[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 147 (Wednesday, July 30, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44314-44315]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-17482]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Notice of Limitation on Claims Against Proposed Public 
Transportation Projects

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of Limitation on Claims.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces final environmental actions taken by the 
Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for public transportation projects 
in the following areas: Houston, Texas, Portland, Oregon, and Orlando, 
Florida. The purpose of this notice is to announce publicly the 
environmental decisions by FTA on the subject projects and to activate 
the limitation on any claims that may challenge these final 
environmental actions.

DATES: By this notice, FTA is advising the public of final agency 
actions subject to Title 23, United States Code (U.S.C.), section 
139(l). A claim seeking judicial review of the FTA actions announced 
herein for the listed public transportation projects will be barred 
unless the claim is filed on or before January 26, 2009.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elizabeth Zelasko, Environmental 
Protection Specialist, Office of Planning and Environment, 202-366-
0244, or Christopher Van Wyk, Attorney-Advisor, Office of Chief 
Counsel, 202-366-1733. FTA is located at 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., 
Washington, DC 20590. Office hours are from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., e.t., 
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice is hereby given that FTA has taken 
final agency actions by issuing certain approvals for the public 
transportation projects listed below. The actions on these projects, as 
well as the laws under which such actions were taken, are described in 
the documentation issued in connection with the project to comply with 
the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and in other documents in 
the FTA administrative record for the project. The final agency 
environmental decision documents--Records of Decision (ROD) or Findings 
of No Significant Impact (FONSI)--for the listed projects are available 
online at http://www.fta.dot.gov/planning/environment/planning_environment_documents.html or may be obtained by contacting the FTA 
Regional Office for the metropolitan area where the project is located. 
Contact information for the FTA Regional Offices may be found at http://www.fta.dot.gov.
    This notice applies to all FTA decisions on the listed projects as 
of the issuance date of this notice and all laws under which such 
actions were taken, including, but not limited to, the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) [42 U.S.C. 4321-4375], Section 4(f) of 
the Department of Transportation Act of 1966 [49 U.S.C. 303], Section 
106 of the National Historic Preservation Act [16 U.S.C. 470f], and the 
Clean Air Act [42 U.S.C. 7401-7671q]. This notice does not, however, 
alter or extend the limitation period of 180 days for challenges of 
project decisions subject to previous notices published in the Federal 
Register (e.g., this notice does not extend the limitation on claims 
announced in the Federal Register on November 2, 2007 for the original 
FONSI issued for the Central Florida Commuter Rail Transit Project).
    The projects and actions that are the subject of this notice are:
    1. Project name and location: North Corridor Fixed Guideway Transit 
Project, Houston, Texas. Project sponsor: Metropolitan Transit 
Authority of Harris County Texas (METRO). Project description: The FTA 
and METRO have completed a Supplemental Final Environmental Impact 
Statement (SFEIS) for the North Corridor Fixed Guideway Transit Project 
(North Corridor Project). The North Corridor Project will extend the 
existing METRORail Red line from the University of Houston-Downtown 
Station approximately 5.3 miles north to Northline Mall. The project 
includes construction of eight passenger stations and five electrical 
substations; improvements to the existing light rail transit storage 
and maintenance facility; and the purchase of 12 additional light rail 
transit vehicles. Final Agency Actions: ROD signed on July 1, 2008. 
Section 106 Memorandum of Agreement signed on June 4, 2008; Project-
level Air Conformity determination; and Section 4(f) finding. 
Supporting documentation: North Corridor Fixed Guideway Supplemental 
Final Environmental Impact Statement (SFEIS) signed on April 18, 2008.
    2. Project name and location: Southeast Corridor Fixed Guideway 
Transit Project, Houston, Texas. Project sponsor: METRO. Project 
description:

[[Page 44315]]

The FTA and METRO have completed a SFEIS for the Southeast Corridor 
Fixed Guideway Transit Project (Southeast Corridor Project). The 
Southeast Corridor Project will start in downtown Houston; connect to 
the universities area including Texas Southern University, University 
of Houston, and the Palm Center; and end at a terminus on Griggs Road 
and Beekman Road. The light rail will operate in portions of the 
alignment on both restricted street lanes and an exclusive bi-
directional trackway. For the Southeast Corridor Project, METRO will 
also construct a vehicle storage facility, ten passenger stations, and 
a traction power electrical system. Final agency actions: ROD signed on 
July 16, 2008; Section 4(f) de minimis impact finding; Section 106 
Memorandum of Agreement signed on June 4, 2008; Project-level Air 
Conformity determination. Supporting documentation: Southeast Corridor 
Fixed Guideway Supplemental Final Environmental Impact Statement 
(SFEIS) signed on April 25, 2008.
    3. Project name and location: Portland Streetcar Loop Project, 
Portland Oregon. Project sponsor: Tri-County Metropolitan 
Transportation District (TriMet). Project description: The project 
involves the construction of 3.3 miles of double track rail lines in 
existing streets and public rights-of-way from NW 10th Avenue and 
Lovejoy Street in the Pearl District of northwest Portland to the 
Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in southeast Portland. TriMet 
plans to construct 18 new station pairs with designs similar to those 
along the existing Portland Streetcar alignment. The project also 
includes the purchase of 10 streetcars, expansion of the existing 
streetcar operations and maintenance facility, roadway improvements, 
and elimination of some bus line service. Final agency actions: FONSI 
signed on July 2, 2008; Section 106 Finding of No Adverse Effect; 
Project-level Air Conformity determination; Section 4(f) de minimis 
impact finding. Supporting documentation: Environmental Assessment on 
the Portland Streetcar Loop Project issued on February 8, 2008.
    4. Project name and location: Central Florida Commuter Rail Transit 
Project, Orlando, Florida. Project sponsor: Florida Department of 
Transportation (FDOT). Project description: FDOT is proposing to 
operate a commuter rail project on approximately 61 miles of existing 
freight rail tracks that traverse Orange, Seminole, Volusia, and 
Osceola counties in the greater metropolitan area of Orlando, Florida. 
The project will involve the construction of 17 stations and a new 
vehicle storage and maintenance facility. On April 27, 2007, FTA issued 
a FONSI on the Central Florida Commuter Rail Transit (CFCRT) North/
South Corridor project stating that the project would not have a 
significant impact on the environment. Since issuing the FONSI, FDOT 
made several changes to stations on the CFCRT project and these changes 
were reviewed in a Supplemental EA approved on May 8, 2008. The final 
agency actions announced in this notice only concern these project 
changes which are of limited scope and do not warrant reconsideration 
of the entire project. Final agency actions: FONSI signed on July 22, 
2008; Section 106 Finding of No Effect on Historic Properties dated 
June 20, 2008; Section 4(f) finding. Supporting documentation: 
Supplemental Environmental Assessment on the Central Florida Commuter 
Rail Transit North/South Corridor Project approved on May 8, 2008.

    Issued on: July 24, 2008.
Susan Borinsky,
Associate Administrator for Planning and Environment, Washington, DC.
[FR Doc. E8-17482 Filed 7-29-08; 8:45 am]
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