Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 5 / Tuesday, January 8, 2008 / Notices 1397 

exemption to ensure that the granting of 

an exemption is likely to achieve an 

equivalent or greater level of safety than 

would be achieved without the 

exemption. To evaluate the effect of 

these exemptions on safety, FMCSA 

considered not only the medical reports 

about the applicants’ vision, but also 

their driving records and experience 

with the vision deficiency. To qualify 

for an exemption from the vision 

standard, FMCSA requires a person to 

present verifiable evidence that he or 

she has driven a commercial vehicle 

safely with the vision deficiency for 3 

years. Recent driving performance is 

especially important in evaluating 

future safety, according to several 

research studies designed to correlate 

past and future driving performance. 

Results of these studies support the 

principle that the best predictor of 

future performance by a driver is his/her 

past record of crashes and traffic 

violations. Copies of the studies may be 

found at docket number FMCSA–98–

3637. 

Conclusion 

Based upon its evaluation of the 28 

exemption applications, FMCSA 

exempts Thomas E. Anderson, Garry A. 

Baker, Richard D. Becotte, Timothy W. 

Bickford, James E. Blazer, Terry S. 

Brookshire, Jr., Wayne A. Burnett, 

Theodore W. Cozat, Zibbie L. Dawsey, 

Alex G. Dlugolenski, Karen Y. Duvall, 

Gordon R. Fritz, John A. Graham, Jimmy 

D. Gregory, Taras G. Hamilton, Larry K. 

Lentz, Boleslaw Makowski, Joseph W. 

Meacham, Charles M. Moore, Anthony 

D. Ovitt, John R. Parsons, III, Steven S. 

Reinsvold, Michael J. Richard, Glenn T. 

Riley, George E. Todd, Gary S. Warren, 

Bradley A. Weiser, and Eddie L. 

Williams, from the vision requirement 

in 49 CFR 391.41(b)(10), subject to the 

requirements cited above (49 CFR 

391.64(b)). 

In accordance with 49 U.S.C. 31136(e) 

and 31315, each exemption will be valid 

for 2 years unless revoked earlier by 

FMCSA. The exemption will be revoked 

if: (1) The person fails to comply with 

the terms and conditions of the 

exemption; (2) the exemption has 

resulted in a lower level of safety than 

was maintained before it was granted; or 

(3) continuation of the exemption would 

not be consistent with the goals and 

objectives of 49 U.S.C. 31136 and 31315. 

If the exemption is still effective at the 

end of the 2-year period, the person may 

apply to FMCSA for a renewal under 

procedures in effect at that time. 

Issued on: December 31, 2007. 

Larry W. Minor, 

Associate Administrator for Policy and 

Program Development. 

[FR Doc. E8–106 Filed 1–7–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–EX–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Transit Administration 

Preparation of an Alternatives 

Analysis/Environmental Impact 

Statement for High-Capacity Transit 

Improvements in the Tempe South 

Corridor 

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, 

U.S. Department of Transportation. 

ACTION: Notice of Intent To Prepare an 

Alternatives Analysis/Environmental 

Impact Statement. 

SUMMARY: The Federal Transit 

Administration (FTA) and Valley Metro 

Rail, Inc. (METRO) intend to prepare an 

Alternatives Analysis (AA) and 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

on proposed high capacity transit 

improvements, including potential bus 

rapid transit (BRT), light rail transit 

(LRT), modern streetcar, or commuter 

rail in the Tempe South Corridor in the 

Cities of Tempe and Chandler in 

Maricopa County, Arizona. The 

proposed study area is bounded on the 

north by the Loop 202 (Red Mountain 

Freeway); Loop 101 (Price Freeway) on 

the east; Loop 202 (Santan Freeway) on 

the south; and the Tempe Branch of the 

Union Pacific Railroad on the west. The 

AA/EIS will be prepared in accordance 

with the requirements of the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and 

its implementing regulations. The AA/ 

EIS process will be initiated with a 

scoping process that provides 

opportunities for the public to comment 

on the scope of the EIS, including the 

project’s purpose and need, the 

alternatives to be considered, and the 

impacts to be evaluated in the AA and 

Draft Environmental Impact Statement 

(DEIS). This input will be used to assist 

decisionmakers in determining a locally 

preferred alternative (LPA) for the 

Tempe South Corridor. Upon selection 

of an LPA, METRO will request 

permission from FTA to enter into 

preliminary engineering per 

requirements of New Starts regulations 

49 CFR Part 611. The Final 

Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) 

will be issued after FTA approves 

entrance into preliminary engineering. 

The purpose of this notice is to alert 

interested parties regarding the intent to 

prepare the AA/EIS, to provide 

information on the nature of the 

proposed project and possible 

alternatives, to invite public 

participation in the AA/EIS process, 

including comments on the scope of the 

EIS as proposed in this notice, to 

announce that public scoping meetings 

will be conducted, and to identify 

participating agency contacts. 

DATES: Written and e-mailed comments 

on the scope of study, including the 

project’s purpose and need, the 

alternatives to be considered, and the 

impacts to be assessed, should be sent 

to Valley Metro Rail, Inc. (METRO) on 

or before February 13. See ADDRESSES

below for the street address and e-mail 

address to which written comments may 

be sent. Public scoping meetings to 

accept comments on the scope of the 

study will be held on the following 

dates: 

• Tuesday, January 29, 2007 at 6 p.m., 

Corona del Sol High School, 1001 East 

Knox Road, Tempe, Arizona 85284. 

• Wednesday, January 30, 2007 at 6 

p.m., Tempe Public Library, 3500 South 

Rural Road, Tempe, Arizona 85282. 

Potential participating and 

cooperating agencies will be invited by 

phone or letter to an interagency 

scoping meeting planned to be held on 

the following date: 

• Thursday, February 7, 2007 at 10 

a.m., Valley Metro Rail (METRO), 101 

North 1st Avenue, Suite 1300, Phoenix, 

AZ 85003. 

The project’s purpose and need and 

the initial set of alternatives proposed 

for study will be presented at these 

meetings. The buildings 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 Dawn Coomer, 

City of Tempe, 31 E. Fifth Street, 

Tempe, AZ 85281, 480–350–8550 at 

least 48 hours in advance of a meeting 

in order for METRO and the City of 

Tempe to make the necessary 

arrangements. 

Scoping materials will be available at 

the meetings and through the project’s 

Web site at http:// 

www.metrolightrail.org/tempesouth. 

Hard copies of the scoping materials are 

also available from Mr. Marc Soronson, 

whose contact information is given in 

ADDRESSES below. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments should 

be sent to the attention of Mr. Marc 

Soronson, Valley Metro Rail, Inc., 101 

North 1st Avenue, Suite 1300, Phoenix, 

AZ 85003. E-mail: 

tempesouth@metrolightrail.org. Phone: 

(602) 744–5545 Fax: (602) 252–7453. 

The locations of the public scoping 

meetings are given above under DATES. 


pwalker on PROD1PC71 with NOTICES
1398 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 5 / Tuesday, January 8, 2008 / Notices 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Hymie Luden, Office of Planning and 

Program Development, Federal Transit 

Administration, 201 Mission Street, 

Room 1650, San Francisco, CA 94105. 

Phone: (415) 744–2732. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Scoping 

The FTA and Valley Metro Rail, Inc. 

(METRO) invite all interested 

individuals and organizations, public 

agencies, and Native American Tribes to 

comment on the scope of the 

alternatives analysis (AA) and the EIS, 

including the project’s preliminary 

statement of purpose and need, the 

alternatives to be studied and the 

impacts to be evaluated. Comments 

should focus on the purpose and need 

for the proposed project; alternatives 

that may be less costly or have less 

environmental or community impacts 

while achieving similar transportation 

objectives; and the identification of any 

significant social, economic, or 

environmental issues relating to the 

alternatives. 

Purpose and Need for the Project 

The draft statement of the project 

purpose is currently under review by 

METRO and the Cities of Tempe and 

Chandler and will be refined further 

through the scoping process. In its 

current state, the purpose is defined as 

follows: 

1. Identify an alignment and 

technology for improved transit service, 

to connect Downtown Tempe, Arizona 

State University (ASU) and sections of 

Chandler with the 20-mile CP–EV light 

rail starter line. 

2. Improve transit connectivity 

throughout Downtown Tempe and ASU. 

3. Improve transit access to 

employment opportunities throughout 

the study area in Tempe as well as in 

the Central Phoenix/East Valley region. 

4. Provide transit options to relieve 

peak period congestion on north-south 

arterials in the study area, as well as on 

Downtown Tempe streets. 

5. Address mid-day transit travel 

demand and bus overcrowding. 

6. Facilitate continued development 

of a comprehensive and inter-connected 

regional transit network that is multimodal, that offers a range of choices for 

current and future transit riders, and 

that attracts new transit riders to the 

regional system. 

7. Provide cost-effective transit 

service. 

8. Support economic development 

and enhance connectivity among 

developing transit-oriented, highdensity projects, activity centers and 

attractions in the study area. 

Additional considerations supporting 

the project’s need include: 

Infill growth in the City of Tempe and 

the growth in the City of Chandler have 

caused substantial increases in traffic 

congestion on the existing roadway 

network and has generated the need for 

new public transportation service. Even 

with implementation of the projects 

included in the Maricopa Association of 

Governments (MAG) Regional 

Transportation Plan, level of service 

(LOS) in 2030 on both the area freeways 

and arterials is expected to deteriorate 

substantially because of increased travel 

demand, resulting in a significant 

increase in delay. In Tempe, little or no 

additional freeway or arterial capacity is 

planned. Daily freeway congestion is 

currently higher compared to the region, 

and the MAG model projects this trend 

to continue in the future. 

Alternatives 

At a minimum, the alternatives to be 

considered in AA include the following: 

• No-Build—Implements modified 

existing and committed road and transit 

improvements as defined by the 

Regional Transportation Plan and 

coordinated by the Cities of Tempe and 

Chandler. 

• Transportation System Management 

(TSM)—Includes reasonable, costeffective transit service improvements 

short of a major capital investment in 

fixed guideway. In addition, the TSM 

implements all of the projects in the NoBuild alternative. 

• Build Alternatives—fixed guideway 

alternatives include projects defined in 

the No-Build Alternative. All Build 

Alternatives begin at various locations 

along the LRT Starter Line in Tempe 

(scheduled to open in late 2008) and 

extend south to Chandler on either: 

—Tempe Branch of the Union Pacific 

Railroad (UPRR). 

—Mill Avenue/Kyrene Road. 

—Rural Road. 

—McClintock Drive. 

Transit technologies under 

consideration are bus rapid transit 

(BRT), light rail transit (LRT), modern 

streetcar, and commuter rail. All of the 

technologies, except commuter rail, are 

being considered for all of the proposed 

alignments. Commuter rail is only being 

considered on the Tempe Branch 

(UPRR). Between the LRT starter line in 

Tempe and a new park-and-ride facility 

in the vicinity of the US 60 

(Superstition Freeway), the high 

capacity transit improvement would be 

built in a fixed guideway along any of 

the alignments being considered. 

Between US 60 and a new park-and-ride 

in the vicinity of the Loop 202 in 

Chandler, the following options are 

being considered for the Tempe Branch 

UPRR: 

• Continue south to the Loop 202 in 

fixed guideway using the same transit 

mode as that considered in the northern 

portion of the study area. 

• For LRT and streetcar modes, two 

additional options that connect at US 60 

to BRT with limited stop service are 

considered: 

—BRT operating in fixed guideway 

along the railroad line; or 

—BRT operating in mixed traffic along 

Kyrene Road. 

For all other alternative alignments, 

BRT operating in mixed traffic lanes 

with limited stop service would 

continue south of US 60 to Chandler 

along either Kyrene Road, Mill Avenue/ 

Kyrene Road, Rural Road, or McClintock 

Drive, depending on location of the 

option being considered in the northern 

segment of the study area. For the 

Kyrene Road and Mill Avenue/Kyrene 

Road alignments, the alignment would 

continue south to a new park-and-ride 

facility at the Loop 202 (Santan 

Freeway) that would be built 

somewhere in the vicinity between I–10 

and Kyrene Road. The McClintock Drive 

alignment would continue south to 

Chandler Fashion Center via Chandler 

Boulevard. The Rural Road alignment 

has two options that could travel south 

to: (1) The new park-and-ride facility at 

the Loop 202; or (2) to Chandler Fashion 

Center. These alternatives will be 

developed further during preparation of 

the AA/EIS. 

Additional reasonable Build 

Alternatives suggested during the 

scoping process that meet the purpose 

and need for the project will also be 

considered. 

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 and 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); 


pwalker on PROD1PC71 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 5 / Tuesday, January 8, 2008 / Notices 1399 

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 Tempe 

and Chandler residents 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. An 

invitation to become a participating 

agency, with the scoping information 

packet appended, will be extended to 

other Federal and non-Federal 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 non-Federal 

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 public and agency Coordination 

Plan that includes a comprehensive 

Public Involvement Program 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 on 

release of the Draft Environmental 

Impact Statement (DEIS); and 

development and distribution of project 

newsletters. There will be additional 

opportunities to participate in the 

scoping process in addition to the 

public meetings announced in this 

notice. Specific mechanisms for 

involvement will be detailed in the 

Public Involvement Program. 

Valley Metro Rail, Inc. (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 regulation requires a 

planning Alternatives Analysis that 

leads to the selection of a locally 

preferred alternative and inclusion of 

the locally preferred alternative as part 

of the long-range transportation plan 

adopted by the Maricopa Association of 

Governments. The New Starts regulation 

also requires the submission of certain 

project-justification 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), section 4(f) of the Department of 

Transportation Act (23 CFR 771.135), 

and Executive Orders 12898 on 

environmental justice, 11988 on 

floodplain management and 11990 on 

wetlands. 

Issued on: January 2, 2008. 

Leslie T. Rogers, 

Regional Administrator, FTA Region IX. 

[FR Doc. 08–13 Filed 1–7–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–57–M 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Surface Transportation Board 

Release of Waybill Data 

The Surface Transportation Board has 

received a request from Harkins 

Cunningham on behalf of Canadian 

National Railway Company (WB525—

12—12/31/2007), for permission to use 

certain data from the Board’s Carload 

Waybill Sample. A copy of the request 

may be obtained from the Office of 

Economics, Environmental Analysis, 

and Administration. 

The waybill sample contains 

confidential railroad and shipper data; 

therefore, if any parties object to these 

requests, they should file their 

objections with the Director of the 

Board’s Office of Economics, 

Environmental Analysis, and 

Administration within 14 calendar days 

of the date of this notice. The rules for 

release of waybill data are codified at 49 

CFR 1244.9. 

Contact: Mac Frampton, (202) 245–

0317. 

Vernon A. Williams, 

Secretary. 

[FR Doc. E8–52 Filed 1–7–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4915–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

AFFAIRS 

[OMB Control No. 2900–0662] 

Proposed Information Collection (Civil 

Rights Discrimination Complaint); 

Comment Request 

AGENCY: Veterans Health 

Administration, Department of Veterans 

Affairs. 

ACTION: Notice. 


pwalker on PROD1PC71 with NOTICES