Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 34 / Tuesday, February 20, 2001 / Notices 10933

The FAA has completed its review of

the noise exposure maps and related

descriptions submitted by Colorado

Springs Airport. The specific maps

under consideration are Figures C19 and

G1 in the submission. The FAA has

determined that these maps for

Colorado Springs Airport are in

compliance with applicable

requirements. This determination is

effective on February 8, 2001. FAA’s

determination on an airport operator’s

noise exposure maps is limited to the

determination that the maps were

developed in accordance with the

procedures contained in appendix A of

FAR part 150. Such determination does

not constitute approval of the

applicant’s data, information or plans,

or a commitment to approve a noise

compatibility program or to fund the

implementation of that program.

If questions arise concerning the

precise relationship of specific

properties to noise exposure contours

depicted on noise exposure maps

submitted under 49 U.S.C 47503, it

should be noted that the FAA is not

involved in any way in determining the

relative locations of specific properties

with regard to the depicted noise

contours, or in interpreting the noise

exposure maps to resolve questions

concerning, for example, which

properties should be covered by the

provisions of 49 U.S.C. 47507. These

functions are inseparable from the

ultimate land use control and planning

responsibilities of local government.

These local responsibilities are not

changed in any way under part 150 or

through FAA’s review of noise exposure

maps. Therefore, the responsibility for

the detailed overlaying of noise

exposure contours onto the maps

depicting properties on the surface rests

exclusively with the airport operator

which submitted those maps, or with

those public agencies and planning

agencies with which consultation is

required under 49 U.S.C. 47503 (a)(1).

The FAA has relied on the certification

by the airport operator, under section

150.21 of the FAR part 150, that the

statutorily required consultation has

been accomplished.

The FAA has formally received the

noise compatibility program for

Colorado Springs Airport, also effective

on February 8, 2001. Preliminary review

of the submitted material indicates that

it conforms to the requirements for the

submittal of noise compatibility

programs, but that further review will be

necessary prior to approval or

disapproval of the program. The formal

review period, limited by law to a

maximum of 180 days, will be

completed on or before August 8, 2001.

The FAA’s detailed evaluation will be

conducted under the provisions of 14

CFR 150.33. The primary considerations

in the evaluation process are whether

the proposed measures may reduce the

level of aviation safety, create an undue

burden on interstate or foreign

commerce, or be reasonably consistent

with obtaining the goal of reducing

existing noncompatible land uses and

preventing the introduction of

additional noncompatible land uses.

Interested persons are invited to

comment on the proposed program with

specific reference to these factors. All

comments, other than those properly

addressed to the local land use

authorities, will be considered by the

FAA to the extent practicable. Copies of

the noise exposure maps, the FAA’s

evaluation of the maps, and the

proposed noise compatibility program

are available for examination at the

following locations:

Federal Aviation Administration, 800

Independence Avenue, SW, room 615,

Washington, DC

Federal Aviation Administration, Airports

Division, 1601 Lind Avenue, SW., Renton,

Washington

Federal Aviation Administration, Denver

Airports District Office, 26805 E. 68th Ave.

Suite 224, Denver, Colorado

Colorado Springs Airport, Colorado Springs,

CO.

Questions may be directed to the

individual named above under the

heading, FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT.

Issued in Renton, Washington, February 8,

2001.

Matthew J. Cavanaugh,

Acting Manager, Airports Division, ANM–600,

Northwest Mountain Region.

[FR Doc. 01–4155 Filed 2–16–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–13–M

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

[Docket No. FAA–2000–8278]

High Density Airports; Disposition of

Comments From Lottery of Slot

Exemptions at LaGuardia Airport

AGENCY: Federal Aviation

Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Disposition of comments.

SUMMARY: This notice disposes of

comments filed in the docket

concerning the lottery of slot

exemptions at LaGuardia Airport.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

David L. Bennett, Office of Airport

Safety and Standards, Federal Aviation

Administration, 800 Independence

Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20591.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

Background

On December 4, 2000, the FAA

conducted a lottery to reallocate slot

exemptions at LaGuardia Airport that

were authorized under the ‘‘Wendell H.

Ford Aviation Investment and Reform

Act for the 21st Century’’ (‘‘AIR–21’’).

At the lottery, participants were invited

to comment on the lottery procedures by

submitting written comments to the

docket. The FAA advised that all

comments received would be addressed

via a notice in the Federal Register.

Disposition of Comments

Comments were submitted from

Midwest Express Airlines (‘‘Midwest

Express’’), the Air Carrier Association of

America (‘‘ACAA’’), Delta Air Lines,

Inc. (‘‘Delta’’) and US Airways, Inc.

(‘‘US Airways’’).

US Airways commented that if

Legend Airlines does not commence

operations and Legend’s slots are

allocated in accordance with the

contingency round, then US Airways

should be next in line to select an

additional slot, should one become

available for whatever reason. (US

Airways bases this comment on the fact

that it received only one exemption

time, while the other three participating

carriers received two exemptions each.)

US Airways also requests that should

additional slots become available before

September 15, 2001, it should be given

the opportunity to trade the 2100-hour

slot exemption that it received during

the Legend contingency round for

another slot. The 2100-hour slot

exemption was not the slot time

selected by Legend, but rather was a

replacement for an 1800-hour

exemption. US Airways obtained the

2100-hour slot time only because the

real slot time selected by Legend was

over subscribed.

Delta commented that the FAA

should reject US Airways second

request to trade the 2100-hour slot

exemption should additional

exemptions become available. Delta

argues that US Airways’ situation is

solely the product of the lottery

procedure established by the FAA and

there is no legitimate basis to give US

Airways priority over Delta who was

forced to eliminate more flights at

LaGuardia than any other carrier.

ACAA does not support US Airways

comments and further proposes that any

carrier that does not utilize a slot

selected at the lottery by February 1,

2001, should be prohibited from

exchanging that slot for another slot.

10934 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 34 / Tuesday, February 20, 2001 / Notices

ACAA also comments that in the event

that Legend does not resume operations,

the slots selected by Legend should be

made available to new entrant and

limited incumbent carriers and not be

allocated to the commuter carriers. In

addition, ACAA requests that the FAA

suspend the extra section authority,

suspend the buy-sell rule for LaGuardia

until October 1, 2001, and provide new

entrants/limited incumbents with four

daily ‘‘delay-free’’ arrivals. These last

comments are beyond the purpose of

this disposition of comments

concerning the lottery and will not be

addressed in this document.

Midwest Express urges the FAA to

reconsider its statement during the

lottery that only the four commuter

participants are permitted to participate

in the Legend contingency round and

that should there be future slot

turnbacks or use/lose violations, those

four commuter participants would

remain eligible for the slots.

The FAA agrees with US Airways’

comments with respect to the limited

issue that in the event that the

contingency round is allocated among

the other four participating carriers, US

Airways would be next in line to select

an available slot, since it only selected

one slot during the contingency round.

The FAA does not agree that in the

event that the contingency round is

allocated that US Airways should be

entitled to the second available slot in

order to swap that slot with the 2100

slot that it had to select.

The FAA does not agree with ACAA

and Midwest Express that any future

slot turnbacks should be reserved for

new entrant/limited incumbent. In

developing the lottery procedures, the

agency strived to strike a balance

between the policies set forth in AIR–21

and to provide a fair and equitable

distribution between the two categories

of operations, consistent with the

provisions of AIR–21. Since the purpose

of the lottery was to cap operations at

a level that was more acceptable than

the current level of operations, the FAA

did not structure lottery procedures so

that any carrier could grow its

operations. Not including the commuter

carriers, all new entrant and limited

incumbent carriers retained the same

number of slots that they operated prior

to the lottery. Consequently, while new

entrant and limited incumbent carriers

are limited in their ability to grow, as is

the same for the commuter carriers, they

have not been forced to reduce

operations.

If AIR–21 exemption slots are

returned for the long-term, under

current lottery procedures, all new

entrants have received their full

allocations and thus would not be

eligible for additional allocations. The

FAA does not support changing the

lottery procedures during this allocation

period. The procedures set forth in the

December 4, 2000, Federal Register

notice will remain in effect until

September 15, 2001.

Issued in Washington, DC on February 13,

2001.

James W. Whitlow,

Deputy Chief Counsel.

[FR Doc. 01–4149 Filed 2–16–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–13–M

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

RTCA Special Committee 194; ATM

Data Link Implementation

Pursuant to section 10(a)(2) of the

Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub.

L. 92–463, 5 U.S.C., Appendix 2), notice

is hereby given for Special Committee

194 meeting to be held March 12–15,

2001, starting at 1 p.m. on March 12.

The meeting will be held at RTCA, 1140

Connecticut Ave., NW., Suite 1020,

Washington, DC 20036.

The agenda will include: March 12: 1

p.m. Plenary Session: (1) Introductory

Remarks; (2) Review Meeting Agenda;

(3) Review Previous Meeting Minutes;

(4) Proposed Revision 3 to Committee

Terms of Reference; (5) Status of the

Free Flight Select Committee Update;

(6) Status of Working Group (WG)–2’s

document, ‘‘DO–XXX Implementation

Requirements for Service Integrated

Flight Operations and Air Traffic

Management Using Addressed Data

Link’’ (DO–INTEGRATION); (7)

Working Group Reports; March 13: 8:30

a.m. (8) WG—2, Flight Operations and

ATM Integration; (9) WG–1, Data Link

Ops Concept & Implementation Plan;

March 14: 8:30 a.m. (10) WG–2 and

WG–1 meetings continue; 1 p.m. (11)

WG–4, Service Provider Interface;

March 15: 9 a.m. Plenary Session: (12)

Review Meeting Agenda; (13) Review

Status of WG–2 document, DO–

INTEGRATION; (14) Working Group

Reports; (15) Other Business; (16) Data

and Location of Next Meeting; (17)

Closing.

Attendance is open to the interested

public but limited to space availability.

With the approval of the chairman,

members of the public may present oral

statements at the meeting. Persons

wishing to present statements or obtain

information should contact the RTCA

Secretariat, 1140 Connecticut Avenue,

NW., Suite 1020, Washington, DC

20036; (202) 833–9339 (phone); (202)

833–9434 (fax); or http://www.rtca.org

(web site). Members of the public may

present a written statement to the

committee at any time.

Issued in Washington, DC, on February 12,

2001.

Janice L. Peters,

Designated Official.

[FR Doc. 01–4152 Filed 2–16–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–13–M

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration

Environmental Impact Statement:

Orange and San Diego Counties,

California

AGENCY: Federal Highway

Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Revised Notice of Intent.

SUMMARY: The FHWA is issuing this

revised notice to advise the public that

an environmental impact statement will

be prepared for a proposed

transportation improvement project in

southern Orange County and northern

San Diego County, California. A

previous Notice of Intent was published

in the Federal Register on December 16,

1993(58 FR 65758, Dec. 16, 1993) and

public scoping meetings were held on

August 25, 1994 and September 16,

1994.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Robert L. Cady, Transportation

Engineer, Federal Highway

Administration, California Division, 980

Ninth Street, Suite 400, Sacramento,

California 95814–2724. Telephone:

(916) 498–5038.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

FHWA in cooperation with the

California Department of Transportation

(Caltrans) will prepare an

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS),

on a proposal to locate and construct

transportation infrastructure

improvements in southern Orange

County and northern San Diego County.

The Transportation Corridor Agencies

(TCA) is currently preparing a

Subsequent Environmental Impact

Report (SEIR) to comply with the review

requirements of the state of California

Environmental Quality Act. In an effort

to eliminate unnecessary duplication

and reduce delay, the document to be

prepared, will be a joint EIS/SEIR in

accordance with the President’s Council

on Environmental Quality Regulations

as described in 40 Code of Federal

Regulations (CFR), sections 1500.5 and

1506.2.

The purpose of the proposed project

is provide improvements to the