Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 4 / Monday, January 7, 2008 / Notices 1261 

boundaries, the alternatives studied will 

vary in length from 18 miles to 37 miles. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Cheryl Martin, Federal Highway 

Administration, Galtier Plaza, 380 

Jackson Street, Suite 500, St. Paul, 

Minnesota 55101, Telephone (651) 291–

6120; or Marcus Hall, Public Works 

Director/Highway Engineer, Saint Louis 

County Public Works Department, 4787 

Midway Road, Duluth, Minnesota 

55811, Telephone (218) 625–3830. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

FHWA, in cooperation with Saint Louis 

County Public Works Department, will 

prepare an EIS on a proposal to connect 

the Cities of Hoyt Lakes and Babbitt, 

Saint Louis County, Minnesota, a 

distance of approximately 18 to 37 

miles. The proposed action is being 

considered to develop a more direct and 

efficient roadway connection between 

the two Cities and to improve 

connectivity across the broader East Iron 

Range region. The EIS will evaluate the 

social, economic, transportation and 

environmental impacts of alternatives, 

including: (1) No-Build, (2) 

Reconstruction on existing alignment, 

(3) Construction on partial new 

alignment, and (4) Construction on new 

alignment. 

The ‘‘Hoyt Lakes to Babbitt Scoping 

Document/Draft Scoping Decision 

Document’’ will be published early in 

2008. A press release will be published 

to inform the public of the document’s 

availability. Copies of the scoping 

document will be distributed to 

agencies, interested persons and 

libraries for review to aid in identifying 

issues and analyses to be contained in 

the EIS. A thirty-day comment period 

for review of the document will be 

provided to afford an opportunity for all 

interested persons, agencies and groups 

to comment on the proposed action. A 

public scoping meeting will also be held 

during the comment period. Public 

notice will be given for the time and 

place of the meeting. After the scoping 

comment period has closed, the ‘‘Hoyt 

Lakes to Babbitt Scoping Decision 

Document’’ will be published in the 

spring of 2008. A Draft EIS will be 

prepared based on the outcome of and 

closely following the scoping process. 

The Draft EIS will be available for 

agency and public review and comment. 

In addition, a public hearing will be 

held following completion of the Draft 

EIS. Public Notice will be given for the 

time and place of the public hearing on 

the Draft EIS. Coordination has been 

initiated and will continue with 

appropriate Federal, State and local 

agencies and private organizations and 

citizens who have previously expressed 

or are known to have an interest in the 

proposed action. ‘‘Participating 

agencies’’ have been identified and a 

meeting will be held in February or 

March, 2008 to discuss the project and 

receive input on the ‘‘purpose and 

need’’ for the project and range of 

alternatives to be studied in the Draft 

EIS. 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. 

(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: December 28, 2007. 

Cheryl B. Martin, 

Environmental Engineer, Federal Highway 

Administration, St. Paul, Minnesota. 

[FR Doc. 07–6303 Filed 1–4–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–22–M 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Highway Administration 

Environmental Impact Statement; 

Stearns County, MN 

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 the construction of 

a new roadway located between County 

State Aid Highway (CSAH) 4/CSAH 133 

in St. Joseph and Trunk Highway (TH) 

15 in Waite Park, a distance of 

approximately 7 miles, in the St. Cloud 

Metropolitan Area, Stearns County, 

Minnesota. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Cheryl Martin, Federal Highway 

Administration, Galtier Plaza, Suite 500, 

380 Jackson Street, St. Paul, Minnesota 

55101, Telephone (651) 291–6120; or 

Mitchell Anderson, P.E., Stearns County 

Engineer, Stearns County Department of 

Highways, P.O. Box 246, St. Cloud, 

Minnesota 56302, Telephone (320) 255–

6180. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

FHWA, in cooperation with Stearns 

County Department of Highways, will 

prepare an EIS to identify a new safe 

and efficient minor arterial 

transportation corridor within the 

greater southwest St. Cloud 

Metropolitan Area that can be preserved 

for future use in an area of planned 

growth. The proposed roadway is 

located between CSAH 4/CSAH 133 in 

St. Joseph to TH 15 in Waite Park, a 

distance of approximately 7 miles, in 

Stearns County, Minnesota. The 

purpose of the proposed project is to 

enhance mobility, enhance connectivity 

to regional corridors, and support the 

economic and social needs for the 

growing southwest St. Cloud 

Metropolitan Area by providing 

infrastructure support and accessibility 

to the planned growth areas of the 

communities of St. Joseph and Waite 

Park. 

The EIS will evaluate the social, 

economic, transportation and 

environmental impacts of alternatives, 

including: (1) No-Build and (2) ‘‘Build’’

alternatives with variations in the 

location of the alignment. 

The ‘‘St. Cloud Metro Area Southwest 

Beltway Scoping Document/Draft 

Scoping Decision Document’’ will be 

published in early spring of 2008. A 

press release will be published to 

inform the public of the document’s 

availability. Copies of the scoping 

document will be distributed to 

agencies, interested persons and 

libraries for review to aid in identifying 

issues and analyses to be contained in 

the EIS. A thirty-day comment period 

for review of the document will be 

provided to afford an opportunity for all 

interested persons, agencies and groups 

to comment on the proposed action. A 

public scoping meeting will also be held 

during the comment period. Public 

notice will be given for the time and 

place of the meeting. After the scoping 

comment period has closed, the ‘‘St. 

Cloud Metro Southwest Beltway 

Scoping Decision Document’’ will be 

published in 2008. A Draft EIS will be 

prepared based on the outcome of and 

closely following the scoping process. 

The Draft EIS will be available for 

agency and public review and comment. 

In addition, a public hearing will be 

held following completion of the Draft 

EIS. Public Notice will be given for the 

time and place of the public hearing on 

the Draft EIS. Coordination has been 

initiated and will continue with 

appropriate Federal, State and local 

agencies and private organizations and 

citizens who have previously expressed 

or are known to have an interest in the 

proposed action. ‘‘Participating 

agencies’’ have been identified and a 

meeting will be held in February or 

March 2008 to discuss the project and 

receive input on the ‘‘purpose and 

need’’ for the project and range of 


pwalker on PROD1PC71 with NOTICES
1262 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 4 / Monday, January 7, 2008 / Notices 

1Although CS&E has indicated an effective date 

of January 21, 2008, the earliest this transaction 

may be consummated is February 6, 2008. See 49 

CFR 1152.50(d)(2). Staff has informed CS&E’s 

attorney of this discrepancy. 

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 $1,300. See 49 CFR 

1002.2(f)(25). 

4CS&E states in its notice that it ‘‘has leased, and 

is in the process of selling, the property on which 

the line is located to the City of Colorado Springs 

for a public recreation hike/bike trail.’’ CS&E is 

reminded that any such action cannot take place 

prior to the effectiveness of this exemption, 

including the completion of the OFA process and 

the handling of any requests for public use or trail 

use. 

alternatives to be studied in the Draft 

EIS. 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. 

(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.) 

Dated: Issued on: December 28, 2007. 

Cheryl B. Martin, 

Environmental Engineer, Federal Highway 

Administration, St. Paul, Minnesota. 

[FR Doc. 07–6302 Filed 1–4–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–22–M 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Motor Carrier Safety 

Administration 

Sunshine Act Meetings; Unified Carrier 

Registration Plan Board of Directors 

AGENCY: Federal Motor Carrier Safety 

Administration (FMCSA), DOT. 

TIME AND DATE: January 14, 2008, 1 p.m. 

to 5 p.m., and January 15, 2008, 8 a.m. 

to 12 p.m., Eastern Standard Time. 

PLACE: This meeting will take place at 

the Belleview Biltmore, 25 Belleview 

Boulevard, Clearwater, Florida 33756. 

STATUS: Open to the public. 

MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED: The 

Unified Carrier Registration Plan Board 

of Directors (the Board) will continue its 

work in developing and implementing 

the Unified Carrier Registration Plan 

and Agreement and to that end, may 

consider matters properly before the 

Board. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Avelino Gutierrez, Chair, Unified 

Carrier Registration Board of Directors at 

(505) 827–4565. 

Dated: December 27, 2007. 

William A. Quade, 

Associate Administrator for Enforcement and 

Program Delivery. 

[FR Doc. 08–19 Filed 1–3–08; 12:20 pm] 

BILLING CODE 4910–EX–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Surface Transportation Board 

[STB Docket No. AB–1007X] 

Colorado Springs & Eastern Railroad 

Company—Abandonment Exemption—

in El Paso County, CO 

Colorado Springs & Eastern Railroad 

Company (CS&E) has filed a notice of 

exemption under 49 CFR 1152 Subpart 

F—Exempt Abandonments to abandon a 

3.3-mile line of railroad between 

milepost 602.70 and milepost 599.40, in 

Colorado Springs, El Paso County, CO. 

The line traverses United States Postal 

Service Zip Codes 80901, 80903, 80904, 

80905, 80906, 80907, 80908, 80909, 

80910, and 80911. 

CS&E has certified that: (1) No local 

traffic has moved over the line for at 

least 2 years; (2) any overhead traffic on 

the line can be rerouted over other lines; 

(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 of 49 CFR 1105.7 

(environmental report), 49 CFR 1105.8 

(historic report), 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. 

Provided no formal expression of 

intent to file an offer of financial 

assistance (OFA) has been received, this 

exemption will be effective on February 

6, 2008, unless stayed pending 

reconsideration.1 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 January 

17, 2008. Petitions to reopen or requests 

for public use conditions under 49 CFR 

1152.28 must be filed by January 28, 

2008, with: Surface Transportation 

Board, 395 E Street, SW., Washington, 

DC 20423–0001.4

A copy of any petition filed with the 

Board should be sent to CS&E’s 

representative: Monica Kadrmas, Moye 

White LLP, 1400 16th Street, 6th Floor, 

Denver, CO 80202. 

If the verified notice contains false or 

misleading information, the exemption 

is void ab initio. 

CS&E has filed environmental and 

historic reports which address the 

effects, if any, of the abandonment on 

the environment and historic resources. 

SEA will issue an environmental 

assessment (EA) by January 11, 2008. 

Interested persons may obtain a copy of 

the EA by writing to SEA (Room 1100, 

Surface Transportation Board, 

Washington, DC 20423–0001) or by 

calling SEA, at (202) 245–0305. 

[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), CS&E 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 

CS&E’s filing of a notice of 

consummation by January 7, 2009, 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: January 2, 2008. 


pwalker on PROD1PC71 with NOTICES