Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 28 / Friday, February 10, 1995 / Notices 8109

statements, obtain information, or

access the building to attend the

meeting should contact Mr. Carl

McCullough, ASE–10, 800

Independence Avenue, SW.,

Washington, DC, at (202) 287–8595,

who will serve as the FAA Designated

Federal Official to the Subcommittee.

Members of the public may present a

written statement to the subcommittee

at any time.

Issued in Washington, DC, on February 7,

1995.

Andres Zellweger,

Director, Office of Aviation Research.

[FR Doc. 95–3417 Filed 2–9–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–13–M

Federal Highway Administration

[FHWA Docket No. 95–6]

Federal Highway Cost Allocation Study

AGENCY: Federal Highway

Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

SUMMARY: This notice requests public

comment on issues related to a new

Federal highway cost allocation study

(HCAS) that the FHWA is initiating.

Comments on recommendations

emanating from an October 1994 cost

allocation workshop are requested, in

addition to comments on other issues

that should be considered in planning

and conducting the new study.

Preliminary copies of the workshop

proceedings are available from Mr.

James March, who may be contacted at

the phone number shown below.

DATES: This docket will remain open

until the study is completed. However,

in order for comments responding to

issues raised by this notice to be

considered during critical early stages of

the study, they should be received no

later than April 11, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Submit written, signed

comments to FHWA Docket No. 95–6,

Federal Highway Administration, Room

4232, HCC–10, Office of the Chief

Counsel, 400 Seventh Street, SW.,

Washington DC 20590. All comments

received will be available for

examination at the above address

between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.,

Monday through Friday, except Federal

holidays. Those desiring notification of

receipt of comments must include a selfaddressed, stamped envelope or

postcard.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.

James March, Office of Policy

Development, at (202) 366–9237 or Mr.

Steven Rochlis, Office of Chief Counsel,

at (202) 366–0780, Federal Highway

Administration, Department of

Transportation, 400 Seventh Street,

SW., Washington, DC 20590. Office

hours are from 7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.,

e.t., Monday through Friday, except

Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

The last comprehensive Federal

HCAS was conducted from 1978 to

1982, pursuant to Section 506 of the

Surface Transportation Assistance Act

(STAA) of 1978 (Pub. L. 95–599). That

section stipulated that the study was to

investigate the distribution of Federal

highway program costs among the

various classes of highway vehicles that

occasion such costs. It also called for an

assessment of current Federal user

charges and recommendations for more

equitable user charge alternatives. In

addition, Section 506 directed the

Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to

develop guidelines for the cost

allocation study, including procedures

to be employed in determining the

equitable allocation of highway costs

and the information needed to apply

those procedures.

Section 506 and the subsequent CBO

guidelines established the general scope

of the 1982 Federal highway cost

allocation study. Specifically, the study

was to focus on evaluating Federal

highway program costs, not highway

costs incurred by State and local

transportation agencies. Also, the

Federal user fee structure was to be

evaluated on the basis of equity rather

than economic efficiency, with equity

measured in terms of the ratio of Federal

user fees payments to Federal program

costs occasioned by different vehicle

classes.

The CBO guidelines listed several

factors underlying the need for the 1982

Federal cost allocation study, including

the effect of energy policies on fuel

consumption and tax revenues, the shift

in the Federal highway program’s

emphasis away from new construction

and toward repair and rehabilitation,

the long time that had elapsed since the

last comprehensive Federal cost

allocation study, and the fact that

methods used in previous studies could

be improved upon in a number of

technical aspects and in the way they

reflected the new mix of Federal

highway programs.

Similar factors are relevant today and

suggest that a new Federal cost

allocation study would be timely. The

last comprehensive highway cost

allocation study was completed over 12

years ago and much of the data upon

which that study was based are

outdated. Energy and environmental

initiatives continue to affect fuel tax

receipts, and considerations leading up

to reauthorization of the Intermodal

Surface Transportation Efficiency Act

(ISTEA) of 1991, Public Law 102–240,

105 Stat. 1914, may require changes in

current highway user fees. The ISTEA

made fundamental changes in the

structure of the Federal-aid highway

program that have significant

implications for cost allocation.

Proposals currently being discussed to

consolidate Department of

Transportation programs could have

even greater ramifications for highway

cost allocation.

The General Accounting Office

recommended in its 1994 report,

Highway User Fees: Updated Data

Needed to Determine Whether All Users

Pay Their Fair Share, (report number

GAO/RCED–94–181) that a new Federal

cost allocation study be conducted as

the basis for assessing the equity of

Federal highway user fees. Without

explicit Congressional guidance on the

scope of a new cost allocation study,

and recognizing the many changes in

the highway program since the last

study was completed, the FHWA

conducted a two-day workshop in

October 1994 to discuss a range of

policy and technical issues that might

be considered in the study. Over 75

persons representing Federal and State

transportation agencies, transportation

industries, academic institutions,

consulting firms, and other

organizations participated in the

workshop. Preliminary proceedings of

that workshop, which include many

specific recommendations made by

workshop participants, will be available

for inspection in the docket; copies may

be requested by calling Mr. James March

at the phone number listed above under

‘‘For Further Information Contact:’’.

During the course of the cost allocation

study, working papers and other interim

work products will be placed in the

docket.

Among other things, workshop

participants recommended that the cost

allocation study consider:

(1) External costs of highway use and

operation, such as congestion, accident

costs, and air and noise pollution costs,

as well as traditional highway agency

costs;

(2) Alternative cost allocation

methods, especially a marginal cost

approach, along with traditional cost

allocation methods;

(3) Highway-related revenues and

expenditures for all levels of

government, not just Federal revenues

and expenditures;
8110 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 28 / Friday, February 10, 1995 / Notices

(4) Implications for highway cost

allocation of multi-modal investment

programs; and

(5) Life-cycle cost analysis principles

for estimating future highway

investment requirements.

Participants also recommended that,

while many new issues deserve

consideration in the cost allocation

study, a primary focus of the study

should be on allocating Federal costs

using methods consistent with the 1982

study.

Comments are requested on these

recommendations and on other

technical issues and recommendations

included in the workshop proceedings.

A preliminary plan for the new cost

allocation study has been developed.

The study will be divided into four

phases: (1) Issues analysis and workplan

development; (2) update and refinement

of highway cost allocation data and

methods; (3) analysis of highway cost

responsibility and the equity of the user

fee structure; and (4) evaluation of

alternative cost allocation procedures.

Work envisioned under each phase is

summarized below. Comments are

requested on this plan.

Phase I—Issues Analysis and Workplan

Development

Many issues were raised at the

October workshop concerning the scope

of the next cost allocation study and the

advantages and disadvantages of

pursuing alternative highway cost

allocation methods. Several issues could

have major implications for the

direction of the next study, including:

(1) The extent to which marginal costs

can and should be reflected in the

study; (2) the extent to which revenues

and expenditures by all levels of

government can be estimated and

incorporated in the study; and (3) the

extent to which cost allocation can be

applied to multi-modal transportation

investment programs that will replace

mode-specific investment programs in

the future. White papers will be

prepared to evaluate issues related to

the analysis of these and other concerns

in the next cost allocation study. An

important factor that will affect the

extent to which these issues can be

considered is the availability of needed

data and analytical methods. An

assessment of data needs to evaluate the

emerging cost allocation issues will be

conducted during this initial phase of

the study.

The FHWA has maintained a

continuing research program to update

highway cost allocation data and

methods. Research has focused

primarily on refining data and methods

used in the 1982 study. A review of

current cost allocation data and

methods is already underway. Working

papers will be prepared which discuss

current methods for analyzing cost

responsibility for: Pavement, bridge, and

other highway costs; sources of data on

vehicle miles of travel, operating weight

distributions, and registered weight/

operating weight distributions;

estimates of highway user revenue

contributions by each vehicle class; and

other aspects of highway cost allocation.

Additional research and data needs will

be discussed in those working papers.

At the end of the first phase, the study

work plan will be reviewed based on

analysis and data needs identified in the

white papers and technical working

papers. Input from internal and external

review committees will be sought.

Phase II—Update and Refine Highway

Cost Allocation Data and Methods

Based upon the revised study plan

developed in Phase I, data and

analytical tools will be updated and

refined. Among the areas where

significant work already can be foreseen

are improving pavement cost models,

improving the consideration of life cycle

costs, improving estimates of highway

travel by different vehicle classes,

improving operating weight

distributions for different vehicle

classes, improving estimates of

operating weight/registered weight

distributions, and improving other data

needed to estimate revenues generated

by different highway user fees. Data and

information needed to apply alternative

cost allocation approaches identified at

the workshop will be collected,

consistent with the relative importance

of each approach and the resources

available.

Phase III—Analyze Highway Cost

Responsibility and the Equity of

Alternative User Fee Structures

In this phase information from Phase

II will be used to analyze the highway

cost responsibility and user fee

contributions of different vehicle classes

and to evaluate the equity of the current

user fee structure. Alternative user fee

structures will be analyzed to evaluate

improvements in equity and efficiency

that potentially could be realized

through changes in highway user fees.

Sensitivity analyses will be performed

throughout the course of this phase to

evaluate the most critical factors that

affect cost allocation results.

Phase IV—Evaluate Alternative Cost

Allocation Procedures

In this phase alternative approaches

to highway cost allocation will be

evaluated, including application of a

marginal cost approach, analysis of the

responsibility of different vehicle

classes for external highway costs and

benefits, estimates of the overall

responsibility of different vehicle

classes for highway costs at all levels of

government, evaluation of the overall

equity of highway user fees imposed by

all levels of government, and

consideration of applying cost

allocation principles to costs and

revenues for all surface transportation

modes. The level of analysis for these

issues will depend on several factors,

including the availability of data, the

relevance of each issue to broader policy

objectives, and the time and resources

available to analyze the issues. Docket

comments will be considered in

evaluating the type and level of analysis

required for these and other emerging

cost allocation issues.

In addition to comments on this broad

study plan, comments also are requested

on the following questions that arose

from the cost allocation workshop:

1. ISTEA provides greater flexibility

in the use of Federal-aid highway funds

for transit and other expenditures not

directly related to the construction,

operation, and maintenance of the

highway system. Many of these newly

eligible costs are intended to promote

broad societal goals that extend beyond

transportation goals. Should

expenditures of Federal-aid highway

funds for such non-transportation costs

be allocated to highway users, and if so

how? Is there a rationale for allocating

certain transit expenditures to highway

users and not others? Should all

highway users share equally in such

costs? Should fuel taxes for deficit

reduction be considered in cost

allocation, and if so, how?

2. Previous cost allocation studies

have been criticized for using different

approaches to allocate different types of

costs. Should cost allocation methods be

varied according to the types of costs

and differences in the incidence of those

costs among highway users or should

the same approach be used for all types

of costs?

3. The workshop did not explicitly

consider alternative user fees, but user

fee issues will be important

considerations in the cost allocation

study. Several alternative highway user

fees were analyzed in the 1982 cost

allocation study and in subsequent

FHWA studies. Comments are requested

on the advantages and disadvantages of

potential modifications to the existing

user fee structure including new types

of fees that might be imposed, on the

desirability of maintaining current tax

exemptions such as for various
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 28 / Friday, February 10, 1995 / Notices 8111

alternative fuels, and on other user fee

issues.

Authority: 23 U.S.C. 315; 49 CFR 1.48.

Issued on: February 3, 1995.

Rodney E. Slater,

Federal Highway Administrator.

[FR Doc. 95–3425 Filed 2–10–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–22–P

Intelligent Transportation Society of

America; Public Meeting

AGENCY: Federal Highway

Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

SUMMARY: The Intelligent Transportation

Society of America (ITS America) will

hold a meeting of its Coordinating

Council on March 15, 1995. The session

is expected to focus on: (1) Federal

Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS)

Reports; (2) ITS America Executive

Director’s Report; (3) Discussion of a

White Paper on ITS America’s Role in

Standards Development; (4) Discussion

of a White Paper on an ITS Data

Communications Strategy; (5) Report

from the Policy and Deployment Task

Force; (6) Report from the Commercial

Vehicle Operations Committee; (7) ITS

America Restructuring Report; (8)

Report from the Benefits, Evaluation,

and Costs Committee; and (9)

Communications and Public Affairs

Report. ITS America provides a forum

for national discussion and

recommendations on ITS activities

including programs, research needs,

strategic planning, standards,

international liaison, and priorities. The

charter for the utilization of ITS

America establishes this organization as

an advisory committee under the

Federal Advisory Committee Act

(FACA), 5 U.S.C. app. 2, when it

provides advice or recommendations to

DOT officials on ITS policies and

programs. (56 FR 9400, March 6, 1991).

DATES: The Coordinating Council of ITS

America will meet on March 15, 1995,

from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., e.t.

ADDRESSES: The Sheraton Washington

Hotel, 2660 Woodley Road, NW.,

Washington, D.C. 20008, (202) 328–

2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Materials associated with this meeting

may be examined at the offices of ITS

America, 400 Virginia Avenue, SW.,

Suite 800, Washington, D.C. 20024.

Persons desiring further information or

wishing to speak at this meeting should

contact Mr. Chris Body at ITS America

by telephone at (202) 484–4131, or by

FAX at (202) 484–3483. The DOT

contact is Mr. Gary Euler, FHWA, HVH–

1, 400 Seventh St., SW., Washington,

D.C. 20590, (202) 366–2201. Office

hours are from 7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.,

e.t., Monday through Friday, except for

Federal holidays.

(23 U.S.C. 315; 49 CFR 1.48)

Issued on: February 3, 1995.

Rodney E. Slater,

Federal Highway Administrator.

[FR Doc. 95–3422 Filed 2–9–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–22–P

Intelligent Transportation Society of

America; Public Meeting

AGENCY: Federal Highway

Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

SUMMARY: The Intelligent Transportation

Society of America (ITS America) will

hold a meeting of its Board of Directors

on March 17, 1995. The session is

expected to focus on: (1) Review and

Acceptance of Election Results;

Installation of New Board Members; (2)

Election of New Officers of the Board of

Directors; (3) Report on ITS America

Bylaws Revision; (4) Appointment of

ITS America Coordinating Council

Members; (5) Report of the Board

Executive Committee; (6) ITS America

Executive Director’s Report; (7) Report

on Federal Intelligent Transportation

Systems (ITS) Initiatives; (8) Report of

the ITS America Coordinating Council;

(9) Report on the ITS America Fifth

Annual Meeting; (10) Report of the

International Liaison Committee, ITS

World Congress Planning; (11) Report

and Discussion Regarding ITS America

Membership Development; (12)

Discussion of Responsibility of Boards

of Directors; (13) New Board of Directors

Committee Appointments; and (14)

Report of the ITS America Deployment

Task Force. ITS America provides a

forum for national discussion and

recommendations on ITS activities

including programs, research needs,

strategic planning, standards,

international liaison, and priorities. The

charter for the utilization of ITS

America establishes this organization as

an advisory committee under the

Federal Advisory Committee Act

(FACA) 5 U.S.C. app. 2, when it

provides advice or recommendations to

DOT officials on ITS policies and

programs. (56 FR 9400, March 6, 1991).

DATES: The Board of Directors of ITS

America will meet on March 17, 1995,

from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m., e.t.

ADDRESSES: Sheraton Washington Hotel,

2660 Woodley Road, N.W., Washington,

D.C. 20008, (202) 328–2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Materials associated with this meeting

may be examined at the offices of ITS

America, 400 Virginia Avenue SW.,

Suite 800, Washington, D.C. 20024.

Persons desiring further information or

wishing to speak at this meeting should

contact Mr. Chris Body at ITS America

by telephone at (202) 484–4131 or by

FAX at (202) 484–3483. The DOT

contact is Mr. Gary Euler, FHWA, HVH–

1, 400 Seventh St., SW., Washington,

D.C. 20590, (202) 366–2201. Office

hours are from 7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.,

e.t., Monday through Friday, except for

Federal holidays.

(23 U.S.C. 315; 49 CFR 1.48)

Issued on: February 3, 1995.

Rodney E. Slater,

Federal Highway Administrator.

[FR Doc. 95–3423 Filed 2–9–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–22–P