32684 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 129 / Wednesday, July 8, 2009 / Notices 

Comments will be placed in the 

docket and open to public inspection 

pursuant to 15 CFR 2006.13, except 

confidential business information 

exempt from public inspection in 

accordance with 15 CFR 2006.15 or 

information determined by USTR to be 

confidential in accordance with 19 

U.S.C. 2155(g)(2). Comments open to 

public inspection may be viewed on the 

http://www.regulations.gov Web site. 

Daniel Brinza, 

Assistant United States Trade Representative 

for Monitoring and Enforcement. 

[FR Doc. E9–16061 Filed 7–7–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3190–W9–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Highway Administration 

Environmental Impact Statement: 

Bexar County, TX 

AGENCY: Federal Highway 

Administration (FHWA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of Intent. 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to 40 CFR 1508.22 

and 43 TAC § 2.5(e)(2), the FHWA, 

Texas Department of Transportation 

(TxDOT) and Alamo Regional Mobility 

Authority are issuing this notice to 

advise the public that an Environmental 

Impact Statement (EIS) will be prepared 

for a proposed transportation project on 

United States Highway (US) 281 from 

Loop (LP) 1604 to Borgfeld Road, about 

7.5 miles, in Bexar County, Texas. Areas 

within the city of San Antonio are 

included in the study area. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Salvador Deocampo, District Engineer, 

District A, Federal Highway 

Administration (FHWA), Texas 

Division, 300 East 8th Street, Rm. 826, 

Austin, Texas 78701, Telephone 512– 

536–5950. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: US 281 

within the project limits is listed in the 

San Antonio-Bexar County Metropolitan 

Planning Organization (SA–BCMPO) 

Mobility 2030 Plan (the long-range 

transportation plan) as a six-lane tolled 

facility; other solutions for improving 

mobility within the US 281 corridor 

may be identified in future updates and/ 

or amendments to the long-range 

transportation plan. The existing facility 

is a four-to-six-lane non-toll divided 

arterial with partial access controls. The 

need for improvements to US 281 has 

resulted from a historic and continuing 

trend in population and employment 

growth within the project corridor and 

surrounding areas. This growth has 

generated increasing levels of vehicle 

miles traveled, leading to higher levels 

of traffic congestion, vehicle crashes, 

and declining community quality of life. 

Without additional transportation 

improvements it is anticipated that this 

population and employment growth 

will result in increased levels of 

vehicular traffic, crashes and travel 

delays. Without improvements, 

accessibility within the corridor is 

anticipated to become increasingly 

reduced, its functionality as part of a 

regional transportation system would 

decline, and the overall community 

quality of life would diminish. The 

objectives of US 281 corridor 

improvements are to improve mobility, 

enhance safety, and improve 

community quality of life. The EIS will 

develop and evaluate a range of 

alternatives including ‘‘No-action’’ (the 

no-build alternative), Transportation 

System Management (TSM)/ 

Transportation Demand Management 

(TDM), rapid transit and roadway build 

alternatives. 

The EIS will analyze potential direct, 

indirect and cumulative impacts from 

construction and operation of proposed 

corridor improvements including, but 

not limited to, the following: 

Transportation impacts; air quality and 

noise impacts; water quality impacts 

including storm water runoff; impacts to 

waters of the United States including 

wetlands; impacts to floodplains; 

impacts to historic and archeological 

resources; impacts to threatened and 

endangered species; socioeconomic 

impacts including environmental justice 

communities; impacts to and/or 

potential displacements of land use, 

vegetation, residents and businesses; 

and impacts to aesthetic and visual 

resources. 

Public involvement is a critical 

component of the project development 

process and will occur throughout the 

planning and study phases. Letters 

describing the proposed action 

including a request for comments will 

be sent to appropriate Federal, State, 

and local agencies and to private 

organizations and citizens who have 

previously expressed or are known to 

have interest in this proposal. Public 

scoping meetings are planned for late 

summer and fall of 2009. The purpose 

of the public scoping meetings is to 

identify significant and other relevant 

issues related to US 281 mobility 

improvements as part of the National 

Environmental Policy Act process. The 

scoping meetings, pursuant to Section 

6002 of SAFETEA–LU, will provide 

opportunities for participating agencies, 

cooperating agencies, and the public to 

be involved in review and comment on 

the draft coordination plan, defining the 

need and purpose for the proposed 

project, and determining the range of 

alternatives to be considered in the EIS. 

Additional public meetings will be held 

on dates to be determined at a later 

time. In addition to the public meetings, 

a public hearing will be held. Public 

notice will be given of the time and 

place of the meetings and hearing. 

To ensure that the full range of issues 

related to this proposed action is 

addressed and all significant issues are 

identified, comments and suggestions 

are invited from all interested parties. 

Such comments or questions concerning 

this proposed action should be directed 

to the FHWA at the address provided 

above. 

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

Program Number 20.205, Highway Planning 

and Construction. The regulations 

implementing Executive Order 12372 

regarding intergovernmental consultation on 

Federal programs and activities apply to this 

program.) 

Issued on: July 1, 2009. 

Achille Alonzi, 

Assistant Division Administrator. 

[FR Doc. E9–16150 Filed 7–7–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

Office of Commercial Space 

Transportation; Notice of Availability 

of the Environmental Assessment and 

Finding of No Significant Impact for 

Pegasus Launches at the U.S. Army 

Kwajalein Atoll Ronald Reagan 

Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site 

AGENCY: The Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), lead agency; U.S. 

Army, cooperating agency. 

ACTION: Notice of availability. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969, as amended (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 

4321 et seq.), Council on Environmental 

Quality NEPA implementing regulations 

(40 CFR Parts 1500–1508), and FAA 

Order 1050.1E, Change 1, the FAA is 

announcing the availability of the 

Environmental Assessment (EA) and 

Finding of No Significant Impact 

(FONSI) for Pegasus Launches at the 

U.S. Army Kwajalein Atoll Ronald 

Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test 

Site (USAKA/RTS). 

Orbital Sciences Corporation has 

applied to the FAA for renewal of 

Launch Operator License (LLO) 04–069. 

Under the Proposed Action (the 

preferred alternative), the FAA would 

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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 129 / Wednesday, July 8, 2009 / Notices 32685 

renew Orbital Sciences Corporation’s 

Launch Operator License for launch 

operations of the Pegasus expendable 

launch vehicle family. Launches would 

occur from USAKA/RTS in the Republic 

of the Marshall Islands, a subordinate 

command of the U.S. Army Space and 

Strategic Defense Command. 

The Pegasus expendable launch 

vehicle consists of three solid rocket 

propellant motor stages with an optional 

liquid propellant-based Hydrazine 

Auxiliary Propulsion System (HAPS) 

and is designed to be carried to its 

launch point by an L–1011 Launch 

Carrier Aircraft (LCA). The L–1011 LCA, 

which consists of FAA-approved 

standard engines, uses Commercial JetA or Military JP4 or JP10 fuel. Prelaunch and mating activities would be 

performed at Vandenberg Air Force Base 

under LLO 00–053. A separate 

environmental review was conducted in 

conjunction with the approval of LLO 

00–053. Therefore, the Proposed Action 

addressed in the EA does not include 

Pegasus pre-launch processing 

operations. 

Once the LCA and mated launch 

vehicle have landed at USAKA/RTS, 

system checks would be conducted. The 

LCA would be refueled. Concurrently, 

an advisory to nearby ships and aircraft 

would be issued. The LCA and mated 

Pegasus vehicle would leave USAKA/ 

RTS under jet power and travel to the 

launch site over the Pacific Ocean. 

Following the release of the Pegasus 

launch vehicle, the L–1011 LCA would 

return to a designated runway at 

USAKA/RTS. The first and second 

stages would detach during flight and 

fall, unpowered, to the ocean. The third 

stage would continue to carry the 

payload into orbital insertion; detach 

from the payload and optional HAPS (if 

appropriate), and fall into the ocean. 

None of the jettisoned stages would be 

recovered. The EA addresses the 

potential environmental impacts of 

implementing the Proposed Action and 

the No Action Alternative of not 

renewing Orbital Sciences’ Launch 

Operator License. 

The FAA has posted the EA and 

FONSI on the FAA Web site at http:// 

ast.faa.gov. In addition, hardcopies and/ 

or CDs of the EA and FONSI were sent 

to persons and agencies on the 

distribution list (found in Chapter 7 of 

the EA). 

Additional Information: Under the 

Proposed Action (the preferred 

alternative), the FAA would renew 

Orbital Sciences’ Launch Operator 

License for launch operations of the 

Pegasus expendable launch vehicle 

family. The L–1011 LCA with the mated 

Pegasus launch vehicle would travel 

under jet power to the launch site over 

the Pacific Ocean. At an altitude of 

35,000 feet, the L–1011 would release 

the Pegasus launch vehicle and return to 

a designated runway at USAKA/RTS. 

The Pegasus vehicle would free fall for 

5 seconds before the first stage motor 

was ignited. The first stage of the 

Pegasus vehicle would burn for 

approximately 77 seconds following 

ignition while propelling the vehicle to 

an altitude of approximately 223,000 

feet. The spent first stage would detach 

and fall back to the ocean. The second 

stage motor would ignite and burn for 

approximately 83 seconds, carrying the 

vehicle and its payload to an altitude of 

689,000 feet. During the ignition of the 

second stage, the payload fairing would 

jettison and fall into the ocean. The 

spent second stage would detach and 

fall to the ocean. The third stage would 

continue to burn for 65 seconds carrying 

the payload into orbital insertion; 

detach from payload and optional HAPS 

(if appropriate), and fall into the ocean. 

The optional HAPS fourth stage could 

be used in or near orbit to obtain higher 

altitudes, achieve finer altitude 

accuracy, or conduct more complex 

maneuvers. None of the jettisoned stages 

would be recovered. 

The L–1011 LCA, which consists of 

FAA-approved standard engines, uses 

Commercial Jet-A or Military JP4 or JP10 

fuel. Section 3.1.2.6 of the 1989 EA 

includes a detailed description of the 

Pegasus launch vehicle. 

The only alternative to the Proposed 

Action analyzed in the EA is the No 

Action Alternative. Under this 

alternative, the FAA would not renew 

Orbital Sciences’ Launch Operator 

License and there would be no 

commercial launches of the Pegasus 

launch vehicle conducted from USAKA/ 

RTS. Existing operating procedures, 

military operations, and other launch 

activities would continue at USAKA/ 

RTS. 

Resource areas were considered to 

provide a context for understanding and 

assessing the potential environmental 

effects of the Proposed Action. The EA 

does not analyze all environmental 

resources areas in detail because not all 

resource areas are affected by the 

Proposed Action. The resource areas 

analyzed in detail in the EA included 

air quality; biological resources; 

hazardous materials, pollution 

prevention, and solid waste; noise; and 

water resources (surface water, 

groundwater, floodplains, and 

wetlands), and cumulative impacts. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Daniel Czelusniak, Environmental 

Specialist, Office of Commercial Space 

Transportation, Federal Aviation 

Administration, 800 Independence 

Avenue, SW., Suite 331, Washington, 

DC 20591; telephone (202) 267–5924; 

e-mail Daniel.Czelusniak@faa.com. 

Issued in Washington, DC on July 1, 2009. 

Responsible Official: 

Michael McElligott, 

Manager, Space Systems Development 

Division. 

[FR Doc. E9–16127 Filed 7–7–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

AFFAIRS 

[OMB Control No. 2900–0042] 

Proposed Information Collection 

(Statement of Accredited 

Representative in Appealed Case) 

Activity: Comment Request 

AGENCY: Board of Veterans’ Appeals, 

Department of Veterans Affairs. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Board of Veterans’ 

Appeals (BVA), Department of Veterans 

Affairs (VA), is announcing an 

opportunity for public comment on the 

proposed collection of certain 

information by the agency. Under the 

Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 

1995, Federal agencies are required to 

publish notice in the Federal Register 

concerning each proposed collection of 

information, including each proposed 

extension of a currently approved 

collection, and allow 60 days for public 

comment in response to the notice. This 

notice solicits comments for information 

needed to summarize a claimant’s 

disagreement of denied VA benefits 

before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals. 

DATES: Written comments and 

recommendations on the proposed 

collection of information should be 

received on or before September 8, 

2009. 

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments 

on the collection of information through 

Federal Docket Management System 

(FDMS) at http://www.Regulations.gov 

to Sue Hamlin, Board of Veterans’ 

Appeals (01C), Department of Veterans 

Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue, NW., 

Washington, DC 20420 or e-mail 

Sue.Hamlin@mail.va.gov. Please refer to 

‘‘OMB Control No. 2900–0042’’ in any 

correspondence. During the comment 

period, comments may be viewed online 

through FDMS. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sue 

Hamlin at (202) 565–5686 or FAX (202) 

565–4064. 

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