Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 243 / Tuesday, December 19, 1995 / Notices 65357

1The Commission will grant a stay if an informed

decision on environmental issues (whether raised

by a party or by the Commission 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 stay should be filed as soon as possible

so that the Commission may take appropriate action

before the exemption’s effective date.

2See Exempt. of Rail Abandonment—Offers of

Finan. Assist., 4 I.C.C.2d 164 (1987).

3The Commission will accept a late-filed trail use

request so long as the abandonment has not been

consummated and the abandoning railroad is

willing to negotiate an agreement.

4Legislation to sunset the Commission on

December 31, 1995, and transfer remaining

functions is now under consideration in Congress.

Until further notice, parties submitting pleadings

should continue to use the current name and

address.

(2) Statutory authority for the Service

to implement this project exists subject

to the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and

Wildlife Refuge Act, Public Law 102–

212;

(3) The Proposed Action Alternative

represents the best balance between the

Service’s goals and objectives and the

public’s concerns identified throughout

the public participation process; and

(4) Consistent with social, economic

and other essential considerations from

among the reasonable alternatives, the

Proposed Action Alternative is one

which minimizes or avoids adverse

environmental effects to the maximum

extend practicable.

Having made the above findings, the

Service has decided to proceed with

implementation of the Revised Proposed

Action Alternative.

This Record of Decision will serve as

the written facts and conclusions relied

on it reaching this decision.

Dated: December 13, 1995.

Cathleen I. Short,

Acting Regional Director, Region 5, Hadley,

Massachusetts.

[FR Doc. 95–30768 Filed 12–18–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–M

INTERSTATE COMMERCE

COMMISSION

[Docket No. AB–167 (Sub-No. 1155X)]

Consolidated Rail Corporation—

Abandonment Exemption—In

Middlesex County, NJ

Consolidated Rail Corporation

(Conrail) has filed a notice of exemption

under 49 CFR 1152 Subpart F—Exempt

Abandonments to abandon

approximately 1.4 miles of rail line

extending between approximately

milepost 25.00 and milepost 267.40 in

Middlesex County, NJ.

Conrail has certified that: (1) no local

traffic has moved over the line for at

least 2 years; (2) there is no overhead

traffic on the line; (3) no formal

compliant 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

Commission or with any U.S. District

Court or has been decided in favor of

the complainant within the 2-year

period; and (4) the requirements at 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 use of 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. 10505(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 January

18, 1996, unless stayed pending

reconsideration. Petitions to stay that do

not involve environmental issues,1

formal expressions of intent to file an

OFA under 49 CFR 1152.27(c)(2),2 and

trail use/rail banking requests under 49

CFR 1152.29 3 must be filed by

December 29, 1995. Petitions to reopen

or requests for public use conditions

under CFR 1152.28 must be filed by

January 8, 1996, with: Office of the

Secretary, Case Control Branch,

Interstate Commerce Commission,4

Washington, DC 20423–2191.

A copy of any pleading filed with the

Commission should be sent to

applicant’s representative: John J.

Paylor, Associate General Counsel,

Consolidated Rail Corporation, Two

Commerce Square, 2001 Market Street,

P.O. Box 41416, Philadelphia, PA

19101–1416.

If the notice of exemption contains

false or misleading information, the

exemption is void ab initio.

Conrail has filed an environmental

report which addresses the

abandonment’s effects, if any, on the

environment and historic resources. The

Section of Environmental Analysis

(SEA) will issue an environmental

assessment (EA) by December 22, 1995.

Interested persons may obtain a copy of

the EA by writing to SEA (Room 3219,

Interstate Commerce Commission,

Washington, DC 20423) or by calling

Elaine Kaiser, Chief of SEA, at (202)

927–6248. 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.

Decided: December 12, 1995.

By the Commission, David M. Konschnik,

Director, Office of Proceedings.

Vernon A. Williams,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 95–30769 Filed 12–18–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7035–01–M

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND

SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[Notice 95–114]

National Environmental Policy Act;

Mars Global Surveyor Mission

AGENCY: National Aeronautics and

Space Administration (NASA).

ACTION: Finding of no significant

impact.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of

1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321, et

seq.), the Council on Environmental

Quality (CEQ) Regulations for

Implementing the Procedural Provisions

of NEPA (40 CFR Parts 1500–1508), and

NASA policy and procedures (14 CFR

Part 1216 Subpart 1216.3), NASA has

made a finding of no significant impact

(FONSI) with respect to the proposed

Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) mission,

which would involve a flight to and

orbit about Mars. The baseline mission

calls for the MGS spacecraft to be

launched aboard a Delta II 7925 from

Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS),

Florida, in November 1996.

DATES: Comments on the FONSI must be

provided in writing to NASA on or

before January 18, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should

be addressed to Ms. Mary Kaye Olsen,

NASA Headquarters, Code SLP, 300 E

Street SW, Washington, DC 20546. The

Environmental Assessment (EA)

prepared for the MGS mission which

supports this FONSI may be reviewed at

the following locations:

(a) NASA Headquarters, Library,

Room 1J20, 300 E Street, SW.,

Washington, DC 20546.

(b) Spaceport USA, Room 2001, John

F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida,

32899. Please call Lisa Fowler

beforehand at 407–867–2468 so that

arrangements can be made.
65358 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 243 / Tuesday, December 19, 1995 / Notices

(c) Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Visitors

Lobby, Building 249, 4800 Oak Grove

Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109 (818–354–

5179).

The EA may also be examined at the

following NASA locations by contacting

the pertinent Freedom of Information

Act Office:

(d) NASA, Ames Research Center,

Moffett Field, CA 94035 (415–604–

4190).

(e) NASA, Dryden Flight Research

Center, Edwards, CA 93523 (805–258–

3448).

(f) NASA, Goddard Space Flight

Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (301–286–

0730).

(g) NASA, Johnson Space Center,

Houston, TX 77058 (713–483–8612).

(h) NASA, Langley Research Center,

Hampton, VA 23665 (804–864–6125).

(i) NASA, Lewis Research Center,

21000 Brookpark Road, Cleveland, OH

44135 (216–433–2313).

(j) NASA, Marshall Space Flight

Center, Huntsville, AL 35812 (205–544–

5252).

(k) NASA, Stennis Space Center, MS

39529 (601–688–2164).

A limited number of copies of the EA

are available by contacting Ms. Mary

Kaye Olsen at the address or telephone

number indicated herein.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mary Kaye Olsen, 202–358–0304.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NASA has

reviewed the EA prepared for the MGS

mission and has determined that it

represents an accurate and adequate

analysis of the scope and level of

associated environmental impacts. The

EA is incorporated by reference in this

FONSI.

NASA is proposing to launch the

MGS mission, which would deliver a

single polar-orbiting spacecraft to Mars

in 1997. MGS would be inserted into an

elliptical capture orbit in September

1997 and, over the next 4 months,

would use thruster firings and

aerobraking techniques to reach a nearly

circular, low-altitude, polar-mapping

orbit. The orbit would allow the

spacecraft to be illuminated by the sun

in the same way throughout the Martian

year. Aerobraking, a technique which

uses the forces of atmospheric drag to

slow the spacecraft for orbital

maneuvers, would provide a means of

minimizing the amount of fuel required

to reach the final low Mars mapping

orbit. The spacecraft carries no

radioactive material. The proposed

action calls for using a Delta II 7925

launch vehicle with a Payload Assist

Module-Delta (PAM–D) upper stage to

inject the MGS spacecraft into an EarthMars trajectory in November 1996.

The science objectives for the MGS

mission are to fulfill most of the critical

science objectives of the failed Mars

Observer mission. To satisfy the

mission’s purpose, the MGS spacecraft

would carry nearly a full duplicate of

the Mars Observer instrument payload,

and would use those instruments to

acquire Mars surface data for a full

Martian year (approximately 2 Earth

years). These objectives include detailed

global maps of surface topography, the

distribution of minerals, the planet’s

mass, size, and shape, the

characterization of Mars’ gravitational

and magnetic fields, and the monitoring

of global weather. These data and

investigations could help scientists

better understand the current state of

water on Mars, the evolution of the

planet’s formation and atmosphere, and

the factors that led to major changes in

the Martian climate. Other data acquired

from this mission could provide insight

into the evolution of both Earth and the

solar system. MGS could then support

possible future Mars missions, by

providing relay capability for surface

science stations and landers.

Alternatives that were evaluated

include (1) No-Action (i.e., no Mars

Global Surveyor mission); and (2)

launch vehicles options, including the

Space Shuttle, Titan, and Atlas

configurations, foreign launch vehicles,

as well as other Delta configurations.

Failure to undertake the MGS mission

would disrupt the execution of NASA’s

Solar System Exploration Program, as

defined by the Agency’s Solar System

Exploration Committee. Cancellation of

the MGS mission would leave a gap in

the orderly exploration of Mars, and

would retard NASA’s attainment of

scientific data on the surface and

atmosphere of Mars, which is critical to

future explorations of Mars. Of the

launch vehicles evaluated, the Delta II

7925/PAM–D most closely matches the

MGS mission requirements, has

superior reliability, minimizes adverse

environmental impacts, and is also the

lowest in cost.

Expected impacts to the human

environment associated with the

mission arise almost entirely from the

normal launch of the Delta II 7925. Air

emissions from the exhaust produced by

the solid propellant graphite epoxy

motors and liquid first stage primarily

include carbon monoxide, hydrochloric

acid, aluminum oxide in soluble and

insoluble forms, carbon dioxide, and

deluge water mixed with propellant byproducts. Air impacts will be short-term

and not substantial. Short-term water

quality and noise impacts, as well as

short-term effects on wetlands, plants,

and animals, would occur in the

vicinity of the launch complex. These

short-term impacts are of a nature to be

self-correcting, and none of these effects

would be substantial. There would be

no impact on threatened or endangered

species or critical habitat, cultural

resources, or floodplains. Accident

scenarios have also been addressed.

The second stage would be ignited at

an altitude of 129 kilometers (80 miles),

which is in the ionosphere. Although

the second stage would achieve orbit, its

orbital decay time would fall below the

limit NASA has set for orbital debris

consideration. After burning its

propellant to depletion, the second stage

would remain in low Earth orbit until

its orbit eventually decayed. The MGS

Project has followed the NASA

guidelines regarding orbital debris and

minimizing the risk of human casualty

for uncontrolled reentry into the Earth’s

atmosphere. No other impacts of

environmental concern have been

identified.

The level and scope of environmental

impacts associated with the launch of

the Delta II 7925 vehicle are well within

the envelope of impacts that have been

addressed in previous FONSI’s

concerning other launch vehicles and

spacecraft. No significant new

circumstances or information relevant to

environmental concerns associated with

the launch vehicle have been identified

which would affect the earlier findings.

On the basis of the MGS EA, NASA

has determined that the environmental

impacts associated with the mission

would not individually or cumulatively

have a significant impact on the quality

of the human environment. NASA will

take no final action prior to the

expiration of the 30-day comment

period.

Dated: December 13, 1995.

Wesley T. Huntress, Jr.,

Associate Administrator for Space Science.

[FR Doc. 95–30759 Filed 12–18–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7510–01–M

NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS

ADMINISTRATION

Temporary Closing of Reference

Service on Certain Textual Records

AGENCY: National Archives and Records

Administration (NARA).

ACTION: Notice of revised schedule of

closure and reopening of reference

services for certain textual records

holdings in the National Archives

related to the move to the National

Archives at College Park (Archives II)

and the relocation of some records to

the National Archives Building.