60 day FRN

8804

Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 31 / Tuesday, February 15, 2011 / Notices

agencies to improve accessibility and
usability.
Karen Palm,
Associate Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2011–3311 Filed 2–14–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P

DEPARTMENT OF STATE
[Public Notice: 7336]

30-Day Notice of Proposed Information
Collection: Form DS–3097, Exchange
Visitor Program Annual Report, OMB
Control Number 1405–0151
ACTION:

Notice of request for public
comment and submission to OMB of
proposed collection of information.

jdjones on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with NOTICES

SUMMARY:

The Department of State has
submitted the following information
collection request to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
approval in accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.
• Title of Information Collection:
Exchange Visitor Program Annual
Report.
• OMB Control Number: 1405–0151.
• Type of Request: Extension of a
Currently Approved Collection.
• Originating Office: Educational and
Cultural Affairs, Office of Designation,
ECA/EC/D/PS.
• Form Number: Form DS–3097.
• Respondents: designated J–1
program sponsors.
• Estimated Number of Respondents:
1460.
• Estimated Number of Responses:
1460 annually.
• Average Hours per Response: 2
hours.
• Total Estimated Burden: 2920
hours.
• Frequency: Annually.
• Obligation to Respond: Required to
Retain a Benefit.
DATES: Submit comments to the Office
of Management and Budget (OMB) for
up to 30 days from February 15, 2011.
ADDRESSES: Direct comments to the
Department of State Desk Officer in the
Office of Information and Regulatory
Affairs at the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB). You may submit
comments by the following methods:
• E-mail:
oira_submission@omb.eop.gov. You
must include the DS form number,
information collection title, and OMB
control number in the subject line of
your message.
• Fax: 202–395–5806. Attention: Desk
Officer for Department of State.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: You
may obtain copies of the proposed

VerDate Mar<15>2010

17:06 Feb 14, 2011

Jkt 223001

information collection and supporting
documents from Stanley S. Colvin,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Private
Sector Exchange, Department of State,
SA–5, Floor 5, 2200 C Street, NW.,
Washington, DC 20522–0505, who may
be reached at (202) 632–2805, fax at
202–632–2701 or e-mail at
JExchanges@state.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We are
soliciting public comments to permit
the Department to:
• Evaluate whether the proposed
information collection is necessary to
properly perform our functions.
• Evaluate the accuracy of our
estimate of the burden of the proposed
collection, including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used.
• Enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be
collected.
• Minimize the reporting burden on
those who are to respond.
Abstract of proposed collection:
Annual reports from designated
program sponsors assist the Department
in oversight and administration of the J–
1 visa program. The reports provide
statistical data on the number of
exchange participants an organization
sponsored per category. Program
sponsors include government agencies,
academic institutions, not-for-profit and
for-profit organizations.
Methodology:
Annual reports are run through the
Student and Exchange Visitor
Information System (SEVIS) and then
printed and sent to the Department. The
Department allows sponsors to submit
annual reports by mail or fax at this
time. There are measures being taken to
allow sponsors to submit the reports
electronically through SEVIS in the
future.
Dated: February 4, 2011.
Stanley S. Colvin,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Private Sector
Exchange, Bureau of Educational and
Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State.
[FR Doc. 2011–3384 Filed 2–14–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710–05–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Office of the Secretary
[Docket No. DOT–OST–2011–0019]

Agency Information Collection
Activities: Revision and Approval of
Information Collection; Comments
Requested
AGENCY:

DOT.

ACTION:

PO 00000

Office of the Secretary (OST),

Notice.

Frm 00098

Fmt 4703

Sfmt 4703

SUMMARY:

The Department of
Transportation (DOT) invites public
comments on a request to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) to
approve the revision and amendment of
a previously approved Information
Collection Request (OMB Control #
2105–0563) in accordance with the
requirements of the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104–13,
44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).
The previous approval granted the
Department of Transportation authority
to collect information involving
National Infrastructure Investments or
‘‘TIGER II’’ Discretionary Grants
pursuant to Title I of the Transportation,
Housing and Urban Development, and
Related Agencies Appropriations Act for
2010 (the ‘‘FY 201 Appropriations Act’’).
The Office of the Secretary of
Transportation (‘‘OST’’) is referring to
these grants as ‘‘TIGER II Discretionary
Grants.’’ The original collection of
information was necessary in order to
receive applications for grant funds
pursuant to the Transportation, Housing
and Urban Development, and Related
Agencies Appropriations Act of 2010
(‘‘FY 2010 Appropriations Act’’), Title
I—Department of Transportation, Office
of the Secretary, National Infrastructure
Investments, Public Law 111–117, 123
Stat. 3034. The purpose of the TIGER II
Discretionary Grants program is to
advance projects that will have a
significant impact on the Nation,
Metropolitan area or a region.
This revision revises the original
request to include an additional
information collection. The additional
information to be collected will be used
to, and is necessary to, evaluate the
effectiveness of projects that have been
awarded grant funds and to monitor
project financial conditions and project
progress in support of the Supplemental
Discretionary Grants for Capital
Investments in Surface Transportation
Infrastructure, referred to by the
Department as ‘‘Grants for
Transportation Investment Generating
Economic Recovery’’, or ‘‘TIGER’’
Discretionary Grants program
authorized and implemented pursuant
to the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the
‘‘Recovery Act’’) (OMB Control Number:
2105–0560) and the grants for National
Infrastructure Investments under the FY
2010 Appropriations Act or TIGER II’’
Discretionary Grants. The purposes of
the TIGER and TIGER II Discretionary
Grant programs include promoting
economic recovery and supporting
projects that have a significant impact
on the Nation, a metropolitan area, or a
region.

E:\FR\FM\15FEN1.SGM

15FEN1

Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 31 / Tuesday, February 15, 2011 / Notices
DATES:

Written comments should be
submitted by April 18, 2011.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
[identified by Docket No. DOT–OST–
2011–0019] through one of the
following methods:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the online
instructions for submitting comments.
• Fax: 1–202–493–2251.
• Mail or Hand Delivery: Docket
Management Facility, U.S. Department
of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue, SE., West Building, Room
W12–140, Washington, DC 20590,
between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday
through Friday, except on Federal
holidays.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Robert Mariner, Office of the Assistant
Secretary for Transportation Policy, at
202–366–8914 or
Robert.Mariner@dot.gov.

jdjones on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with NOTICES

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: National Infrastructure
Investments Grant Program or ‘‘TIGER II
Discretionary Grants’’
OMB Control Number: 2105–0563.
Form Numbers: None.
Type of Review: Revision of an
information collection.
Expected Number of Respondents:
126.
Frequency: Quarterly, and Yearly.
Estimated Average Burden per
Response: 8 hours for each Quarterly
Progress and Monitoring Report; 8 hours
for each Annual Budget Review; 8 hours
for each Quarterly Performance
Measurement Report.
Estimated Total Annual Burden:
9,072 hours.
Abstract: On February 17, 2009, the
President of the United States signed the
Recovery Act to, among other purposes,
(1) preserve and create jobs and promote
economic recovery, (2) invest in
transportation infrastructure that will
provide long-term economic benefits,
and (3) assist those most affected by the
current economic downturn. The
Recovery Act appropriated $1.5 billion
of discretionary grant funds to be
awarded by the Department of
Transportation for capital investments
in surface transportation infrastructure.
The Department refers to these grants as
‘‘Grants for Transportation Investment
Generating Economic Recovery’’ or
‘‘TIGER’’ Discretionary Grants. Funding
for 51 projects totaling nearly $1.5
billion under the TIGER program was
announced on February 17, 2010.
Projects were selected based on their
alignment with the selection criteria
specified in the Federal Register notice
for the TIGER Discretionary Grant
program. On December 16, 2009 the

VerDate Mar<15>2010

15:51 Feb 14, 2011

Jkt 223001

President signed the FY 2010
Appropriations Act. The FY 2010
Appropriations Act appropriated $600
million for National Infrastructure
Investments using language that is very
similar, but not identical to the language
in the Recovery Act authorizing the
TIGER Discretionary Grants. The
Department is referring to the grants for
National Infrastructure Investments as
TIGER II Discretionary Grants. Like the
TIGER Discretionary Grants, TIGER II
Discretionary Grants are for capital
investments in surface transportation
infrastructure and are to be awarded on
a competitive basis for projects that will
have a significant impact on the Nation,
a metropolitan area, or a region.
Funding for 75 projects totaling nearly
$600 million under the TIGER II
program was announced on October 20,
2010. Projects were selected based on
their alignment with the selection
criteria specified in the Federal Register
notice for the TIGER II Discretionary
Grant program. As announced in the
Federal Register notices for each of the
TIGER and TIGER II Discretionary Grant
programs, grantees are expected to
provide information to the Government
so that the Government may monitor the
financial conditions and progress of
projects, as well as the effectiveness of
projects using performance
measurement metrics negotiated
between the grantees and the
Government.
This request revises the existing PRA
clearance to cover additional
information from grantees that is
necessary to negotiate the grant
agreements and to cover the reporting
requirements agreed to by the grant
recipients of the TIGER and TIGER II
Discretionary Grant programs. The
reporting requirements are as follows:
Grantees will submit reports on the
financial condition of the project and
the project’s progress. Grantees will
submit progress reports and the Federal
Financial Report (SF–425) to the
Government on a quarterly basis,
beginning on the 20th of the first month
of the calendar-year quarter following
the execution of a grant agreement, and
on the 20th of the first month of each
calendar-year quarter thereafter until
completion of the project. The initial
quarterly report will include a detailed
description, and, where appropriate,
drawings, of the items funded.
Grantees will also submit an Annual
Budget Review and Program Plan to the
Government, via e-mail, 60 days prior to
the end of each Agreement year that
they are receiving grant funds. The
Annual Budget Review and Program
Plan will provide a detailed schedule of
activities, estimate of specific

PO 00000

Frm 00099

Fmt 4703

Sfmt 4703

8805

performance objectives, include
forecasted expenditures, and a schedule
of milestones for the upcoming year. If
there is an actual or projected project
cost increase, the Annual Budget
Review and Program Plan will include
a written plan for providing additional
sources of funding to cover the project
budget shortfall or supporting
documentation of committed funds to
cover the cost increase.
This information will be used to
monitor grantees’ use of Federal funds,
ensuring accountability and financial
transparency in the TIGER and TIGER II
Discretionary Grant programs.
Grantees will also submit reports on
the performance (or projected
performance) of the project using
performance measures that the grantee
and the Government selected through
negotiations. The grantees will submit a
Pre-project Report that will consist of
current baseline data for each of the
performance measures specified in the
Performance Measurement Table in the
grant agreement negotiated between the
grantee and the Government. The Preproject Report will include a detailed
description of data sources,
assumptions, variability, and the
estimated level of precision for each
measure. The grantees will submit
quarterly Project Performance
Measurement Reports to the
Government for each of the performance
measures specified in the Performance
Measurement Table in the grant
agreement negotiated between the
grantee and the Government. Grantees
will submit reports at each of the
intervals identified for the duration of
the time period specified in the
Performance Measurement Table in the
grant agreement negotiated between the
grantee and the Government. The
grantees will submit a Project Outcomes
Report after the project is completed
that will consist of a narrative
discussion detailing project successes
and/or the influence of external factors
on project expectations.
Respondents will have the
opportunity to submit the information
either electronically or by using fillable
PDF, word processing or spreadsheet
files. This information will be used to
evaluate and compare projects and to
monitor results that grant funds achieve,
ensuring that grant funds achieved the
outcomes targeted by the TIGER and
TIGER II Discretionary Grant programs.
The following is detailed information
and instructions regarding the specific
reporting requirements for each report
identified above:
TIGER and TIGER II Discretionary
Grant program grantees will submit a
Project Progress and Monitoring Report

E:\FR\FM\15FEN1.SGM

15FEN1

jdjones on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with NOTICES

8806

Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 31 / Tuesday, February 15, 2011 / Notices

and the Federal Financial Report (SF–
425) to the Government on a quarterly
basis. Grantees should use the following
structure when preparing the quarterly
Project Progress and Monitoring Report.
• Project Progress and Monitoring
Report
Æ Frequency: Quarterly (on the 20th
of the first month of the calendar
quarter)
Æ Report covers: Previous quarter,
along with a two-quarter forecast.
Æ Start: Upon award of grant.
Æ End: Once construction is
complete.
Æ Format/Fields and accompanying
instructions (beyond project ID
information):
1. Executive Summary.—A clear and
concise summary of the current status of
the project, including identification of
any major issues that have an impact on
the project’s scope, budget, schedule,
quality, or safety, including:
• Current total project cost (forecast)
vs. latest budget vs. baseline budget.
Include an explanation of the reasons
for any deviations from the approved
budget.
• Current overall project completion
percentage vs. latest plan percentage.
• Any delays or exposures to
milestone and final completion dates.
Include an explanation of the reasons
for the delays and exposures.
• A summary of the projected and
actual dates for notices to proceed for
significant contracts, start of
construction, start of expenditure of
TIGER and TIGER II Discretionary Grant
funds, and project completion date.
Include an explanation of the reasons
for any discrepancies from the
corresponding project milestone dates
included in the Agreement.
• Any Federal obligations and/or
TIFIA disbursements occurring during
the month versus planned obligations or
disbursements.
• Any significant contracts
advertised, awarded, or completed.
• Any significant scope of work
changes.
• Any significant items identified as
having deficient quality.
• Any significant safety issues.
• Any significant Federal issues such
as environmental compliance, Buy
America/Buy American (whichever is
applicable to this Project), Davis Bacon
Act Prevailing Wage requirements, etc.
2. Project Activities and
Deliverables.—(1) Highlighting the
project activities and deliverables
occurring during the previous quarter
(reporting period), and (2) define the
activities and deliverables planned for
the next two reporting periods.
Activities and deliverables to be

VerDate Mar<15>2010

15:51 Feb 14, 2011

Jkt 223001

reported on should include meetings,
audits and other reviews, design
packages submitted, advertisements,
awards, construction submittals,
construction completion milestones,
submittals related to Recovery Act
requirements, media or Congressional
inquiries, value engineering/
constructability reviews, and other
items of significance. The two reporting
period ‘‘look ahead schedule’’ will
enable the Government to accommodate
any activities requiring input or
assistance.
3. Action Items/Outstanding Issues.—
Drawing attention to, and tracking the
progress of, highly significant or
sensitive issues requiring action and
direction in order to resolve. In general,
issues and administrative requirements
that could have a significant or adverse
impact to the project’s scope, budget,
schedule, quality, safety, and/or
compliance with Federal requirements
should be included. Status, responsible
person(s), and due dates should be
included for each action item/
outstanding issue. Action items
requiring action or direction should be
included in the quarterly status meeting
agenda. The action items/outstanding
issues may be dropped from this section
upon full implementation of the
remedial action, and upon no further
monitoring anticipated.
4. Project Schedule.—An updated
master program schedule reflecting the
current status of the program activities
should be included in this section. A
Gantt (bar) type chart is probably the
most appropriate for quarterly reporting
purposes, with the ultimate format to be
agreed upon between the grantee and
the Government. It is imperative that the
master program schedule be integrated,
i.e., the individual contract milestones
tied to each other, such that any delays
occurring in one activity will be
reflected throughout the entire program
schedule, with a realistic completion
date being reported. Narratives, tables,
and/or graphs should accompany the
updated master program schedule,
basically detailing the current schedule
status, delays and potential exposures,
and recovery efforts. The following
information should also be included:
• Current overall project completion
percentage vs. latest plan percentage.
• Completion percentages vs. latest
plan percentages for major activities
such as right-of-way, major or critical
design contracts, major or critical
construction contracts, and significant
force accounts or task orders. A
schedule status description should also
be included for each of these major or
critical elements.

PO 00000

Frm 00100

Fmt 4703

Sfmt 4703

• Any delays or potential exposures
to milestone and final completion dates.
The delays and exposures should be
quantified and overall schedule impacts
assessed. The reasons for the delays and
exposures should be explained, and
initiatives being analyzed or
implemented in order to recover the
schedule should be detailed.
5. Project Cost.—An updated cost
spreadsheet reflecting the current
forecasted cost vs. the latest approved
budget vs. the baseline budget should be
included in this section. One way to
track project cost is to show: (1)
Baseline Budget, (2) Latest Approved
Budget, (3) Current Forecasted Cost
Estimate, (4) Expenditures or
Commitments To Date, and (5) Variance
between Current Forecasted Cost and
Latest Approved Budget. Line items
should include all significant cost
centers, such as prior costs, right-ofway, preliminary engineering,
environmental mitigation, general
engineering consultant, section design
contracts, construction administration,
utilities, construction packages; force
accounts/task orders, wrap-up
insurance, construction contingencies,
management contingencies, and other
contingencies. The line items can be
broken-up in enough detail such that
specific areas of cost change can be
sufficiently tracked and future
improvements made to the overall cost
estimating methodology. A Program
Total line should be included at the
bottom of the spreadsheet. Narratives,
tables, and/or graphs should accompany
the updated cost spreadsheet, basically
detailing the current cost status, reasons
for cost deviations, impacts of cost
overruns, and efforts to mitigate cost
overruns. The following information
should be provided:
• Reasons for each line item deviation
from the approved budget, impacts
resulting from the deviations, and
initiatives being analyzed or
implemented in order to recover any
cost overruns.
• Transfer of costs to and from
contingency line items, and reasons
supporting the transfers.
• Speculative cost changes that
potentially may develop in the future, a
quantified dollar range for each
potential cost change, and the current
status of the speculative change. Also, a
comparison analysis to the available
contingency amounts should be
included, showing that reasonable and
sufficient amounts of contingency
remain to keep the project within the
latest approved budget.
• Detailed cost breakdown of the
general engineering consultant (GEC)
services (if applicable), including such

E:\FR\FM\15FEN1.SGM

15FEN1

jdjones on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with NOTICES

Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 31 / Tuesday, February 15, 2011 / Notices
line items as contract amounts, task
orders issued (amounts), balance
remaining for tasks, and accrued
(billable) costs.
• Federal obligations and/or TIFIA
disbursements for the project, compared
to planned obligations and
disbursements.
6. Project Funding Status.—The
purpose of this section is to provide a
status report on the non-TIGER and nonTIGER II Discretionary Grant funds
necessary to complete the project. This
report section should include a status
update of any legislative approvals or
other actions necessary to provide the
non-TIGER and non-TIGER II
Discretionary Grant funds to the project.
Such approvals might include
legislative authority to charge user fees
or set toll rates, or the commitment of
local funding revenues to the project. In
the event that there is an anticipated or
actual project cost increase, the project
funding status section should include a
report on the anticipated or actual
source of funds to cover the cost
increase and any significant issues
identified with obtaining additional
funding.
7. Project Quality.—The purpose of
this section is to: (1) Summarize the
Quality Assurance/Quality Control
activities during the previous month
(reporting period), and (2) highlight any
significant items identified as being
deficient in quality. Deficient items
noted should be accompanied by
reasons and specifics concerning the
deficiencies, and corrective actions
taken or planned. In addition, the
agency or firm responsible for the
corrective action should be
documented. Planned corrective actions
should then be included as Action
Items/Outstanding Issues.
8. Federal Financial Report (SF–
425).—The Federal Financial Report
(SF–425) (available at http://
www.forms.gov/bgfPortal/
docDetails.do?dId=15149) is a financial
reporting form used throughout the
Federal Government Grant system.
Grantees should complete this form and
attach it to each quarterly Project
Progress and Monitoring Report.
TIGER and TIGER II Discretionary
Grant program grantees will submit an
Annual Budget Review and Program
Plan to the Government 60 days prior to
the end of each Agreement year that
they are receiving grant funds. Grantees
should use the following structure when
preparing the Annual Budget Review
Report.
• Annual Budget Review Report
Æ Frequency: Yearly (60 days before
the end of the Agreement year).

VerDate Mar<15>2010

15:51 Feb 14, 2011

Jkt 223001

Æ Report covers: Upcoming
Agreement year.
Æ Start: 60 days before first
anniversary of grant award.
Æ End: Once construction is
complete.
Æ Format/Fields and accompanying
instructions (beyond project ID
information):
1. Detailed Schedule of Activities.—
An updated master program schedule
reflecting the current status of the
program activities should be included in
this section. A Gantt (bar) type chart is
probably the most appropriate for
annual reporting purposes.
2. Estimate of Specific Performance
Objectives.—This section will discuss,
what, if any performance objectives of
the project will be achieved over the
course of the upcoming Agreement Year
and note any differences from the
original project plan.
3. Forecasted Expenditures.—This
section will discuss financial outlays
that will occur in support of the project
over the course of the upcoming
Agreement Year and note any
differences from the original project
plan.
4. Schedule of Milestones for the
Upcoming Agreement Year.—This
section will discuss, what, if any project
milestones will be achieved over the
course of the upcoming Agreement Year
and the obligations associated with each
milestone, noting any differences from
the original project plan. If there are no
proposed deviations from the Approved
Detailed Project Budget, the Annual
Budget Review shall contain a statement
stating such. The grantee will meet with
the Government to discuss the Annual
Budget Review and Program Plan. If
there is an actual or projected project
cost increase, the annual submittal
should include a written plan for
providing additional sources of funding
to cover the project budget shortfall or
supporting documentation of committed
funds to cover the cost increase. To the
extent the annual budget update
deviates from the approved project
budget by more than 10 percent, then
work proposed under the Annual
Budget Review and Program Plan shall
not commence until written approval
from the Government is received.
TIGER and TIGER II Discretionary
Grant program grantees will submit
Performance Measure Reports on the
performance (or projected performance)
of the project using the performance
measures that the grantee and the
Government selected through negations.
• Performance Measurement Reports
Æ Frequency: Quarterly (on the 20th
of the first month of the calendar
quarter).

PO 00000

Frm 00101

Fmt 4703

Sfmt 4703

8807

Æ Report covers: Previous quarter.
Æ Start: Once, upon award of grant;
Quarterly, once construction complete.
Æ End: At the end of agreed upon
performance measurement period.
Æ Format/Fields and accompanying
instructions (beyond project ID
information):
1. Performance Measures Narrative.—
Including a detailed description of data
sources, assumptions, variability, and
the estimated level of precision for each
measure.
2. Performance Measures
Spreadsheet.—Government and grantee
will agree on the format of the
spreadsheet for each individual project.
Measures (to be negotiated between
grantees and the Government,
individually) may include, but are not
limited to: Average tons handled/day;
average daily gross ton-miles (GTM);
average container lifts per day (TEUs);
containers transported on lines (TEUs);
transit passenger miles and hours of
travel; transit passenger & nonpassenger counts; transit rider
characteristics; average bike and or
pedestrian users at key locations;
average daily traffic (ADT) and average
daily truck traffic (ADTT); average daily
total train delay (minutes); average daily
total (all vehicles) vehicle delay at
crossings; transit service level; facility
service level; average hourly (or peak &
off-peak) vehicle travel time; average
hourly (or peak & off-peak) buffer index;
annual crash rates by type/severity;
average slow order miles and average
daily delay minutes due to slow orders;
bridge condition (Sufficiency Rating);
road closure/lost capacity time (lanehours).
3. [For final Report] Project
Outcomes.—Detailing Project successes
and/or the influence of external factors
on Project expectations. Including an ex
post examination of project
effectiveness in relation to the Preproject Report baselines.
Public Comments Invited: You are
asked to comment on any aspect of this
information collection, including (a)
whether the proposed collection of
information is necessary for the Office
of the Secretary’s (OST) performance;
(b) the accuracy of the estimated
burden; (c) ways for OST to enhance the
quality, utility and clarity of the
information collection; and (d) ways
that the burden could be minimized
without reducing the quality of the
collected information. The agency will
summarize and/or include your
comments in the request for OMB’s
clearance of this information collection.
Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act
of 1995; 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended;
and 49 CFR 1:48.

E:\FR\FM\15FEN1.SGM

15FEN1

8808

Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 31 / Tuesday, February 15, 2011 / Notices

Issued in Washington, DC, on February 9,
2011.
Patricia Lawton,
DOT Paperwork Reduction Act Clearance
Officer, Office of the Chief Information
Officer.
[FR Doc. 2011–3353 Filed 2–14–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–9X–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration
Supplemental Final Environmental
Impact Statement: Clark County,
Indiana, and Jefferson County, KY
AGENCY:

Federal Highway
Administration (FHWA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of intent.

jdjones on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with NOTICES

SUMMARY:

The FHWA is issuing this
notice to advise the public that a
supplemental environmental impact
statement (SEIS) will be prepared for the
Louisville-Southern Indiana Ohio River
Bridges (Project) in Clark County,
Indiana and Jefferson County, Kentucky.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.
Duane Thomas, Project Manager,
Federal Highway Administration, John
C. Watts Federal Building 330 West
Broadway Frankfort, KY 40601,
Telephone: (502) 223–6720, e-mail:
Duane.Thomas@dot.gov or Mr. Gary
Valentine, Project Manager, Kentucky
Transportation Cabinet, 8310 Westport
Road, Louisville, KY 40242, Telephone:
(502) 210–5453, e-mail:
Gary.Valentine@ky.gov or Mr. Paul
Boone, Project Manager, Indiana
Department of Transportation, 5701
Highway U.S. 31, Clarksville, IN 47129,
Telephone: (812) 282–7493 ext.224, email: PBoone@indot.in.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice is
hereby given that FHWA, in cooperation
with the Project Sponsors, the Indiana
Department of Transportation and the
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, will
prepare an SEIS to examine the impacts
of a proposal by the Project Sponsors to
modify the Selected Alternative. The
SEIS will be prepared in accordance
with all applicable requirements of
Section 6002 of SAFETEA–LU, codified
at 23 U.S.C. 139. The proposed
modification includes revising several
design elements and using innovative
financing sources, including collecting
tolls.
A Final Environmental Impact
Statement (FEIS) and Section 4(f)
Evaluation was issued for the Project on
April 8, 2003. The FEIS/Section 4(f)
Evaluation examined four major project
alternatives and a number of subalternatives in detail. On September 6,

VerDate Mar<15>2010

17:06 Feb 14, 2011

Jkt 223001

2003, FHWA issued a Record of
Decision (ROD) identifying the Selected
Alternative and the reasons for its
selection. The Selected Alternative
consists of a new northbound I–65
bridge just east of the existing Kennedy
Bridge (I–65); an East End bridge
approximately eight miles from
downtown Louisville connecting the
Gene Snyder Freeway (KY 841) to the
Lee Hamilton Highway (IN 265); and an
adjacent rebuild of the Kennedy
Interchange where I–64, I–65 and I–71
converge in downtown Louisville. The
FEIS/Section 4(f) Evaluation and ROD
are available for review by contacting
the FHWA or any of the Project
Sponsors at the addresses provided
above. In addition, the ROD can be
viewed electronically and/or
downloaded from the Project Web site at
http://www.kyinbridges.com/project/
history.aspx.
Since the issuance of the ROD, the
Project Sponsors have taken several
major steps to advance the Project
towards construction: a general
engineering consultant was retained; a
bridge type selection process was
conducted; engineering design and
right-of-way acquisition activities began;
the Louisville and Southern Indiana
Bridges Authority was created for the
development, design, financing,
construction, operation and oversight of
the Project, and an update to the major
project finance plan was completed. The
Project Sponsors now propose to
evaluate the environmental impacts of
revising several elements of the Selected
Alternative. Although the modifications
are expected to reduce the
environmental impacts of the Project, an
SEIS is being prepared because the
changes have the potential to result in
significant environmental impacts that
were not evaluated in the FEIS. In
addition to updating the FEIS/Section
4(f) Evaluation, FHWA expects the SEIS
to examine design changes and their
potential impacts such as:
(1) Rebuilding the Kennedy
Interchange within the existing location
rather than reconstructing it adjacent to
the existing location;
(2) Reducing the East End bridge,
roadway and tunnel from six lanes to
four lanes, with a possible option to add
two lanes later if future traffic demand
warrants;
(3) Removing the proposed pedestrian
and bike path from the design for the
new northbound I–65 bridge, as a result
of a separate proposal to meet the same
need by constructing a pedestrian
walkway and bike path on the Big Four
Bridge;
(4) Collecting tolls linked to the
Project’s improvements in cross-river

PO 00000

Frm 00102

Fmt 4703

Sfmt 4703

mobility from the reconfigured Kennedy
Bridge and the new northbound I–65
bridge in downtown and from the new
East End bridge, pursuant to 23 U.S.C.
129 or other applicable law.
The SEIS will build upon and
incorporate the work already completed
as part of the project development
process. Specifically, the SEIS will
consider whether the Modified Selected
Alternative would increase or decrease
the expected direct, secondary,
cumulative and temporary impacts to
the environment within the Project
Area, including social and economic
concerns, agricultural impacts, historic
and archaeological resource impacts, air
quality impacts, noise impacts,
vibration impacts, natural resources
impacts, water resources impacts,
floodplain impacts, wetland impacts,
visual and aesthetic impacts, and
hazardous substances concerns. The
SEIS will address the requirements of
all environmental laws, regulations and
Executive Orders that would be
applicable to the FHWA’s approval of a
Modified Selected Alternative.
The SEIS study process will include
an invitation letter sent to potential
Cooperating Agencies, Participating
Agencies, and Section 106 Consulting
Parties inviting the agencies to officially
take part in the SEIS study, encouraging
agency comments and suggestions
concerning the SEIS, and further
defining the roles of agencies in the
study. One or more public workshops
will be held to solicit public input into
the development of the Modified
Selected Alternative. In addition, a
formal comment period for the public
and agencies will be provided following
the publication of the draft SEIS. The
comments received will be responded to
in the final SEIS. Notices of availability
for the draft and final SEISs will be
provided through direct mail, the
Federal Register and other media.
Notification also will be sent to Federal,
State, local agencies, persons, and
organizations that submit comments or
questions. Precise schedules and
locations for the public workshops will
be announced in the local news media
and on the Project Web site, http://
www.kyinbridges.com/. Interested
individuals and organizations may
request to be included on the mailing
list for the distribution of
announcements and associated
information.
Other Approvals for Federal Permits:
The following approvals for Federal
permits are anticipated to be required:
The Navigational Permit Application
from the U.S. Coast Guard and the
Section 404 Permit from the Army
Corps of Engineers. Additionally,

E:\FR\FM\15FEN1.SGM

15FEN1