67160 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 249 / Thursday, December 28, 1995 / Notices

used by USDOT to evaluate which

States will be included in the Pilot

Program.

Multistate Infrastructure Bank

Interstate compact among two (2) or

more States to enter into a cooperative

agreement with USDOT to establish a

SIB.

Notice of Request for Participation

This Notice of Request for

Participation is the initial step in the

process that will lead to cooperative

agreements for up to ten States for the

SIB Pilot Program. Interested applicants

will be asked to respond to a series of

questions posed in the Infrastructure

Bank application instructions to be

made available by USDOT as part of this

designation process. The application

responses submitted by the State will

provide the basis for determining a

State’s interest in the Pilot Program, its

ability and qualifications to implement

a SIB, and the initial projects it expects

to facilitate through financial support

for the SIB. The application instructions

are also designed to assist States as they

seek to develop a framework for

establishing a SIB.

In the interest of providing a timely

response to Congress as required under

the Act, USDOT will begin processing

applications as they are received but

will not designate any SIBs until thirty

(30) days following publication of this

notice. USDOT anticipates designations

to be made on an individual, rolling

basis to permit interested States to

accelerate implementation, and to

facilitate a qualitative response to

Congress regarding the program. The

application will be available from the

USDOT contact persons referenced in

this notice, or any of USDOT’s modal

administrations, FHWA, FRA or FTA,

and their Divisional or Regional offices.

USDOT recognizes that this is a Pilot

Program, and is receptive to

nontraditional as well as traditional

approaches to establishing a SIB and

defining the types of assistance that

might be offered. Subject to the

limitations of the Act, USDOT has no

preconceived concept of how SIBs

should be implemented and seeks to

work in cooperation with the States to

define the implementation program.

USDOT will not promulgate any

regulations for the Pilot Program prior to

the designation process. USDOT will

not require that all Pilot SIBs be

configured in the same way or that they

provide the same forms of assistance.

This Pilot Program, therefore, gives

States an opportunity to determine how

they might best structure SIBs. USDOT

will be interested in information

detailing how States propose to

establish and implement SIBs, and is

looking for evidence of well thought out

proposals. In addition, applications can

be enhanced by providing information

in the following areas:

• The types of assistance to be

provided by the SIB (e.g., loans, credit

enhancements, capital reserves for debt

financing, interest rates subsidies,

letters of credit);

• Identification of projects to be

advanced as a result of Pilot

designation;

• Status of any enabling legislation, if

required by a State prior to establishing

a SIB;

• How the SIB relates to other

innovative financing efforts underway

or planned by States and how their

experience under the innovative

financing programs to date can reflect

this;

• The relationship of the projects

proposed for the SIB to the Statewide

Transportation Plan, the approved State

Transportation Improvement Program

(STIP) and any other Federally required

plans;

• How the SIB will more effectively

use Federal monies;

• The sources of funds that will be

used to capitalize the SIB (CMAQ and

ISTEA demonstration funds cannot be

utilized), including the availability of

non-Federal matching funds required by

Section 350(e);

• The proposed institutional

framework for the SIB;

• Proposed mechanisms and internal

procedures to monitor and/or track the

flow of Federal funds to accounts in the

SIB and the State’s preferred reporting

procedures to USDOT, given that

Section 350 requires maintenance of

separate accounts for highway and

transit; and

• The use of a SIB to facilitate

development of intermodal or multistate

projects.

USDOT has established a fast track

schedule for this new Pilot Program and

the opportunities that it will create for

States. Responses provided by States in

the application and subsequent

implementation of selected SIBs will

help USDOT determine how to move

forward with the Pilot Program, while

simultaneously advancing projects.

States should indicate in their

applications the type and extent of any

technical assistance they might need to

expedite implementation if designated

as a pilot.

Interested States should request

Infrastructure Bank application

instructions. Copies of the enabling

legislation (Section 350) will be

provided with the application

instructions, which will be available

from the USDOT contact persons

referenced in this notice, or any

Divisional or Regional Office of FHWA,

FRA or FTA. Completed applications

should be submitted to the Divisional or

Regional Offices of FHWA, FRA or FTA.

USDOT and its modal administrations

may seek further clarification of SIB

applications in writing or through an

informal interview process with States.

Authority: Pub. L. 104–59, § 350, 109 Stat.

568, 618–622 (1995).

Issued on: December 21, 1995.

Rodney E. Slater,

Federal Highway Administration.

Issued on: December 21, 1995.

Gordon J. Linton,

Federal Transit Administration.

Issued on: December 21, 1995.

Jolene M. Molitoris,

Federal Railroad Administration.

[FR Doc. 95–31407 Filed 12–27–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–22–P

Federal Railroad Administration

[BS–AP–No. 3360]

Norfolk Southern Railway Co.; Public

Hearing

The Norfolk Southern Railway

Company, Central of Georgia Railroad

has petitioned the Federal Railroad

Administration (FRA), seeking approval

of the proposed discontinuance and

removal of the automatic block signal

and traffic control signal systems, on the

single main track ‘‘P’’ Line and sidings

between Columbus, Georgia, milepost

P–291.8 and Leeds, Alabama, milepost

P–423.8, Alabama Division, Columbus

and Norris Yard District, a distance of

approximately 132 miles.

This proceeding is identified as FRA

Block Signal Application Number 3360.

FRA has issued a public notice

seeking comments of interested parties

and has conducted a field investigation

in this matter. After examining the

proposal, field report, and letters of

protest, the FRA has determined that a

public hearing is necessary before a

final decision is made on this proposal.

Accordingly, a public hearing is

hereby set for 10 a.m. on Thursday,

January 25, 1996, in the G. W. Andrews

Federal Court House Building, located

at 701 Avenue A, in Opelika, Alabama.

Interested parties are invited to present

oral statements at the hearing.

The hearing will be an informal one

and will be conducted in accordance

with Rule 25 of the FRA Rules of

Practice (Title 49 CFR 211.25), by a

representative designated by the FRA.
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 249 / Thursday, December 28, 1995 / Notices 67161

The hearing will be a nonadversary

proceeding and, therefore, there will be

no cross-examination of persons

presenting statements. The FRA

representative will make an opening

statement outlining the scope of the

hearing. After all initial statements have

been completed, those persons wishing

to make brief rebuttal statements will be

given the opportunity to do so in the

same order in which they made their

initial statements. Additional

procedures, if necessary for the conduct

of the hearing, will be announced at the

hearing.

Issued in Washington, D.C. on December

21, 1995.

Phil Olekszyk,

Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety

Compliance and Program Implementation.

[FR Doc. 95–31396 Filed 12–27–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–06–P