[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 189 (Wednesday, September 30, 1998)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 52206-52207]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-26151]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration

23 CFR Chapter I

[Docket No. OST-98-4146]


Outreach on the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century 
(TEA-21); Meetings Regarding Environmental Streamlining, Transportation 
Enhancements and Environmental Justice

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Announcement of public meetings; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announces a series 
of information exchange meetings to discuss how to implement provisions 
of TEA-21 (Pub. L. 105-178, 112 Stat. 107) relative to environmental 
streamlining (three meetings) and transportation enhancements (three 
meetings). There will also be a series of four information exchange 
meetings on environmental justice and the implementation of TEA-21. 
These meetings are part of the outreach sessions the DOT is holding 
around the country on the implementation of TEA-21.
    The FHWA has not completed scheduling all of the meetings. 
Locations, subject, and dates for the meetings are as follows:

Kansas City, MO, transportation enhancements, September 29, 1998
Washington, DC, environmental streamlining, October 9, 1998
Oakland, CA, transportation enhancements, October 13, 1998
Atlanta, GA, environmental justice, October 14, 1998
Chicago, IL, environmental streamlining, October 15, 1998
Harlem, NY, environmental justice, October 27, 1998
Washington, DC, transportation enhancement, date to be determined in 
October 1998
San Francisco, CA, environmental justice, November, 11, 1998
Seattle, WA, environmental justice, date to be determined in November 
1998
West Coast Location, environmental streamlining, date to be announced

DATES: Comments must be submitted to the docket on or before November 
22, 1998.

Meeting Dates and Times

    The Kansas City, MO, meeting on transportation enhancements will be 
held on September 29, 1998, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., c.t. The 
Washington, DC, meeting on environmental streamlining will be held on 
October 9, 1998, from noon to 5:00 p.m., e.t. The Oakland, CA, meeting 
on transportation enhancements will be held on October 13, 1998 from 
noon to 5:00 p.m., p.t. The Atlanta, GA, meeting on environmental 
justice will be held on October 14, 1998 from noon until 5:00 p.m., 
e.t. The Chicago, IL, meeting on environmental streamlining will be 
held on October 15, 1998 from noon until 5:00 p.m., c.t. The Harlem, 
NY, meeting on environmental justice will be held on October 27, 1998 
from noon until 5:00 p.m., e.t. The San Francisco, CA, meeting on 
environmental justice will be held on November 11, 1999 from noon until 
5:00 p.m., p.t.
    Specific times and locations for the Seattle, WA, meeting on 
environmental justice in November 1998 and the west coast meeting on 
environmental streamlining in October or November will be announced at 
a later date through the TEA-21 website at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/
tea21/outreach.htm. If you do not have access to the Internet, please 
contact Leslie Wright-Small who is listed in the FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT section below.

ADDRESSES: FOR DOCKETS: All signed, written comments should refer to 
the docket number in the heading of this document. Since the docket 
contains comments on many provisions of TEA-21, there should be a clear 
identification of which provisions are being commented on. Comments 
must be sent to the Docket Clerk, U.S. DOT Dockets, Room PL-401, 400 
Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590-0001. All comments received 
will be available for public examination at this address between 10 
a.m. and 5 p.m., e.t., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. 
Persons who wish notification of the receipt of their comments must 
include a self-addressed, stamped envelope or postcard.
    FOR MEETINGS: Please contact the appropriate individual meeting 
contact as listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: TEA-21 Outreach: Ms. Leslie Wright-
Small, HPP 20, Room 3318, (202) 366-9227, Office of Policy Development, 
Federal Highway Administration, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, 
DC, 20590. Office hours are from 7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., e.t., Monday 
through Friday, except Federal holidays.
    For Individual Meetings: For environmental streamlining: Mr. Fred 
Skaer, HEP 30, (202) 366-0106; for transportation enhancements: Mr. 
Harold Peaks, HEP 30, (202) 366-0106; and for environmental justice: 
Mr. Wendell Stills, HEP 30, 366-0106, all located at 400 Seventh Street 
SW., Washington, DC 20590. Office hours are from 7:45 a.m. to 4:15 
p.m., e.t., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Electronic Access

    Internet users can access all comments received by the U.S. DOT 
Dockets, Room PL-401, by using the universal resource locator (URL): 
http://dms.dot.gov. It is available 24 hours each day, 365 days each 
year. Please follow the instructions online for more information and 
help.
    An electronic copy of this document may be downloaded using a modem 
and suitable communications software from the Government Printing 
Office's electronic Bulletin Board Service at (202) 512-1661. Internet 
users may reach the Federal Register's home page at: http://
www.nara.gov/fedreg and the Government Printing Office's database at: 
http://www/access.gpo.gov/nara.

Background

    The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) was 
signed into law on June 9, 1998. Prior to implementing this 
legislation, the DOT is consulting with its partners and customers 
through a series of TEA-21 outreach sessions/meetings. The FHWA is 
responsible for conducting the meetings described in this notice.
    For more information about other TEA-21 outreach sessions and 
meetings, please visit our website at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/tea21/
outreach.htm. For the text of TEA-21 (Public Law 105-178) as well as a 
summary and fact sheets on its provisions, please visit our website at 
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/tea21/legis.htm. If you do not have access to 
the Internet, please contact Leslie Wright-Small who is listed in the 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section above.

Meeting Purpose and Format

    Information exchange meetings are opportunities for the 
transportation community to speak to the DOT on specific issues related 
to TEA-21. At each of the information exchange meetings covered by this

[[Page 52207]]

announcement, a DOT official will moderate a discussion by up to 25 
participants on a series of specific TEA-21 implementation issues 
identified by the DOT as well as by participants. Proceedings will be 
recorded by notetakers who will prepare meeting summaries. The format 
emphasizes discussion and interaction by the participants with remarks 
limited to 5 minutes on a given topic. Lengthy statements should be 
sent directly to the docket (see ADDRESSES section above).

Meeting Participants

    Since space is limited in this sort of interactive meeting and a 
broad spectrum of viewpoints is desired, the DOT will directly invite 
the participation of individuals and organizations with a known 
interest in the subject of each information exchange meeting. There 
will be limited numbers of additional places available. If you wish to 
attend an information exchange meeting, please call the appropriate 
contact from the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section above to 
register for available places on a first come basis. Office hours are 
from 7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., e.t., Monday through Friday, except 
Federal holidays.
    As remaining meeting dates and places are scheduled, the DOT will 
post them on the TEA-21 website at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/tea21/
outreach.htm. If you do not have access to the Internet, please contact 
Leslie Wright-Small who is listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT section above.

Environmental Streamlining Meetings

    The three sessions on environmental streamlining will be held in 
Washington, DC on October 9, 1998, in Chicago, IL on October 15, 1998 
and at a West Coast location to be determined. They are concerned with 
what the language of TEA-21 means relative to environmental 
streamlining and how the DOT should implement these provisions of the 
Act: through regulations, guidance, or perhaps administering directly 
from the statutory language. Under TEA-21, the Secretary of 
Transportation will establish a coordinated environmental review 
process for the DOT to work with other Federal agencies in ensuring 
that major highway and transit projects are advanced according to 
cooperatively determined time frames. The new process will use 
concurrent, rather than sequential, reviews and will allow States to 
include their environmental reviews in it. The Act also authorizes the 
Secretary to approve State requests to provide funding to affected 
Federal agencies to meet established time limits. If the Secretary 
finds that a project-related environmental issue has not been resolved 
with another Federal agency, the heads of the agencies will meet within 
30 days to resolve the issue. In addition, the Act contains provisions 
relating to the applicability of the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA) with respect to transportation planning, consultant selection, 
design/build contracting, transportation infrastructure financial 
innovation and high priority projects. The DOT seeks discussion on how 
it should implement these provisions.

Transportation Enhancements Sessions

    The three sessions on transportation enhancements will be held in 
Kansas City, MO on September 29, 1998, in Oakland, CA on October 13, 
1998, and in Washington, DC on a date to be set sometime in October. 
They are concerned with what the language of TEA-21 means relative to 
transportation enhancements and how the DOT should implement these 
provisions of the Act: through regulations, guidance, or perhaps 
administering directly from the statutory language. Under TEA-21, 
transportation enhancements continue to be funded with a 10 percent 
setaside from Surface Transportation Program funds but with new 
innovative financing alternatives for meeting matching requirements. 
New provisions allow States to transfer some of their transportation 
enhancement funds to other programs and expand the list of activities 
eligible for transportation enhancement funds. Newly eligible are 
safety education activities for pedestrians and bicyclists, 
establishment of transportation museums, and projects to reduce 
vehicle-caused wildlife mortality. Provision of tourist and welcome 
center facilities is included under the existing activity, ``scenic or 
historic highway programs.''

Environmental Justice Sessions

    The four sessions on environmental justice will be held in Atlanta, 
GA on October 14, 1998, in Harlem, NY on October 27, 1998, in San 
Francisco, CA on November 11, 1998 and in Seattle, WA at a date in 
November to be determined. They will explore the implications for 
implementing TEA-21 of Executive Order 12898, Federal Actions to 
Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income 
Populations, and the implementing DOT Order on Environmental Justice. 
TEA-21 does not have specific environmental justice provisions. 
However, the DOT seeks discussion on how to avoid disproportionate 
impacts on minority and low income populations in carrying out the 
extensive provisions of TEA-21. In addition, the DOT wishes discussion 
of how to include the traditionally underserved in transportation 
decisions under TEA-21. Through these meetings, the DOT is pursuing a 
deeper understanding of how to infuse environmental justice 
considerations into the new TEA-21 initiatives to improve safety, 
protect and enhance communities and the natural environment and advance 
America's economic growth through efficient and flexible 
transportation.

Contributing Views

    There are three ways for you to contribute your views on how to 
implement the provisions of TEA-21 relating to environmental 
streamlining and transportation enhancements as well as on 
environmental justice and the implementation of TEA-21. You may attend 
one of the meetings and participate in the discussions, you may hand in 
written comments at a meeting, or you may mail comments to the docket 
the DOT has established for TEA-21 outreach. See the ADDRESSES section 
above for the docket address.
    You may use one or more of any of these methods. Since attendees at 
the meetings will be asked to limit their remarks on a topic to 5 
minutes to accommodate a maximum number of persons, commenting directly 
to the docket is particularly useful for comments which are too long or 
detailed for convenient oral presentation at a meeting or when you are 
not able to attend a meeting.

What Happens Next

    Comments in the docket and information exchange meeting summaries 
will be forwarded to the element of the DOT responsible for the 
relevant provisions of TEA-21. Oral and written comments will be 
equally considered in decisionmaking on how to implement TEA-21. If the 
DOT decides to pursue implementing a provision of TEA-21 by issuing 
regulations, it will then initiate formal rule making under the 
Administrative Procedure Act.

    Authority: 23 U.S.C. 315.

    Issued on: September 24, 1998.
Thomas Ptak,
Associate Administrator for Program Development.
[FR Doc. 98-26151 Filed 9-29-98; 8:45 am]
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