63668 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 206 / Friday, October 24, 2014 / Notices 

1Concurrently with its verified notice of 

exemption, MassDOT filed a motion to dismiss it 

on the ground that the transaction does not require 

authorization from the Board. The motion to 

dismiss will be addressed in a subsequent Board 

decision. 

by intercity bus, intercity rail, and rural 

transit operators. 

One commenter was encouraged by 

the definition of ‘‘feeder service’’ but 

recommended that FTA require or 

provide incentives to States for Section 

5311 intercity bus service projects that 

directly involve rural districts to ensure 

better and more meaningful access to 

intercity bus service. In response, FTA 

notes that States have flexibility to 

administer the program to meet the 

needs of their rural regions and districts, 

so declines to make the suggested 

change. 

Lastly, one commenter read Section 

10, ADA Regulations, to mean that any 

and all Section 5311(f) over-the-road 

intercity bus recipients, subrecipients 

and contractors must use vehicles that 

are fully wheelchair accessible. While 

that is true of large operators that are 

Class I motor carriers providing fixedroute service, the ADA regulations allow 

small operators greater flexibility. Small 

operators can either ensure that vehicles 

are readily accessible to and usable by 

individuals with disabilities, including 

individuals who use wheelchairs, or 

ensure that equivalent service is 

provided to individuals with 

disabilities. We have amended this 

section accordingly. 

I. Chapter IX—Rural Transportation 

Assistance Program (RTAP) 

FTA did not propose any substantive 

changes for this chapter and did not 

receive any comments. The RTAP 

continues to provide funding to assist in 

the design and implementation of 

training and technical assistance 

projects, research, and other support 

services. We did not make any 

substantive changes to this chapter. 

J. Chapter X—Public Transportation on 

Indian Reservations 

FTA proposed a new chapter in the 

circular to address public transportation 

on Indian reservations, or the ‘‘Tribal 

Transit Program.’’ Section 5311(c) 

authorizes $5 million annually for this 

program, distributed on a competitive 

basis; and $25 million annually for this 

program, apportioned by a statutory 

formula found in Section 5311(j). The 

formula apportions funds on the basis of 

vehicle revenue miles and the number 

of low-income individuals residing on 

tribal lands. FTA received comments 

from six entities regarding this chapter. 

Two commenters expressed 

appreciation for the new formula 

funding, while others had concerns 

about the basis for determining how 

much assistance Tribes receive, and 

expressed concern that they no longer 

receive enough Tribal Transit funding to 

operate their existing systems. 

FTA understands that the transition 

from a $15 million discretionary 

program to a mixed formula and 

discretionary program has been 

challenging for some Tribes, despite the 

fact that the total funding level doubled. 

Generally, the comments FTA received 

on the Section 5311 circular were 

addressed as part of the tribal 

consultation process FTA initiated last 

year. On November 9, 2012, FTA 

published a notice in the Federal 

Register (77 FR 67439) in order to (1) 

introduce FTA’s consultation process 

and schedule for implementing changes 

to the Tribal Transit Program due to 

MAP–21; (2) describe and seek 

comment on the methodology for the 

formula allocation and the assumptions 

made regarding which Tribes are 

eligible for the formula program; (3) 

seek comment on the terms and 

conditions for the formula and 

discretionary components of the 

program; and (4) seek comment on how 

the discretionary program resources 

should be allocated. As part of the tribal 

consultation process, FTA conducted 

two outreach meetings in November and 

December of 2012. After considering 

comments, FTA published a subsequent 

notice in the Federal Register (78 FR 

27284, May 9, 2013) in which it 

responded to issues presented as a 

result of the consultation process. That 

notice also announced the funding 

levels and framework for the Tribal 

Transit Program, as well as a notice of 

funding availability (NOFA) for FY 13 

funds. FTA encourages interested 

stakeholders to review the two Federal 

Register notices, available on FTA’s 

Web site (http://www.fta.dot.gov/

legislation_law/federal_register_

notices.php) if they have additional 

concerns about the funding or 

framework of this program. FTA has not 

made any substantive edits to this 

chapter. 

K. Chapter XI—Other Provisions 

This chapter describes cross-cutting 

Federal requirements that apply to the 

Section 5311 Program. FTA did not 

receive any substantive comments on 

this chapter and did not make any 

substantive edits. 

L. Appendices 

One commenter requested FTA 

include additional information related 

to the requirements of 49 U.S.C. 5333(b) 

(labor protections) in Appendix A. It is 

not clear to us what additional 

information would be helpful, and we 

recommend that interested stakeholders 

contact their FTA regional office if they 

have questions regarding the role of the 

Department of Labor in processing 

Section 5311 grants. 

Another commenter recommended 

that Appendix B include a POP section 

for JARC. In response, we have added 

language indicating that JARC projects 

must be coded under 646–00 SCOPE in 

the grant and reserved using FPC 03. 

Lastly, one commenter asked for 

clarification regarding section 3 of 

Appendix F and the methodology for 

excess or insufficient in-kind match 

determinations for intercity bus. FTA 

provided additional clarification in 

revisions to Chapter VIII, Intercity Bus 

and eliminated Appendix F as the 

information was redundant with the 

information contained in the chapter. 

Therese W. McMillan, 

Acting Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 2014–25309 Filed 10–23–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Surface Transportation Board 

[Docket No. FD 35863] 

Massachusetts Department of 

Transportation—Acquisition 

Exemption—Pan Am Southern LLC 

The Massachusetts Department of 

Transportation (MassDOT), a noncarrier, 

has filed a verified notice of exemption 

under 49 CFR 1150.31 to acquire from 

Pan Am Southern LLC (PAS) certain 

railroad assets and associated rail line 

right-of-way, known generally as a 

portion of the Connecticut River Main 

Line (also known as the ‘‘Knowledge 

Corridor’’), approximately 49.67 route 

miles in length, from Station 2+25 in 

Springfield, Mass., to the 

Massachusetts-Vermont border at 

Station 2613+66.85 at East Northfield, 

Mass. (the Railroad Assets). As part of 

this transaction, MassDOT would also 

acquire any right, title, or interest that 

PAS may currently possess to operate 

passenger trains over a segment of 

Amtrak-owned line between Springfield 

and the Massachusetts-Connecticut 

border. According to MassDOT, it is not 

acquiring any freight operating rights, 

and PAS will retain a permanent, 

exclusive freight operating easement 

over the Railroad Assets.1

MassDOT states that the proposed 

transaction has been agreed upon 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 206 / Friday, October 24, 2014 / Notices 63669 

pursuant to a May 25, 2012 Purchase 

and Sale Contract, subsequently 

extended and modified by way of a 

Reinstatement and First Amendment to 

Purchase and Sale Contract. MassDOT 

also states that the agreement does not 

contain any provisions that would limit 

interchange with a third-party 

connecting carrier. 

MassDOT certifies that it would not 

conduct freight operations over the 

Railroad Assets, and therefore, 

MassDOT’s prospective annual common 

carrier revenues will not result in the 

creation of a Class I or Class II carrier. 

MassDOT states that it anticipates 

consummating the transaction on or 

about December 29, 2014, subject to a 

Board decision on the concurrently filed 

motion to dismiss. The earliest this 

transaction may be consummated is 

November 9, 2014, the effective date of 

the exemption (30 days after the verified 

notice was filed). 

If the verified notice contains false or 

misleading information, the exemption 

is void ab initio. Petitions to revoke the 

exemption under 49 U.S.C. 10502(d) 

may be filed at any time. The filing of 

a petition to revoke will not 

automatically stay the effectiveness of 

the exemption. Petitions for stay must 

be filed no later than October 31, 2014 

(at least seven days before the 

exemption becomes effective). 

An original and 10 copies of all 

pleadings, referring to Docket No. FD 

35863, must be filed with the Surface 

Transportation Board, 395 E Street SW., 

Washington, DC 20423–0001. In 

addition, a copy of each pleading must 

be served on MassDOT’s representative, 

Robert A. Wimbish, Fletcher & Sippel 

LLC, 29 North Wacker Drive, Suite 920, 

Chicago, IL 60606. 

Board decisions and notices are 

available on our Web site at 

‘‘WWW.STB.DOT.GOV.’’ 

Decided: October 21, 2014. 

By the Board, 

Rachel D. Campbell, 

Director, Office of Proceedings. 

Raina S. White. 

Clearance Clerk, 

[FR Doc. 2014–25346 Filed 10–23–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4915–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY 

Proposed Collection; Comment 

Request; Small Business Lending 

Fund (SBLF) 

AGENCY: Departmental Offices, Treasury. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: The Department of the 

Treasury, as part of its continuing effort 

to reduce paperwork and respondent 

burden, invites the general public and 

other Federal agencies to comment on 

an extension of an existing information 

collection, as required by the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104– 

13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, 

the Office of the Assistant Secretary for 

Financial Markets, within the 

Department of the Treasury, is soliciting 

comments concerning the New Issue 

Bond Program and Temporary Credit 

and Liquidity Program. 

DATES: Written comments should be 

received on or before December 23, 2014 

to be assured of consideration. 

ADDRESSES: Send comments regarding 

the burden estimate, or any other aspect 

of the information collection, including 

suggestions for reducing the burden, via 

the federal eRulemaking portal, http://

www.regulations.gov, following the 

instructions for submitting comments; 

by fax to (202) 622–8722, Attn: Request 

for Comments (SBLF Quarterly 

Supplemental Reports); or by mail to 

Office of Domestic Finance, Department 

of the Treasury, 1500 Pennsylvania 

Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20220, 

Attn: Request for Comments (SBLF 

Quarterly Supplemental Reports). 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Requests for additional information 

should be directed to Manager 

(Communications, Research and 

External Affairs), Small Business 

Lending Fund, Office of Domestic 

Finance, Department of the Treasury, 

1500 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., 

Washington, DC 20220. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

OMB Control Number: 1505–0228. 

Title: Small Business Lending Fund 

(SBLF) Supplemental Reports. 

Abstract: Once accepted into the 

SBLF program, a bank is required to 

submit a Supplemental Report each 

quarter. The Supplemental Report 

serves two purposes. 

First, the Quarterly Supplemental 

Report is used to determine the bank’s 

small business lending baseline. A 

bank’s initial dividend rate is based on 

the increase in small business lending 

(over this baseline) in the quarters from 

October 2010 through September 2013. 

In addition, a bank’s dividend rate is 

now locked based on the results from its 

increase or decrease of qualified small 

business lending (versus the baseline) as 

of September 30, 2013. 

Second, every quarter thereafter, the 

bank files a Supplemental Report 

quarterly so that Treasury can assess the 

change in the small business lending for 

the previous quarter. That change from 

the historical baseline is used to set the 

dividend rate for the next quarter. 

Type of Review: Extension of a 

currently approved collection. 

Affected Public: Businesses or other 

for-profits. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

288. 

Estimated Annual Hours per 

Response: 3.5 hours. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours: 4,032. 

Request for Comment: Comments 

submitted in response to this notice will 

be summarized and included in the 

request for Office of Management and 

Budget approval. All comments will 

become a matter of public record. The 

public is invited to submit comments 

concerning: (a) Whether the collection 

of information is necessary for the 

proper performance of the functions of 

the agency, including whether the 

information will have practical utility; 

(b) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate 

of the burden of the collection of 

information; (c) ways to enhance the 

quality, utility, and clarity of the 

information to be collected; (d) ways to 

minimize the burden of the collection of 

information on respondents, including 

the use of automated collection 

techniques or other forms of information 

technology; and (e) estimates of capital 

or start-up costs and costs of operation, 

maintenance, and purchase of services 

to provide information. 

Dated: October 21, 2014. 

Brenda Simms, 

Treasury PRA Clearance Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2014–25351 Filed 10–23–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4810–25–P 

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

AFFAIRS 

National Research Advisory Council; 

Notice of Meeting 

The Department of Veterans Affairs 

(VA) gives notice under the Federal 

Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C., App. 

2, that the National Research Advisory 

Council will hold a meeting on 

Wednesday, December 3, 2014, at 1100 

First St. NE., 6th floor, Washington, DC. 

The meeting will convene at 9:00 a.m. 

and end at 3:00 p.m., and is open to the 

public. Anyone attending must show a 

valid photo ID to building security and 

be escorted to the meeting. Please allow 

15 minutes before the meeting begins for 

this process. 

The agenda will include an overview 

of the research programs of the Office of 

Research and Development (ORD) 

(10P9), healthcare ethics review and 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES