at various milestones of 

the process will be prepared and posted 

on the LACMTA Web site at http:// 

www.metro.net/regionalconnector. 

Issued on: October 25, 2007. 

Leslie T. Rogers, 

Regional Administrator, Region IX, Federal 

Transit Administration. 

[FR Doc. E7–21424 Filed 10–30–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–57–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Transit Administration 

Early Scoping Notice for an 

Alternatives Analysis of Proposed 

Transit Improvements in the Eastside 

Extension Phase II Transit Corridor of 

Los Angeles, CA 

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, 

DOT. 

ACTION: Early Scoping Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Federal Transit 

Administration (FTA) and the Los 

Angeles County Metropolitan 

Transportation Authority (LACMTA) 

issue this early scoping notice to advise 

other agencies and the public that they 

intend to explore, in the context of the 

Council on Environmental Quality’s 

early scoping process, alternative means 

of improving transit capacity and 

service in the Eastside Extension Phase 

II Transit Corridor of Los Angeles, 

California. The early scoping process is 

part of a planning Alternatives Analysis 

(AA) required by Title 49 United States 

Code (U.S.C.) § 5309, that will lead to 

the selection of the proposed action and 

alternatives that will be subject to the 

appropriate environmental process. 

Early scoping meetings have been 

planned and are announced below. 

The Eastside Extensive Phase II 

Transit Corridor is east-west oriented 

and includes all or portions of the cities 

of Montebello, Pico Rivera, Monterey 

Park, Industry, Downey, Whittier, 

Commerce, Rosemead, South El Monte, 

South San Gabriel, Sante Fe Springs, 

Bell as well as unincorporated portions 

of the County of Los Angeles. The study 

area generally extends from Union 

Station in downtown Los Angeles, north 

to the Interstate 10 freeway, east to 

approximately three miles east of the 

State Route 605, and south to Interstate 

5 freeway. The Alternatives Analysis 

will study the extension of high 

capacity transit service from the Metro 

Gold Line Eastside Extension to 

approximately 3 miles east of the State 

Route 605. 

The conclusion of the planning 

Alternatives Analysis is expected to be 

the selection of a Locally Preferred 

Alternative (LPA) by the LACMTA and 

the Southern California Association of 

Governments, which is the official 

metropolitan planning organization for 

Los Angeles. The LPA will then be the 

‘‘proposed action’’ that is subject to an 

appropriate environmental review 

under the National Environmental 

Policy Act (NEPA). If the selected LPA 

would have significant impacts, an 

environmental impact statement (EIS), 

combined with a California 

environmental impact report (EIR) 

would be initiated with a Notice of 

Intent in the Federal Register and 

distribution of a Notice of Preparation 

(NOP) required under the California 

Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). 

Public and agency scoping of the EIS/ 

EIR would be conducted at that time. In 

particular, the purpose and need for the 

project, the range of alternatives to be 

considered in the EIS/EIR, the 

environmental and community impacts 

to be evaluated, and the methodologies 

to be used, would be subject to public 

and interagency review and comment, 

in accordance with 23 U.S.C. 139 and 

CEQA. 

DATES: Written comments on the scope 

of the planning Alternatives Analysis, 

including the alternatives to be 

considered, should be sent to LACMTA 

at the address below by November 30, 

2007. See ADDRESS below for the address 

to which written public comments may 

be sent. Early scoping meetings to 

accept public comments on the scope of 

the planning Alternatives Analysis will 

be held on the following dates: 

• Thursday, November 8, 2007, from 

6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Palm Park, 5703 

Palm Avenue, Whittier, CA 90601. 

• Saturday, November 10, 2007, from 

9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Senior Center at City 

Park, 115 South Taylor Avenue, 

Montebello, CA 90640. 

• Wednesday, November 14, 2007, 

from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Potrero 

Heights Elementary School, 8026 East 

Hill Drive, Rosemead, CA 91770. 

• Thursday, November 15, 2007, from 

6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. North Park 

Middle School/Cafeteria, 4450 Durfee 

Avenue, Pico Rivera, CA 90660. 

The draft purpose and need for the 

project and the initial set of alternatives 

proposed for study will be presented at 

these meetings. The buildings and 

facilities used for the scoping meetings 

are accessible to persons with 

disabilities. Any individual who 

requires special assistance, such as a 

sign language interpreter, to participate 

in a scoping meeting should contact Mr. 

David Monks, LACMTA at 213 922–

7456 or Monksd@metro.net. 

Scoping materials will be available at 

the meetings and are also available on 

the LACMTA Web site at http:// 

www.metro.net/eastside. Hard copies of 

the scoping materials are available from 

Mr. David Monks, LACMTA at 213 922–

7456 or Monksd@metro.net. 

An interagency scoping meeting will 

be held on Thursday, November 8, 2007, 

from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at LACMTA, 

One Gateway Plaza, 3rd Floor Board 

Overflow Room, Los Angeles, CA 90012. 

Representatives of Native American 

tribal governments and of all Federal, 

State, and local agencies that may have 

an interest in any aspect of the project 

will be invited by phone, letter, or email. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments on this 

Early Scoping Notice should be sent to 

Ms. Kimberly Yu, Project Manager, Los 

Angeles County Metropolitan 

Transportation Authority, One Gateway 

Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012, phone 

213–922–7910, e-mail yuki@metro.net. 

The locations of the early scoping 

meetings are given above under DATES. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Ray Tellis, Team Leader, Los Angeles 

Metropolitan Office, Federal Transit 

Administration, 888 South Figueroa 

Street, Suite 1850, Los Angeles, CA 

90017, phone 213–202–3950, e-mail 

ray.tellis@dot.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Early Scoping 

The FTA and LACMTA invite all 

interested individuals and 

organizations, public agencies, and 

Native American tribes to comment on 

the scope of the planning Alternatives 

Analysis, including the purpose and 

need for transit improvements in the 

corridor, the alternatives transit modes 

and alignments to be considered, and 

the types of impacts to be evaluated. 

Comments at this time should focus on 

the purpose and need for transit 

improvements in the corridor; 


rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 210 / Wednesday, October 31, 2007 / Notices 61707 

alternatives that may be less costly or 

have less environmental impacts while 

achieving similar transportation 

objectives; and the identification of any 

significant social, economic, or 

environmental issues that should be 

considered in developing the 

alternatives. 

Purpose and Need for Action 

The project purpose is to improve 

public transit service and mobility in 

the Eastside Extension Phase II Transit 

Corridor. The project would provide the 

study area an improved fixed-guideway 

east-west transit service from the Metro 

Gold Line Eastside Extension currently 

under construction, to cities further east 

of the City of Los Angeles. Possible 

eastern extensions from the Metro Gold 

Line would generally continue east 

parallel to or along State Route 60, 

Beverly Boulevard, Olympic Boulevard 

or Whittier Boulevard. The overall goal 

of the proposed project is to improve 

mobility in the Eastside Extension Phase 

II Transit Corridor by extending the 

benefits of the existing Metro Gold Line 

and bus investments beyond the current 

terminus. Mobility problems and 

potential improvements for this corridor 

have been well documented in many 

studies that are available from Metro’s 

Record’s Management Department 

including numerous Metro Red Line 

planning studies, Eastside Transit 

Corridor Studies: Re-Evaluation Major 

Investment Study (2000), Southern 

California Association of Governments 

(SCAG) planning studies, the Metro 

Rapid Demonstration Project (2000), and 

in the Southern California Association 

of Governments Regional Transportation 

Plan (2004). Additional considerations 

supporting the project’s need include: 

• The concentration of activity 

centers and destinations in the Eastside 

Extension Phase II Transit Corridor; 

• Increasing traffic congestion on the 

highway network throughout the 

Eastside Extension Phase II Transit 

Corridor, which has led to public and 

political support for a high-capacity 

transit alternative to the automobile; 

• The County General Plan of the 

County of Los Angeles which is transitsupportive; 

• The existing concentration of transit 

supportive land uses in the Eastside 

Extension Phase II Transit Corridor; 

• The high population and 

employment densities in the Eastside 

Extension Phase II Transit Corridor; 

• Local redevelopment plans that are 

highly support of, and dependent on, 

high capacity transit services in the 

Eastside Extension Phase II Transit 

Corridor; 

• The existing high ridership levels 

on bus lines in the Eastside Extension 

Phase II Transit Corridor; 

• Significant transit dependent 

population in the Eastside Extension 

Phase II Transit Corridor; 

• Forecasts of significant future 

population and employment growth in 

the Eastside Extension Phase II Corridor; 

• Existing and future travel demand 

patterns that demonstrate a strong and 

growing demand for high-capacity 

transit in the Eastside Extension Phase 

II Corridor; 

• Emerging travel patterns associated 

with a job-rich study area that has led 

to significant westbound congestion 

during the morning rush hours and 

corresponding eastbound congestion 

during the evening rush hours; and 

• Local policy directed toward travel 

demand management and transit 

solutions rather than the expansion of 

the street and highway network. 

Alternatives 

The Eastside Extension Phase II 

Corridor Study proposes to extend 

transit from the Metro Gold Line 

Eastside Extension to cities east of Los 

Angeles. Historically two routes have 

been previously considered for this 

extension; to the City of Whittier via 

Atlantic and Whittier Boulevards and 

the City of Whittier via Beverly 

Boulevard, Paramount Boulevard and 

Whittier Boulevard. 

Light rail transit, the transit mode that 

is currently used in the Metro Gold 

Line, is being considered. It normally 

follows an at-grade configuration 

although underground and aerial 

configurations may also be considered 

in some locations. Other transit modes, 

including Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), high 

speed trolley and any other reliable, 

cost-effective forms of fixed guideway 

transit may also be considered. 

Proposed station sites (along two 

alternative alignments) include Beverly/ 

Atlantic, Beverly/Gerhart, Beverly/ 

Garfield, Beverly/Wilcox, Beverly/ 

Montebello, Beverly/4th, Whittier/ 

Gerhart, Whittier/Garfield, Whittier/ 

Wilcox, Whittier/Montebello, Whittier/ 

Rosemead, Whittier/Passons, Whittier/ 

Norwalk, Whittier/Arizona, Whittier/ 

Atlantic, and Beverly/Arizona. 

Future No-Build Alternative—The 

study will consider the transportation 

and environmental effects if no new 

major transit investments beyond those 

that have already been planned are 

implemented in this corridor. This 

alternative will include the highway 

and transit projects in the current Metro 

Long Range Transportation Plan and the 

2030 Southern California Association of 

Governments Regional Transportation 

Plan. For purposes of the planning 

Alternatives Analysis, the major fixed 

guideway investments under study for 

the Exposition Transit Corridor Phase 2 

and Crenshaw Transit Corridor projects 

would not be included in the Future NoBuild Alternative. The completion of 

the Metro Rapid Bus Program would be 

included as well as possible additional 

feeder bus networks to serve the region’s 

major activity centers. 

Transportation System Management 

Alternative (TSM)—The study will 

consider the effects of modest 

improvements in the highway and 

transit systems beyond those in the 

Future No-Build Alternative. The TSM 

Alternative would evaluate low-cost 

enhancements to the Future No-Build 

Alternative and would emphasize 

transportation system upgrades, such as 

intersection improvements, minor road 

widening, traffic engineering actions, 

bus route restructuring, shortened bus 

headways, expanded use of articulated 

buses, reserved bus lanes, expanded 

park-and-ride facilities, express and 

limited-stop service, signalization 

improvements, and timed-transfer 

operations. 

In addition to the alternatives 

described above, other reasonable 

alternatives identified through the early 

scoping process will be considered for 

potential inclusion in the planning 

Alternatives Analysis. Alternative 

modes, vertical or horizontal 

alignments, or station locations may 

emerge from the early scoping process. 

FTA Procedures 

Early scoping is an optional element 

of the National Environmental Policy 

Act (NEPA) process that is particularly 

useful in situations where, as here, a 

proposed action (the locally preferred 

alternative) has not been identified and 

alternative modes and major alignment 

variations are under consideration in a 

broadly-defined corridor. While NEPA 

scoping normally follows issuance of a 

notice of intent, which describes the 

proposed action, it ‘‘may be initiated 

earlier, as long as there is appropriate 

public notice and enough information 

available on the proposal so that the 

public and relevant agencies can 

participate effectively.’’ See the Council 

on Environmental Quality’s ’’‘‘Forty 

Most Asked Questions Concerning 

CEQ’s National Environmental Policy 

Act Regulations,’’ 46FR 18026, 18030 

(1981). In this case, the available 

information is more than adequate to 

permit the public and relevant agencies 

to participate effectively in early 

scoping and the planning Alternatives 

Analysis. 


rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with NOTICES
61708 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 210 / Wednesday, October 31, 2007 / Notices 

LACMTA may seek New Starts 

funding for the proposed project under 

49 U.S.C. 5309 and will, therefore, be 

subject to New Starts regulation (49 

Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] Part 

611). The New Starts regulation requires 

a planning Alternatives Analysis that 

leads to the selection of a Locally 

Preferred Alternative by LACMTA and 

the inclusion of the locally preferred 

alternative in the long-range 

transportation plan adopted by the 

Southern California Association of 

Governments. The planning 

Alternatives Analysis will examine 

alignments, technologies, station 

locations, costs, funding, ridership, 

economic development, land use, 

engineering feasibility, and 

environmental factors in the corridor. 

The New Starts regulation also requires 

the submission of certain projectjustification information in support of a 

request to initiate preliminary 

engineering. After the identification of a 

proposed action at the conclusion of the 

planning Alternatives Analysis, if 

preparation of an environmental impact 

statement is warranted, a Notice of 

Intent (NOI) will be published in the 

Federal Register and the scoping of the 

EIS/EIR will be continued by soliciting 

and considering comments on the 

results of the planning Alternatives 

Analysis, the purpose and need for the 

proposed action, the range of 

alternatives to be considered in the EIS/ 

EIR, and the potentially significant 

environmental and community impacts 

to be evaluated in the EIS/EIR. 

Concurrent will publication of the 

NOI pursuant to NEPA, an NOP will be 

distributed pursuant to CEQA. In 

conjunction with this final scoping of 

the EIS/EIR and consistent with 

provisions of 23 U.S.C. 139 and CEQA, 

invitations will be extended to other 

Federal and non-Federal agencies that 

may have an interest in this matter to be 

participating agencies. A plan for 

coordinating public and agency 

participation in the environmental 

review process and for commenting on 

the issues under consideration at 

various milestones of the process will be 

prepared and posted on the LACMTA 

Web site at http://www.metro.net/ 

eastsidephase2. 

Issued on: October 25, 2007. 

Leslie T. Rogers, 

Regional Administrator, Region IX, Federal 

Transit Administration. 

[FR Doc. 07–5406 Filed 10–30–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–57–M 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Transit Administration 

Proposed Program Guidance Circulars 

[Docket Nos. FTA–2007–29126, FTA–2007–

29122, FTA–2007–29123, FTA–2007–29125] 

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration 

(FTA), DOT. 

ACTION: Proposed Program Guidance 

Circulars; Extension of Comment 

Periods. 

SUMMARY: On September 28, 2007, the 

Federal Transit Administration (FTA) 

published notices seeking comment on 

four program guidance circulars—the 

Metropolitan Planning Program and 

State Planning and Research Program 

Grants; the Capital Investment Program; 

the Grant Management Requirements; 

and Third Party Contracting. This 

document extends the comment periods 

of each of these notices. The reasons for 

extending the comment period are 

three-fold. First, the FTA wants to 

stagger the comment period so the 

public has more time to provide 

meaningful comments, which in turn 

will result in better guidance for our 

customers. Second, FTA currently has a 

major rulemaking out for comment, 

which may create hardship on those 

wishing to comment on circulars as well 

as the rulemaking. Finally, DOT had 

some difficulty migrating from the 

USDOT docket system to the Federal 

Government’s new E-rulemaking portal, 

which has caused some confusion 

among commenters. 

DATES: The new comment periods are as 

follows: 

• Metropolitan Planning Program and 

State Planning and Research Program 

Grants (Docket No. FTA–2007–29126)—

the comment period ends November 30, 

2007. 

• Grant Management Requirements 

(Docket No. FTA–2007–29122)—the 

comment period ends January 4, 2008. 

• Capital Investment Program (Docket 

No. FTA–2007–29123)—the comment 

period ends January 25, 2008. 

• Third Party Contracting (Docket No. 

FTA–2007–29125)—the comment 

period ends February 15, 2008. 

ADDRESSES: To ensure your comments 

are not entered more than once into the 

docket, submit comments identified by 

the appropriate docket number by only 

one of the following methods: 

1. Web site: www.regulations.gov. 

Follow the instructions for submitting 

comments on the U.S. Government 

electronic docket site. All electronic 

submissions must be made to the U.S. 

Government electronic site at 

www.regulations.gov. Commenters 

should follow the instructions below for 

mailed and hand-delivered comments. 

2. Fax: 202–493–2251. 

3. Mail: U.S. Department of 

Transportation, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue, SE., Docket Operations, M–30, 

West Building, Ground Floor, Room 

W12–140, Washington, DC 20590–0001, 

between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday 

through Friday, except Federal holidays. 

4. Hand-Delivery: To the Docket 

Management Facility: U.S. Department 

of Transportation, Docket Operations, 

M–30, West Building, Ground Floor, 

Room W12–140, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590, 

between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday 

through Fridays, except Federal 

holidays. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

the Metropolitan Planning Docket 

contact Victor Austin at 202–366–2996 

or e-mail at victor.austin@dot.gov, or 

Christopher VanWyk by phone at 202–

366–1733 or e-mail at 

christopher.vanwyk@dot.gov. For the 

Grant Management Requirements 

Docket contact Jamie Pfister at 404–865–

5632 or e-mail at jamie.pfister@dot.gov, 

or Jayme Blakesley at 202–366–0304 or 

e-mail at jayme.blakesley@dot.gov. For 

the Capital Investment Program Docket 

contact Kimberly Sledge at 202–366–

2053 or e-mail at 

kimberly.sledge@dot.gov, or Bonnie 

Graves at 202–366–0944 or e-mail at 

bonnie.graves@dot.gov. For the Third 

Party Contracting Docket contact James 

Harper at 202–366–1127 or e-mail at 

james.harper@dot.gov, or Kerry Miller at 

202–366–1936 or e-mail at 

kerry.miller@dot.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On 

September 28, 2007, FTA published 

four separate notices (72 FR 55624 @ 

Part III) seeking public comment on 

proposed guidance relating to the 

Metropolitan Planning Program and 

State Planning and Research Program 

Grants (8100.1B); the Capital Investment 

Program (9300.1A); the Grant 

Management Requirements (5010.1D); 

and Third Party Contracting (4220.1E). 

The proposed guidance or circular 

revisions are a product of changes made 

by the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, 

Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A 

Legacy for Users (SAFETEA–LU, Pub. L. 

109–59), signed into law on August 10, 

2005. The circulars themselves are not 

contained in the notices but rather in 

the docket(s) @ www.regulations.gov 

under the specific docket numbers 

indicated above. 

FTA has determined that there is good 

cause to extend the comment periods to 

allow for more time to provide 

meaningful comments on the proposed 


rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with NOTICES