Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 77 / Friday, April 21, 1995 / Notices 19983

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Donald J. West, Division Administrator,

Federal Highway Administration,

Federal Building, Montpelier, VT 05601,

Telephone (802)828–4423.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

FHWA, in cooperation with the

Vermont Agency of Transportation, will

prepare a draft Supplemental

Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS)

to focus on a proposed temporary

project change for a portion of the

previously approved Burlington

Southern Connector/Champlain

Parkway Project. The entire project

involves the construction of

approximately 2.5 miles of a four lane,

access controlled highway known as the

Southern Connector, commencing at the

interchange of I–189 with Shelburne

Street (US Route 7), and extending

westerly and northerly to the

intersection of Battery and King Streets

in the Burlington Central Business

District.

A draft Environmental Impact

Statement (EIS) for the project was

completed in 1977, and a final EIS

(FHWA–VT–EIS–77–02–F) was

completed and approved in 1979. A

portion of the original proposed project

has been constructed. Final design for

an additional portion has been

completed. The remaining segment has

been delayed due to the fact that it

traverses an EPA Superfund Site.

Resolution of issues on the cleanup of

the Superfund Site have prohibited the

entire project from being constructed.

The proposed temporary project change

would involve the construction of

improvements to detour around the

Superfund Site to allow the collector to

function as intended and provide traffic

relief until the Superfund Site issues are

resolved.

The draft SEIS will summarize issues

for the entire project, as covered in the

original draft and final EIS. Additional

information and impact analysis will be

presented for a temporary detour around

the Superfund Site, which will

generally follow existing streets

(Lakeside Avenue and Pine Streets);

however, an approximately .5 mile

section of the detour will involve new

route location. Alternatives under

consideration are: (1) Taking no action

(i.e., no changes from the approved

project); and (2) a range of alternatives

for making a temporary connection via

use of Lakeside Avenue and Pine Street

to avoid the Superfund Site.

Impacts anticipated with the project

change would be focused on right-ofway and possible section 106 and

section 4(f) issues, primarily concerned

with the northern portion of the

temporary detour. Impacts of the project

change on wetlands, if any, are expected

to be minimal. Secondary and

cumulative impacts of the project

change will also be addressed.

No formal scoping meeting will be

held. However, comments will be

solicited from the US Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA), US Army

Corps of Engineers (ACOE), US Fish and

Wildlife Service (USFWS), State

Historic Preservation Office (SHPO),

and State Agency of Natural Resources

(ANR). Also, a public informational

meeting will be held in the project area

early in the document development.

The draft SEIS is expected to be filed on

or about June 1, 1995, and will be sent

to appropriate federal, state and local

agencies, and to private organizations

and citizens who have previously

expressed interest in this project for

their comments. A public hearing will

be held following the filing of the draft

SEIS.

Comments and suggestions are invited

from all interested parties to ensure that

the full range of issues related to this

proposed action are addressed and that

all significant issues are identified.

Comments or questions concerning this

proposal action and the SEIS should be

directed to the FHWA at the address

provided above.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Program Number 20.205, Highway Research,

Planning and Construction. The regulations

implementing Executive Order 12372

regarding intergovernmental coordination

consultation on Federal programs and

activities apply to this program)

Issued on: April 13, 1995.

William K. Fung,

Engineering Coordinator, Montpelier.

[FR Doc. 95–9845 Filed 4–20–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–22–P

Federal Railroad Administration

Petition for Test of New Technologies

In accordance with title 49 CFR 211.9

and 211.41, notice is hereby given that

the following railroads have petitioned

the Federal Railroad Administration

(FRA) for exemptions from or waivers of

compliance with a requirement of its

safety standards. The individual

petitions are described below, including

the party seeking relief, the regulatory

provisions involved, and the nature of

the relief being requested.

Interested parties are invited to

participate in these proceedings by

submitting written views, data or

comments. FRA does not anticipate

scheduling a public hearing in

connection with these proceedings since

the facts do not appear to warrant a

hearing. If any interested party desires

an opportunity for oral comment, they

should notify FRA, in writing, before

the end of the comment period and

specify the basis of their request.

All communications concerning these

proceedings should identify the

appropriate waiver petition docket

number (e.g., Waiver Petition Docket

Number HS–94–4) and must be

submitted in triplicate to the Docket

Clerk, Office of Chief Counsel, Federal

Railroad Administration, Nassif

Building, 400 Seventh Street SW.,

Washington, DC 20590.

Communications received within 45

days of the date of publication of this

notice will be considered by FRA before

final action is taken. Comments received

after that date will be considered as far

as practicable. All written

communications concerning these

proceedings are available for

examination during regular business

hours (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) in room 8201,

Nassif Building, 400 Seventh Street

SW., Washington, DC 20590.

The individual petitions are as

follows:

Chicago and North Western

Transportation Company

FRA Waiver Petition Docket No. HS–94–

4

Chicago and North Western requests a

permanent waiver.

Norfolk Southern Corporation

FRA Waiver Petition Docket No. HS–94–

6

Norfolk Southern requests a six

month test waiver with a permanent

waiver at the conclusion of the test

period.

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe

Railway Company

FRA Waiver Docket No. HS–95–1

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe

requests a permanent waiver.

The above railroads seek a waiver of

compliance with certain provisions of

FRA Safety Regulations (Hours of

Service of Railroad Employees, 49 CFR

part 228). The railroads seek a waiver of

49 CFR 228.9(a)(1) which requires that

records maintained under part 228 be

signed by the employee whose time of

duty is being recorded, or in the case of

train and engine crews, signed by the

ranking crew member. Each railroad

seeks to establish a program that utilizes

a computerized system of recording

hours of duty information which would

not comply with the above requirement

for a ‘‘signature’’ of the employee or
19984 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 77 / Friday, April 21, 1995 / Notices

ranking crew member. The individual

railroads propose that each employee

will have his or her own personal

identification number (‘‘pin’’) which

will remain confidential to the

employee. When accessing the

computer for input of the hours of

service record, required by § 228.11, the

‘‘pin’’ will not appear on the computer

screen when the employee enters his or

her number. The ‘‘pin’’ is proposed to

satisfy the signature requirements of the

‘‘Hours of Service of Railroad

Employees.’’ The railroads maintain that

the change is necessary to modernize

recordkeeping.

Issued in Washington, DC, on April 17,

1995.

Phil Olekszyk,

Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety

Compliance and Program Implementation.

[FR Doc. 95–9943 Filed 4–20–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–06–P

Petition for Waivers of Compliance

In accordance with 49 CFR 211.9,

211.41 and 211.45, notice is hereby

given that the Federal Railroad

Administration (FRA) has received a

request for a waiver of compliance with

certain requirements of the Federal

safety laws and regulations. The

individual petition is described below,

including the party seeking relief, the

regulatory provisions involved, the

nature of the relief being requested and

the petitioner’s arguments in favor of

relief.

Renfe Talgo of America, Incorporated

Addendum to Docket Numbers RSGM–

94–2 and SA–94–1

The Washington State Department of

Transportation (WDT) is the lessee of

the Renfe Talgo of America,

Incorporated (RTOA) passenger train

currently in service in the Pacific

Northwest High Speed Corridor between

Seattle, Washington and Portland,

Oregon. The Talgo train is operating

under the Federal Railroad

Administration (FRA) waivers Docket

Numbers RSGM–94–2 and SA–94–1.

The waivers were conditionally granted

on March 25, 1994.

RTOA requested the waivers of

compliance with certain provisions of

the Railroad Safety Glazing Standards

(49 CFR Part 223) under Docket Number

RSGM–94–2 and the Railroad Safety

Appliance Standards (49 CFR Part 231),

under Docket Number SA–94–1 and the

(see 59 FR 9016, February 24, 1994).

The RSGM–94–2 conditional waiver

permits the operation of the Talgo train

in revenue service in the Pacific

Northwest High Speed Rail Corridor for

the WDT operated by the National

Railroad Passenger Corporation

(Amtrak). The waiver is from

compliance with the Railroad Glazing

Standards (49 CFR 223.15(b)), which

requires that all side facing glazing on

passenger cars must meet the FRA Type

II testing criteria. RTOA states that the

side facing glazing of the TALGO train

may in fact meet the FRA requirements

for FRA Type II, but it has not been

subjected to the test specified in the

regulation. The windows in the sides of

the cars are double glazed with

tempered safety glass. Each layer is 6

mm. (.24 inches) thick with an air space

in between the two layers.

The SA–94–1 conditional waiver from

compliance of the Railroad Safety

Appliance Standards (49 CFR 231.14)

and Sections 2 and 4 of the Safety

Appliance Act (45 U.S.C. Sections 2 and

4), which requires that each passenger

car must be equipped with side

handholds, end handholds and

uncoupling levers. The passenger cars

have side handholds at the doors for the

assistance of passengers, but there are

no side handholds or end handholds

which the rules contemplate for use in

switching operations or coupling and

uncoupling. RTOA states that the 12

cars in the TALGO train constitute a

single unit, in that the cars will not be

uncoupled from one another, except at

specified maintenance facilities. The

individual cars are joined by swivel

type traction couplers which will not

uncouple in normal operations and

because of this configuration there is no

need for uncoupling levers. Standard

AAR Type E couplers will be installed

at the ends of the front and rear service

cars.

WDT has requested a change in the

waiver in order to place the Talgo train

in temporary revenue service between

Seattle and Vancouver, British

Columbia, Canada; and removing it from

revenue service between Seattle and

Portland.

Interested parties are invited to

participate in this proceeding by

submitting written views, data, or

comments. FRA does not anticipate

scheduling a public hearing in

connection with this proceeding.

However, if an opportunity for oral

presentation before representatives of

the FRA is requested before May 1,

1995, FRA will provide such

opportunity at a public hearing. If held,

this public hearing will take place in

Seattle, Washington, on May 16, 1995.

Information as to whether a hearing will

be held, and specific location, may be

obtained after May 1, 1995, by

contacting the FRA Docket Clerk at 202–

366–2257 or by writing the Docket Clerk

at the Federal Railroad Administration,

Office of Chief Counsel, 400 Seventh

Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590.

All communications concerning these

proceedings should identify the

appropriate docket number (e.g., Waiver

Petition Docket Number SA–94–1) and

must be submitted in triplicate to the

Docket Clerk, Office of Chief Counsel,

Federal Railroad Administration, Nassif

Building, 400 Seventh Street, SW.,

Washington, DC 20590.

Communications received before May

26, 1995, will be considered by FRA

before final action is taken. Comments

received after that date will be

considered as far as practicable. All

written communications concerning

these proceedings are available for

examination during regular business

hours (9 a.m.–5 p.m.) in Room 8201,

Nassif Building, 400 Seventh Street,

SW., Washington, DC 20590.

Issued in Washington, DC, on April 17,

1995.

Phil Olekszyk,

Acting Deputy Associate Administrator for

Safety Compliance and Program

Implementation.

[FR Doc. 95–9944 Filed 4–20–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–06–P

National Highway Traffic Safety

Administration

Petitions for Modification of

Exemptions From the Vehicle Theft

Protection Standard; Saab Cars USA,

Inc.

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration (NHTSA),

Department of Transportation.

ACTION: Grant of petitions for

modification of exemptions from

vehicle theft protection standard.

SUMMARY: On September 8 and

September 12, 1994, Saab Cars, USA,

Inc. (‘‘Saab’’) filed petitions with the

National Highway Traffic Safety

Adminsitration (‘‘NHTSA’’) asking for

modification to agency-approved

exemptions from the vehicle theft

protection standard for its model years

(MY) 1995–1997 900 and 9000 car lines.

NHTSA is granting Saab’s petitions for

modification of its exemption from the

parts-marking requirement of the

vehicle theft prevention standard for the

MY 1995–1997 900 and 9000 car lines

because it has determined, based on

substantial evidence, that the antitheft

devices described in Saab’s petition to

be placed on the car lines as standard

equipment, are likely to be as effective

in reducing and deterring motor vehicle