24066 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 98 / Friday, May 22, 2009 / Notices 

[FR Doc. E9–11988 Filed 5–21–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–9X–C 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Highway Administration 

[Project Number SP–0008–03(048)] 

Environmental Impact Statement: 

Rankin County, MS 

AGENCY: Federal Highway 

Administration (FHWA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Notice of Intent. 

SUMMARY: The FHWA is issuing this 

notice to advise the public that an 

environmental impact statement will be 

prepared for a proposed highway project 

in Rankin County, Mississippi. The 

project study area will extend a distance 

of approximately 15 miles from U.S. 

Highway 49 near Star, Mississippi, to 

Interstate 20 near State Route 475 in 

Pearl, Mississippi. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Dickie Walters, Environmental 

Protection Specialist, Federal Highway 

Administration, 666 North Street, Suite 

105, Jackson, MS 39202–3199, 

Telephone: (601) 965–4217. Contact at 

the State level is Mr. Claiborne 

Barnwell, Environmental/Location 

Division Engineer, Mississippi 

Department of Transportation, P.O. Box 

1850, Jackson, MS 39215–1850, 

telephone: (601) 359–7920. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

FHWA, in cooperation with the 

Mississippi Department of 

Transportation (MDOT), will prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

for a U.S. Highway 49 Star Connector in 

Rankin County, Mississippi. The 

proposed improvements are intended to 

help alleviate high levels of congestion 

and travel delays on U.S. Highway 49 

between Star and Interstate 20. 

A Coordination Plan for Agency and 

Public Involvement will be developed 

in accordance with Public Law 109–59, 

SAFETEA–LU, Title VI, Section 6002, 

Efficient Environmental Reviews for 

Project Decision Making, August 10, 

2005, and will outline the process by 

which project information will be 

communicated to the lead, cooperating, 

participating, and other agencies and 

organizations, and the public. This plan 

will also identify how input from 

agencies and the public will be solicited 

and considered. The Coordination Plan 

is intended to be a flexible and fluid 

document and will be available at 

public and agency meetings for review. 

The purpose of the EIS is to address 

the transportation, environmental, and 

safety issues of such a transportation 

corridor. The proposed fully controlled 

U.S. Highway 49 Star Connector on new 

location would provide a safer roadway 

and improve mobility for those traveling 

to or through the Jackson Metropolitan 

area from the South Mississippi region. 

Additionally, the proposed U.S. 

Highway 49 Star Connector would 

create an additional route to I–55 North 

by providing traffic a route through the 

planned Airport Parkway reducing 

movements through the I–55/I–20/U.S. 

49 interchange. Alternatives under 

consideration include (1) taking no 

action and (2) build alternatives. 

The FHWA and MDOT are seeking 

input as a part of the scoping process to 

assist in determining and clarifying 

issues relative to this project. Letters 

describing the proposed action and 

soliciting comments will be sent to 

appropriate Federal, State, and local 

agencies, Native American tribes, 

private organizations and citizens who 

have previously expressed or are known 

to have interest in this proposal. A 

formal scoping meeting with Federal, 

State, and local agencies, and other 

interested parties will be held in the 

near future. Public involvement 

meetings will be held during the EIS 

process. The draft EIS will be available 

for public and agency review and 

comment prior to the official public 

hearing. 

To ensure that the full range of issues 

related to this proposed action are 

addressed and all significant issues 

identified, comments and suggestions 

are invited from all interested parties. 

Comments or questions concerning this 

proposed action and the EIS should be 

directed to the FHWA at the address 

provided above. 

Dated: May 18, 2009. 

Donald E. Davis, 

Assistant Division Administrator, Federal 

Highway Administration, Mississippi 

Division, Jackson, Mississippi. 

[FR Doc. E9–11991 Filed 5–21–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Motor Carrier Safety 

Administration 

[Docket No. FMCSA–2007–28043] 

Hours of Service (HOS) of Drivers; 

Application of American Pyrotechnics 

Association (APA) for Exemption From 

the 14-Hour Rule During Independence 

Day Celebrations 

AGENCY: Federal Motor Carrier Safety 

Administration (FMCSA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of application for 

exemption; request for comments. 

SUMMARY: The American Pyrotechnics 

Association (APA) has applied for a 

limited exemption from FMCSA’s 

regulation that drivers of commercial 

motor vehicles (CMVs) may not drive 

after the 14th hour after coming on duty. 

The exemption would apply solely to 

the operation of CMVs by 14 designated 

APA motor carriers in conjunction with 

staging fireworks shows celebrating 

Independence Day during the periods 

June 28–July 8, 2009, and June 28–July 

8, 2010, inclusive. During these two 

periods, the approximately 100 CMV 

drivers employed by these 14 APA 

motor carriers in conjunction with 

staging fireworks shows would be 

allowed to exclude off-duty and sleeperberth time of any length from the 

calculation of the 14 hours. These 

drivers would not be allowed to drive 

after accumulating a total of 14 hours of 

on-duty time, following 10 consecutive 

hours off duty, and would continue to 

be subject to the 11-hour driving time 

limit, and the 60- and 70-hour on-duty 

limits. The APA maintains that the 

terms and conditions of the limited 

exemption would ensure a level of 

safety equivalent to, or greater than, the 

level of safety achieved without the 

exemption. 

DATES: This exemption would be 

effective during the periods of June 28, 

2009, through July 8, 2009, inclusive, 

and June 28, 2010, through July 8, 2010, 

inclusive. The exemption would expire 

on July 9, 2010. Comments must be 

received on or before June 8, 2009. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

identified by Federal Docket 

Management System Number FMCSA– 

2007–28043 by any of the following 

methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: http:// 

www.regulations.gov. Follow the online 

instructions for submitting comments. 

• Telefax: 1–202–493–2251. 

• Mail: Docket Management Facility, 

U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 

New Jersey Ave., SE., West Building, 

Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 

Washington, DC 20590–0001. 

• Hand Delivery or Courier: West 

Building, Ground Floor, Room W12– 

140, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE., 

Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. 

and 5 p.m., E.T., Monday through 

Friday, except Federal holidays. 

Instructions: All submissions must 

include the Agency name and docket 

number. For detailed instructions on 

submitting comments and additional 

information on the exemption process, 

see the Public Participation heading 


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