Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 250 / Monday, December 31, 2001 / Notices 67625

ACTION: Invitation for public comments

on a requested administrative waiver of

the Coastwise Trade Laws for the vessel

Sovereign of Malahide.

SUMMARY: As authorized by Pub. L. 105–

383, the Secretary of Transportation, as

represented by the Maritime

Administration (MARAD), is authorized

to grant waivers of the U.S.-build

requirement of the coastwise laws under

certain circumstances. A request for

such a waiver has been received by

MARAD. The vessel, and a description

of the proposed service, is listed below.

The vessel currently has permission to

operate in Southeast Alaska under a

small vessel waiver granted pursuant to

actions in Docket MARAD–2001–10780.

The current application involves a new

operating area. Interested parties may

comment on the effect this action may

have on U.S. vessel builders or

businesses in the U.S. that use U.S.-flag

vessels. If MARAD determines that in

accordance with Pub. L. 105–383 and

MARAD’s regulations at 46 CFR Part

388 (65 FR 6905; February 11, 2000) that

the issuance of the waiver will have an

unduly adverse effect on a U.S.-vessel

builder or a business that uses U.S.-flag

vessels, a waiver will not be granted.

DATES: Submit comments on or before

January 30, 2002.

ADDRESSES: Comments should refer to

docket number MARAD–2001–11241.

Written comments may be submitted by

hand or by mail to the Docket Clerk,

U.S. DOT Dockets, Room PL–401,

Department of Transportation, 400 7th

St., SW, Washington, DC 20590–0001.

You may also send comments

electronically via the Internet at http://

dmses.dot.gov/submit/. All comments

will become part of this docket and will

be available for inspection and copying

at the above address between 10 a.m.

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

Friday, except federal holidays. An

electronic version of this document and

all documents entered into this docket

is available on the World Wide Web at

http://dms.dot.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Kathleen Dunn, U.S. Department of

Transportation, Maritime

Administration, MAR–832 Room 7201,

400 Seventh Street, SW, Washington,

DC 20590. Telephone 202–366–2307.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title V of

Pub. L. 105–383 provides authority to

the Secretary of Transportation to

administratively waive the U.S.-build

requirements of the Jones Act, and other

statutes, for small commercial passenger

vessels (no more than 12 passengers).

This authority has been delegated to the

Maritime Administration per 49 CFR

§ 1.66, Delegations to the Maritime

Administrator, as amended. By this

notice, MARAD is publishing

information on a vessel for which a

request for a U.S.-build waiver has been

received, and for which MARAD

requests comments from interested

parties. Comments should refer to the

docket number of this notice and the

vessel name in order for MARAD to

properly consider the comments.

Comments should also state the

commenter’s interest in the waiver

application, and address the waiver

criteria given in § 388.4 of MARAD’S

regulations at 46 CFR Part 388.

Vessel Proposed for Waiver of the U.S.-

build Requirement

(1) Name of vessel and owner for

which waiver is requested.Name of

vessel: Sovereign of Malahide. Owner:

Timothy B. White.

(2) Size, capacity and tonnage of

vessel. According to the applicant:

‘‘L.O.A. 64 ft; Displacement 80 tons ±

Actual weight’’

(3) Intended use for vessel, including

geographic region of intended operation

and trade. According to the

applicant:‘‘Crewed Charter Vessel.’’

‘‘California and Washington State.’’

(4) Date and Place of construction and

(if applicable) rebuilding. Date of

construction: 1973. Place of

construction: Dublin, Ireland.

(5) A statement on the impact this

waiver will have on other commercial

passenger vessel operators. According to

the applicant: ‘‘It is my opinion if

waiver status granted it will not

significantly impact other operators. In

my extensive research I have not

encountered any opposition and have

been encouraged by numerous charter

companies to obtain proper

documentation due to the significant

demand for vessels such as the subject

vessel. Other operators have expressed

an interest and desire to utilize this

vessel.’’

(6) A statement on the impact this

waiver will have on U.S. shipyards.

According to the applicant: ‘‘The vessel

will not impact U.S. shipyards. The

Vessel has been undergoing extensive

refit, repair and updating over the past

24 months. Much of the work was

performed by Sovereign Marine Services

Inc., located in La Conner WA. Many

other U.S. Subcontractors and suppliers

were also used. The cost of such is in

excess of $1,000,000.00. All

documentation of such work and repairs

is available for review should you

require.’’

Dated: December 26, 2001.

By order of the Maritime Administrator.

Joel C. Richard,

Secretary, Maritime Administration.

[FR Doc. 01–32097 Filed 12–28–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–81–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety

Administration

Child Passenger Protection Education

Grants

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Announcement of grants for

child passenger protection education.

SUMMARY: The National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration (NHTSA)

announces a grant program under

Section 2003(b) of the Transportation

Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA–

21) to implement child passenger

protection programs that are designed to

prevent deaths and injuries to children,

educate the public concerning the

proper installation of child restraints,

and train child passenger safety

personnel concerning child restraint

use. This notice solicits applications

from the States, the District of

Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S.

Territories and the Indian Tribes

through the Secretary of the Interior.

DATES: Applications must be received

by the office designated below on or

before January 31, 2002.

ADDRESSES: Applications must be

submitted to the appropriate National

Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Regional Administrator.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For

program issues contact Ms. Marlene

Markison, State and Community

Services, NSC–01, NHTSA, 400 Seventh

Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590;

telephone (202) 366–2121. For legal

issues contact Mr. John Donaldson,

Office of the Chief Counsel, NCC–30,

NHTSA, 400 Seventh Street, SW.,

Washington, DC 20590, telephone (202)

366–1834.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Motor vehicle crashes remain the

leading cause of unintentional injuryrelated deaths among children for every

age from 4 to 14 years, despite an 11

percent decline in the motor vehicle

occupant death rate for children under

age 15 from 1988 to 2000. During the

same time period, the motor vehicle

occupant nonfatal injury rate among

children under age 15 has increased by

7 percent. Motor vehicle injuries and

67626 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 250 / Monday, December 31, 2001 / Notices

fatalities occur when children ride

unrestrained or are improperly

restrained. This grant program is

intended to help reduce injuries and

deaths by educating the public about the

importance of correctly installing and

using child safety seats, booster seats

and seat belts.

1. Children Riding Unrestrained

Approximately 20–25 percent of

children ages 1 through 15 years ride

unrestrained. Child safety seats reduce

the risk of fatal injury in a crash by 71

percent for infants (less than 1 year old)

and by 54 percent for toddlers (1–4

years old). In 2000, there were 529

passenger vehicle occupant fatalities

among children under 5 years of age. Of

those 529 fatalities, where restraint use

is known, 240 (47.4 percent) were

totally unrestrained. The problem of

riding unrestrained is not limited to

infants and young children. From 1975

through 2000, the lives of an estimated

4,816 children were saved by the use of

child restraints (child safety seats or

adult safety belts). Among children

under age 15 who were killed as

occupants in motor vehicle crashes,

where restraint use was known, in 2000,

56 percent were not using safety

restraints at the time of the collision.

Examination of the demographics of

children killed in motor vehicle crashes

(for which the most complete data

available is 1999) shows that safety

restraint use differs markedly by race.

For example, while somewhat less than

half (46.5 percent) of white children up

to age 9 riding in passenger motor

vehicles were using safety restraints at

the time of their deaths, that was true of

less than one-third (30.4 percent) of

black children. Native American

children under age 15 have a motor

vehicle occupant death rate twice that of

white children. (Injury and fatality data

for other minority groups is currently

being collected.) Restraint use is also

lower in rural areas and low-income

communities. Lack of access to

affordable child safety seats and booster

seats contributes to a lower usage rate

among low-income families. However,

research shows that 95 percent of lowincome families who own a child safety

seat use it. Improving access to

affordable child restraint systems and

educating parents and caregivers about

proper installation and use are key

components to improving use rates in

these communities.

2. Misuse of Child Safety Seats and

Improper Seating Positions

In 2000, 95 percent of infants

(children under age 1) were restrained

while riding in motor vehicles, as were

91 percent of children ages 1 to 5.

However, it is estimated that

approximately 80 percent of children

who are placed in child safety seats are

improperly restrained. Furthermore,

adult safety belts do not adequately

protect children ages 4 to 8 (about 40 to

80 pounds) from injury in a crash.

Although car booster seats are the best

way to protect them, only 6 percent of

booster-age children are properly

restrained in car booster seats.

In addition, there is a high risk of

severe injury or fatality to children

riding in the front seat of vehicles

equipped with a passenger side air bag,

due to the deployment force of the air

bag. However, even if the air bag is shut

off or there is no air bag, the back seat

is the safest place for children to ride.

Under no circumstances should a parent

place a rear-facing infant seat in front of

an air bag. It is estimated that children

ages 12 and under are 36 percent less

likely to die in a crash if seated in the

rear seat of a passenger vehicle.

Furthermore, children are not cargo;

they should not ride in the rear of

pickup trucks. In 2000, 135 people died

as a result of riding in the cargo area of

pickup trucks. Nearly half of these were

children and teenagers.

Child passenger safety professionals,

educators, emergency personnel and

others need to be adequately trained on

all aspects of child restraint use in order

to help reduce the problems of misuse

and encourage the safest seating

positions for children riding in motor

vehicles. In addition, parents and

caregivers need easily accessible

locations where they can receive

information on choosing the correct

child safety seat for their child, and

identifying which child safety seats are

compatible with various types of

passenger motor vehicles. Parents and

caregivers also need to know how to

properly install a child safety seat, how

to properly secure their child into that

seat, and that the safest position in a

vehicle is the back seat, away from front

passenger air bags and not in the cargo

area of pick-up trucks.

With these concerns in mind, the

Transportation Equity Act for the 21st

Century (TEA–21), which the President

signed into law on June 9, 1998,

established a grant program under

Section 2003(b), to promote child

passenger protection education and

training and authorized $7.5 million

each year for fiscal years 2000 and 2001.

In the DOT Appropriation Act of 2002,

Congress provided $7.5 million to fund

the Child Passenger Protection

Education grant program for fiscal year

2002.

Grants for Child Passenger Protection

Section 2003(b) provides Federal

funds to States for activities that are

designed to prevent deaths and injuries

to children; educate the public

concerning the design, selection,

placement, and installation of child

restraints; and train and retrain child

passenger safety professionals, police

officers, fire and emergency medical

personnel, and other educators

concerning all aspects of child restraint

use. A State may expend the funds itself

or elect to distribute some or all of the

funds to carry out the public education

and training activities as grants to

political subdivisions of the State or

appropriate private entities. States are

encouraged to direct funds obtained

through this grant program to

organizations that can deliver training

and education to ensure positive impact

in minority and low-income

communities where lack of child

passenger protection is especially

severe. Section 2003(b) provides that the

Federal share of the cost of a program

carried out with the grant funds is not

to exceed 80 percent. A State that

receives a grant must submit a report

describing the program activities carried

out with the funds.

Application Procedures

1. Use of Funds

To be eligible for funding under

Section 2003(b), a State must submit an

application that addresses how the State

will implement child passenger

protection programs that meet each of

the three requirements listed below. For

the education and training components,

the grant application must identify

expected program accomplishments,

such as the estimated number of public

education messages to be distributed

(e.g. public service announcements or

printed materials) and the type of

audience to be targeted by these

messages (e.g. minority or low-income

communities); the estimated number of

and type of training classes conducted

and the individuals or groups to be

trained (e.g. representing minority, rural

or low-income communities); the

number of child safety seat clinics or

check-ups performed; and the number

of inspection stations established. A

State is encouraged to identify the

proposed locations of child safety seat

clinics, check-ups and inspection

stations, specifying the target

population to be served. Specifically,

the State must implement a child

passenger protection program that:

(a) Is designed to prevent deaths and

injuries to children. The State should

provide a statement describing how its

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 250 / Monday, December 31, 2001 / Notices 67627

program supports efforts to prevent

deaths and injuries to children.

(b) Educates the public on all aspects

of child passenger safety. The public

education program may include

strategies that emphasize the four steps

to child restraint use: Infant seats for

babies, forward facing child safety seats

for toddlers, booster seats for young

children, and seat belts for older

children. It may also include strategies

that increase use of appropriate

restraints and proper seating positions

among targeted populations (e.g.,

minority, rural, low-income, or special

needs populations), or develop and

implement child safety seat clinics and/

or permanent locations where

consumers can have child safety seats

and booster seats inspected. Additional

information under public education

may be included relevant to proper use

of child restraint systems, booster seats,

proper seating positions relative to air

bag safety and cargo areas of pick-up

trucks, and Federal Motor Vehicle

Safety Standard 225—a standardized

child safety seat system known as Lower

Anchors and Tethers for Children

(LATCH).

At a minimum, the public education

program must:

(1) Provide a summary of the

information that the State intends to

include or develop in the public

education program. The information

must address at least the following

topics:

• All aspects of proper installation of

child restraints using standard seat belt

hardware, supplemental hardware, and

modification devices (if needed),

including special installation

techniques;

• Appropriate child restraint design,

selection, and placement [NHTSA

interprets this to include instruction

about proper seating positions for

children in air bag equipped vehicles];

and

• Harness threading and harness

adjustment on child restraints.

(2) Include a description of the public

education information methods that the

State intends to employ, how these

messages will be delivered to the target

population, and expected

accomplishments. The methods could

include billboards, public service

announcements, and published

materials. It is also important to deliver

this information in the language of the

targeted group.

(c) Trains and retrains child passenger

safety professionals, police officers, fire

and emergency medical personnel, and

other educators concerning all aspects

of child restraint use. At a minimum,

States should include in the application

a description of or reference to the

curricula that the State will use to train

and retrain child passenger safety

experts to reach the targeted population

and expected accomplishments.

All persons selected for training and

retraining as child passenger safety

professionals should achieve and

maintain at least some minimum

standards of expertise. In collaboration

with several partners, NHTSA has

developed several model curricula

including: ‘‘Mobilizing America to

Buckle Up Children’’ and ‘‘Operation

Kids’’ for law enforcement officers; and

the ‘‘Standardized Child Passenger

Safety Training Program’’ for child

passenger safety professional

candidates. States are not restricted to

using only these curricula, but States are

encouraged to incorporate the learning

objectives of these courses into the

training and retraining provided to child

passenger safety experts. Funding for

this grant program is intended to help

States develop and sustain adequate

cadres of persons with technical

expertise in child passenger protection

who will directly serve the public

through child safety seat clinics,

checkpoints, workshops, inspection

stations and other training and

educational opportunities.

2. Certification

The State must submit certifications

that: (i) It will use the funds awarded

under this grant program exclusively to

implement a child passenger protection

program in accordance with the

requirements of Section 2003(b) of P.L.

105–178 (TEA–21); (ii) It will

administer the funds in accordance with

49 CFR Part 18; and (iii) It will provide

to the NHTSA Regional Administrator

no later than 15 months after the grant

award a report of activities carried out

with grant funds and accomplishments

to date.

3. Eligibility Requirements

Eligibility is limited to the 50 States,

the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico,

the U.S. Territories (which include the

Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa

and the Commonwealth of the Northern

Mariana Islands) through their

Governor’s Office of Highway Safety,

and Indian Tribes through the Secretary

of the Interior.

Award Procedures

The amount available for this program

in fiscal year 2002 is $7,500,000. In FY

2000, NHTSA awarded $7.5 million to

47 States, the District of Columbia,

Puerto Rico, 4 U.S. Territories and the

Indian Nations. In FY 2001, NHTSA

awarded $7.5 million to 48 States, the

District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, 4 U.S.

Territories and the Indian Nations. A

new application is required to seek an

award of fiscal year 2002 funds. Awards

to applicants meeting the requirements

of this notice will be made based upon

the formula used for Section 402

apportionment, subject to the

availability of funds. The amount

awarded to each State qualifying under

this program shall be determined by

multiplying the amount appropriated

for this grant program for the fiscal year

by the ratio that the amount of funds

apportioned to each such State under 23

U.S.C. 402 for the fiscal year bears to the

total amount of funds apportioned to all

such States under Section 402 for such

fiscal year. Applicants will be required

to submit to NHTSA within 30 days of

notification that an award is made, a

program cost summary (HS Form 217)

obligating the Section 2003(b) funds to

child passenger protection education

programs. The Federal funding share

may not exceed 80 percent of the

program cost, and States should clearly

identify their share in the program cost

summary (HS Form 217).

Each State must submit one original

and two copies of the application

package to the appropriate NHTSA

Regional Administrator. Only complete

application packages submitted by a

Governor’s Highway Safety

Representative and received on or

before January 31, 2002, will be

considered for funding in fiscal year

2002.

Report Requirements

A State that receives a grant must

submit a report describing the activities

carried out with the grant funds and the

accomplishments to date. The report

must be submitted to the NHTSA

Regional Administrator no later than 15

months after the grant is awarded.

At a minimum, the report must

contain the following:

1. A description of how the State’s

child passenger protection program is

supporting efforts to prevent deaths and

injuries to children.

2. For the education component:

• A summary of the public education

methods developed and how programs

were delivered to the targeted

population.

• The number of public education

messages distributed (e.g. public service

announcements or printed materials)

and the type of audience targeted by

those messages (e.g. minority or lowincome communities);

• The number of child safety seat

clinics or check-ups performed, and the

number of inspection stations

established. A State must also include

67628 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 250 / Monday, December 31, 2001 / Notices

1The Board will grant a stay if an informed

decision on environmental issues (whether raised

by a party or by the Board’s Section of

Environmental Analysis (SEA) in its independent

investigation) cannot be made before the

exemption’s effective date. See Exemption of Outof Service Rail Lines, 5 I.C.C.2d 377 (1989). Any

request for a stay should be filed as soon as possible

so that the Board may take appropriate action before

the exemption’s effective date.

2Each OFA must be accompanied by a $1000

filing fee. See 49 CFR 1002.2(f)(25).

the locations of child safety seat clinics,

check-ups and inspection stations,

specifying the target population served.

3. For the training component:

• The number of and type of training

classes conducted and the individuals

or groups trained (e.g. representing

minority, rural or low-income

communities);

NHTSA Publications Available To

Support Public Education

A number of NHTSA publications are

available through the Traffic Safety

Materials Catalog that address child

passenger safety program topics,

including targeted education messages

such as ‘‘Four Steps for Kids;’’ ‘‘Boost

’em Before You Buckle ’em;’’ ‘‘Sa ́lvele la

Vida a Su Bebe ́,’’ and ‘‘Kids Aren’t

Cargo.’’ These materials may be ordered

from the NHTSA web site at >HTTP://

WWW.NHTSA.DOT.GOV< or

contacting the Media and Marketing

Division, NTS–21 by fax at (202) 493–

2062.

* * * * *

Issued on: December 21, 2001.

Jeffrey W. Runge,

Administrator, National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration.

[FR Doc. 01–32026 Filed 12–28–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–59–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

[STB Docket No. AB–290 (Sub–No. 218X)]

Norfolk Southern Railway Company—

Abandonment Exemption—in

Buchanan County, VA

Norfolk Southern Railway Company

(NSR) has filed a notice of exemption

under 49 CFR 1152 Subpart F—Exempt

Abandonments to abandon a 0.63-mile

line of railroad between milepost KP–

0.0 and KP–0.63 at Kopp, Buchanan

County, VA. The line traverses United

States Postal ZIP Code 24066.

NSR has certified that: (1) No local or

overhead traffic has moved over the line

for at least 2 years; (2) any overhead

traffic that might have moved on the

line can be rerouted over other lines; (3)

no formal complaint filed by a user of

rail service on the line (or by a state or

local government entity acting on behalf

of such user) regarding cessation of

service over the line either is pending

with the Surface Transportation Board

(Board) or with any U.S. District Court

or has been decided in favor of

complainant within the 2-year period;

and (4) the requirements at 49 CFR

1105.7 (environmental reports), 49 CFR

1105.8 (historic reports), 49 CFR

1105.11 (transmittal letter), 49 CFR

1105.12 (newspaper publication), and

49 CFR 1152.50(d)(1) (notice to

governmental agencies) have been met.

As a condition to this exemption, any

employee adversely affected by the

abandonment shall be protected under

Oregon Short Line R. Co.—

Abandonment—Goshen, 360 I.C.C. 91

(1979). To address whether this

condition adequately protects affected

employees, a petition for partial

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

must be filed. Provided no formal

expression of intent to file an offer of

financial assistance (OFA) has been

received, this exemption will be

effective on January 30, 2002, unless

stayed pending reconsideration.

Petitions to stay that do not involve

environmental issues,1 formal

expressions of intent to file an OFA

under 49 CFR 1152.27(c)(2),2 and trail

use/rail banking requests under 49 CFR

1152.29 must be filed by January 10,

2002. Petitions to reopen or requests for

public use conditions under 49 CFR

1152.28 must be filed by January 22,

2002, with the Surface Transportation

Board, Office of the Secretary, Case

Control Unit, 1925 K Street, N.W.,

Washington, DC, 20423–0001.

A copy of any petition filed with the

Board should be sent to applicant’s

representative: James R. Paschall,

General Attorney, Norfolk Southern

Corporation, Three Commercial Place,

Norfolk, VA 23510. If the verified notice

contains false or misleading

information, the exemption is void ab

initio.

NSR has filed a separate

environmental report which addresses

the abandonment’s effects, if any, on the

environment and historic resources.

SEA will issue an environmental

assessment (EA) by January 10, 2002.

Interested persons may obtain a copy of

the EA by writing to SEA (Room 500,

Surface Transportation Board,

Washington, DC 20423–0001) or by

calling SEA, at (202) 565–1552.

Comments on environmental and

historic preservation matters must be

filed within 15 days after the EA

becomes available to the public.

Environmental, historical

preservation, public use, or trail use/rail

banking conditions will be imposed,

where appropriate, in a subsequent

decision.

Pursuant to provisions of 49 CFR

1152.29(e)(2), NSR shall file a notice of

consummation with the Board to signify

that it has exercised the authority

granted and fully abandoned the line. If

consummation has not been effected by

NSR’s filing of a notice of

consummation by December 31, 2002,

and there are no legal or regulatory

barriers to consummation, the authority

to abandon will automatically expire.

Board decisions and notices are

available on our website at

WWW.STB.DOT.GOV.

Decided: December 19, 2001.

By the Board, David M. Konschnik,

Director, Office of Proceedings.

Vernon A. Williams,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 01–32010 Filed 12–28–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4915–00–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

[STB Docket No. AB–290 (Sub–No. 232X)]

Norfolk Southern Railway Company—

Abandonment Exemption—in Fayette

County, WV

Norfolk Southern Railway Company

(NSR) has filed a notice of exemption

under 49 CFR 1152 subpart F—Exempt

Abandonments to abandon a 2.8-mile

line of railroad between milepost OH–

0.0 at Oak Hill and milepost OH–2.8 at

Carlisle, in Fayette County, WV. The

line traverses United States Postal

Service Zip Code 25901.

NSR has certified that: (1) No local

traffic has moved over the line for at

least 2 years; (2) no overhead traffic has

moved over the line for at least 2 years

and that overhead traffic, if there were

any, could be rerouted over other lines;

(3) no formal complaint filed by a user

of rail service on the line (or by a state

or local government entity acting on

behalf of such user) regarding cessation

of service over the line either is pending

with the Surface Transportation Board

(Board) or with any U.S. District Court

or has been decided in favor of

complainant within the 2-year period;

and (4) the requirements at 49 CFR

1105.7 (environmental reports), 49 CFR

1105.8 (historic reports), 49 CFR

1105.11 (transmittal letter), 49 CFR

1105.12 (newspaper publication), and

49 CFR 1152.50(d)(1) (notice to

governmental agencies) have been met.