47290 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 195 / Wednesday, October 11, 2017 / Notices 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title: The FAA Seeks Emergency 

Clearance to Revise its Existing 

Information Collection 2120–0768, Part 

107 Authorizations and Waivers under 

14 CFR part 107. 

OMB Control Number: 2120–0768. 

Form Number(s): N/A. 

Affected Public: Businesses and Small 

UAS operators under 14 CFR part 107. 

Frequency of Submission: One 

submission per operation. 

Respondent Universe: small UAS 

operators under 14 CFR part 107. 

Reporting Burden: 

Total Estimated Responses: 124,000 

authorization requests 2017 with a 35% 

increase per year every year after. 

Total Estimated Annual Burden: The 

FAA estimates that using the LAANC 

based method for authorizations will 

require five minutes per transaction. 

Therefore, the FAA estimates the total 

time burden using LAANC to be 

approximately 10,400 hours for 

authorizations. That number increases 

to 14,400 in 2018 and 18,954 in 2018 

and 2019 respectively. 

Status: Emergency Review. 

Description: Under 14 CFR 107.41, 

‘‘no person may operate a small 

unmanned aircraft in Class B, Class C, 

or Class D airspace or within the lateral 

boundaries of the surface area of Class 

E airspace designated for an airport 

unless that person has prior 

authorization from Air Traffic Control 

(ATC).’’ [14 CFR 107.41.] Since the 

promulgation of part 107, the FAA has 

received an extremely high volume of 

airspace authorization requests for UAS 

operations. From September 2016 to 

July 2017 the Agency received 20,566 

authorization requests. Of these, the 

Agency has processed 14,334 and 

continues to have over 6,000 

authorizations in the processing queue. 

Requests have steadily increased over 

time, and the FAA expects the queue 

will exceed 25,000 pending 

authorizations within the next 6 

months. The volume of these 

authorization requests has dramatically 

increased the time between submission 

and approval of those authorization 

requests. Currently, airspace 

authorization requests may be in queue 

sixty to ninety days before receiving a 

response. The time necessary to process 

these requests has resulted in an 

increase in safety reports due to noncompliant operations. Today there are 

an average of 250 safety reports a 

month, or approximately 1,500 over a 

six-month period, associated with a 

potential risk of an incident between 

manned aircraft and a UAS. In addition, 

because of the lengthy queue for 

processing through the authorization 

Web site, Air Traffic Controllers 

routinely receive calls from UAS 

operators seeking approval to operate. 

These calls create distractions for Air 

Traffic Control management and in 

some cases can impact the controllers 

managing manned traffic creating a 

potential safety hazard. To mitigate 

these potential hazards, the FAA is 

seeking to implement the Low Altitude 

Authorization and Notification 

Capability (LAANC) system. Using the 

LAANC system, the FAA will be able to 

grant near-real time authorizations for 

the vast majority of operations. 

Implementation of the LAANC system is 

vital to the safety of the National 

Airspace System because it would (1) 

encourage compliance with 14 CFR 

107.41 by speeding up the time to 

process authorization requests (2) 

reduce distraction of controllers 

working in the Tower, and (3) increase 

public access and capacity of the system 

to grant authorizations. LAANC is 

expected to dramatically reduce the 

incidence of noncompliant operations. 

The FAA estimates a minimum of 30% 

reduction in noncompliant operations 

would result in 450 fewer safety reports 

over the next six months. 

As provided under 5 CFR 1320.13, 

Emergency Processing, DOT is 

requesting emergency processing for 

this new collection of information as 

specified in the PRA and its 

implementing regulations. DOT cannot 

reasonably comply with normal 

clearance procedures because the use of 

normal clearance procedures is 

reasonably likely to result in further 

distraction to Air Traffic Controllers and 

further non-compliant operations. Due 

to the pressing safety consideration of 

reducing safety reports due to noncompliant UAS operations, the FAA 

cannot wait the normal 90 days of 

public comment. Therefore, FAA is 

requesting OMB approval of this 

collection of information 7 days after 

publication of this Notice in the Federal 

Register. Upon OMB approval of its 

Emergency clearance request, FAA will 

follow the normal clearance procedures 

for the information collection associated 

with LAANC. 

Also included in the request for 

processing for the purposes of 

transparency are non-substantive 

changes to the Web site portal for 

requesting airspace authorizations. 

These changes include new branding of 

the Web site portal DroneZone and 

improvements to the external customer 

experience. It’s expected that operations 

that are relatively simple will go 

through LAANC’s automated approval 

process while more complex operations 

that require a more thorough review by 

FAA subject matter experts (SME) will 

go through the FAA’s DroneZone 

electronic portal. Again, these changes 

will create greater access to airspace 

authorizations and decrease the number 

of non-compliant operations. 

Under 44 U.S.C. 3507(a) and 5 CFR 

1320.5(b), 1320.8(b)(3)(vi), FAA informs 

all interested parties that it may not 

conduct or sponsor, and a respondent is 

not required to respond to, a collection 

of information unless it displays a 

currently valid OMB control number. 

Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3501–3520. 

Issued in Washington, DC, on October 4, 

2017. 

Casey Nair, 

LAANC Program Manager. 

[FR Doc. 2017–21878 Filed 10–10–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Highway Administration 

Notice of Rescission of the Record of 

Decision (ROD) for the I–94 East-West 

Corridor Project in the City of 

Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, 

Wisconsin 

AGENCY: Federal Highway 

Administration (FHWA), Department of 

Transportation. 

ACTION: Notice of rescission of the 

Record of Decision. 

SUMMARY: The FHWA is issuing this 

notice to advise the public that the ROD 

for the proposed I–94 East-West 

Corridor (70th Street to 16th Street) 

Project in the City of Milwaukee, 

Milwaukee County, Wisconsin is 

rescinded effective with this notice. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Bethaney Bacher-Gresock, Major Project 

Environmental Manager, Federal 

Highway Administration, 525 Junction 

Road, Suite 8000, Madison, Wisconsin, 

53717–2157, Telephone: (608) 662– 

2119. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

FHWA, as the lead Federal agency, in 

cooperation with the Wisconsin 

Department of Transportation (WisDOT) 

signed a ROD on September 9, 2016 for 

the I–94 East-West Corridor (70th Street 

to 16th Street) Project; it is hereby 

rescinded. The purpose of the project 

was to address the deteriorated 

infrastructure condition of I–94, 

including obsolete roadway and bridge 

design, and thereby maintain a state of 

good repair and improve safety along 

approximately 3.5 miles of I–94. The 

proposed project included modernizing 


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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 195 / Wednesday, October 11, 2017 / Notices 47291 

existing interchanges and adding 

capacity along the corridor. 

WisDOT has notified FHWA that 

pursuant to s. 84.0145, Wis. Stats., the 

Legislature must specifically authorize 

WisDOT to proceed with the project. 

The recently approved 2017 Wisconsin 

Act 59, the State’s biennial budget, did 

not authorize WisDOT to advance the 

project. Therefore, FHWA has 

determined, in conjunction with 

WisDOT, that the ROD shall be 

rescinded. Any future environmental 

action within this corridor will comply 

with environmental review 

requirements of the National 

Environmental Policy Act ((NEPA) (42 

U.S.C. 4321, et seq.)), FHWA 

environmental regulations (23 CFR 771), 

and related authorities prior to 

reissuance of a ROD or other NEPA 

documentation, as appropriate. 

Comments and questions concerning 

this action should be directed to 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: October 4, 2017. 

Timothy C. Marshall, 

Assistant Division Administrator, FHWA 

Wisconsin Division, Madison, Wisconsin. 

[FR Doc. 2017–21917 Filed 10–10–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Highway Administration 

Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement 

for the Chesapeake Bay Crossing 

Study, Anne Arundel County, 

Baltimore County, Calvert County, 

Cecil County, Dorchester County, 

Harford County, Kent County, Queen 

Anne’s County, St. Mary’s County, 

Somerset County, and Talbot County, 

Maryland 

AGENCY: Federal Highway 

Administration (FHWA), Maryland 

Transportation Authority (MDTA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a 

Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement 

(EIS). 

SUMMARY: The FHWA, as the Lead 

Federal Agency, and MDTA, as the 

Local Project Sponsor, are issuing this 

notice to advise the public of our 

intention to prepare a Tier 1 EIS for the 

Chesapeake Bay Crossing Study in 

Maryland. The Tier 1 EIS will assess the 

potential environmental impacts of 

addressing congestion at the Chesapeake 

Bay Bridge, which could result in added 

capacity at the existing bridge or at a 

new location across the Chesapeake 

Bay. The Tier 1 EIS will be prepared in 

accordance with regulations 

implementing the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and 

provisions of the Fixing America’s 

Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) 

and will include a range of reasonable 

corridor alternatives, including a ‘‘No 

Build’’ alternative. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Jeanette Mar, Environmental Program 

Manager, Federal Highway 

Administration, Maryland Division, 10 

S. Howard Street, Suite 2450, Baltimore, 

MD 21201, (410) 779–7152, or email at 

jeanette.mar@dot.gov. Melissa Williams, 

Director, Division of Planning & 

Program Development, Maryland 

Transportation Authority, 2310 

Broening Highway, Baltimore, MD 

21224, (410) 537–5650, or email at 

mwilliams9@mdta.state.md.us. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

purpose of this notice is to: (1) Alert 

interested parties to the FHWA and 

MDTA plan to prepare the Tier 1 EIS; 

(2) provide information on the nature of 

the proposed action; (3) solicit public 

and agency input regarding the scope of 

the Tier 1 EIS, including the purpose 

and need, alternatives to be considered, 

and impacts to be evaluated; and (4) 

announce that public and agency 

scoping meetings will be conducted. 

The Chesapeake Bay Crossing Study 

Tier 1 EIS will identify the preferred 

corridor alternative for addressing 

congestion at the Chesapeake Bay 

Bridge and evaluate its financial 

viability. The study area is a broad 

geographic area that includes the entire 

length of the Chesapeake Bay in 

Maryland, spanning approximately 100 

miles from the northern end near Havre 

de Grace to the southern border with 

Virginia between St. Mary’s and 

Somerset Counties. The study will 

include a review of existing roadway 

infrastructure and environmental 

conditions along both shores of the Bay 

to identify potential crossing corridors 

in Maryland. Each potential corridor 

alternative will consist of a corridor 

band approximately one mile wide. This 

width may be adjusted to accommodate 

the specific conditions at each crossing 

as the study progresses. 

Once the full range of potential 

corridor alternatives is developed, the 

study will include identification of a 

range of reasonable corridor alternatives 

for screening. It is assumed that 

approximately ten to fifteen corridors 

will be identified as reasonable for 

additional study. These corridors will 

then be screened based on measurable 

criteria to the corridor alternatives that 

will be retained for analysis in the Tier 

1 Draft EIS. The EIS will be prepared by 

MDTA for FHWA to fulfill the 

requirements established in NEPA 

pursuant to current FHWA regulations 

and guidance. 

The EIS will be prepared as a tiered 

document, providing a systematic 

approach for advancing potential 

transportation improvements. The 

analyses undertaken during Tier 1 will 

result in identification of the preferred 

corridor alternative that best meets the 

study purpose and need. The FHWA 

intends to issue a single Final Tier 1 EIS 

and Record of Decision (ROD) unless 

FHWA determines statutory criteria or 

practicability considerations precluding 

issuance of a combined document. If the 

combined Final Tier 1 EIS/ROD 

identifies an Action (Build) alternative, 

MDTA will complete a Tier 2 NEPA 

document where the agency will 

evaluate site-specific, project level 

impacts and required mitigation 

commitments. The scope of future 

environmental studies will be 

commensurate with the proposed action 

and potential environmental 

consequences. 

FHWA and MDTA will undertake a 

scoping process for the Chesapeake Bay 

Crossing Study that will allow the 

public and interested agencies to 

comment on the scope of the Tier 1 EIS. 

This public outreach effort will educate 

and engage stakeholders, and solicit 

stakeholder input. FHWA and MDTA 

will invite all interested individuals, 

organizations, and public agencies to 

comment on the scope of the Tier 1 EIS, 

including the purpose and need, 

corridor alternatives to be studied, 

impacts to be evaluated, and evaluation 

methods to be used. 

FHWA and MDTA will develop 

preliminary public outreach materials 

(such as fact sheets, brochures, maps or 

other materials) to support the scoping 

process. A public scoping presentation 

in webinar format will be held in 

November 2017. The meeting will be 

held online and available for viewing at 

the study Web site 

(www.baycrossingstudy.com). MDTA 

will also provide local viewing of the 

presentation at multiple locations. 

Presentation times and locations will be 

announced on the project Web site, in 

newspaper advertisements, and by other 

media. 

Initial scoping will provide an 

opportunity for public input on issues 

relevant to the Tier 1 EIS. More 

information on public outreach 

activities, including future public open 


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