[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 142 (Monday, July 26, 1999)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 40331-40333]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-19041]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Office of the Secretary

49 CFR Part 71

[OST Docket No. OST-99-5947]
RIN 2105-AC82


Standard Time Zone Boundary in the State of Nevada: Proposed 
Relocation

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking.

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SUMMARY: At the request of the City of West Wendover, Nevada, DOT 
proposes to relocate the boundary between Pacific time and mountain 
time in the State of Nevada. DOT proposes to relocate the boundary in 
order to move West Wendover, Nevada from the Pacific Time Zone to the 
Mountain Time Zone.

DATES: Comments should be received by September 24, 1999 to be assured 
of consideration. Comments received after that date will be considered 
to the extent practicable. If the time zone boundary is changed as a 
result of this rulemaking, the effective date would be 2:00 a.m. PDT 
Sunday, October 31, 1999.

ADDRESSES: You may submit your comments and related material by one of 
the following methods:
    (1) By mail to the Docket Management Facility (OST-1999-5947), U.S. 
Department of Transportation, room PL-401, 400 Seventh Street SW., 
Washington, DC 20590-0001.
    (2) By hand delivery to room PL-401 on the Plaza level of the 
Nassif Building, 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. 
and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The 
telephone number is 202-366-9329.
    (3) By fax to Docket Management Facility at 202-493-2251.
    (4) Electronically through the Web Site for the Docket Management 
System at http://dms.dot.gov.
    The Docket Management Facility maintains the public docket for this 
rulemaking. Comments and material received from the public, as well as 
documents indicated in this preamble as being available in the docket, 
will become part of this docket and will be available for inspection or 
copying at room PL-401 on the Plaza level of the Nassif Building at the 
same address between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except 
Federal holidays. You may also find this docket on the Internet at 
http://dms.dot.gov.
    For questions on viewing or submitting material to the docket, call 
Dorothy Walker, Chief, Dockets,

[[Page 40332]]

Department of Transportation, telephone 202-366-9329.
    Public Hearing: A public hearing will be chaired by a 
representative of DOT at the West Wendover Library, Pilot Peak Room, 
590 Camper Drive, West Wendover, Nevada, on Tuesday, August 10, 1999, 
at 6:00 p.m. MDT/5:00 p.m. PDT. The hearing will be informal and will 
be tape recorded for inclusion in the docket. Persons who desire to 
express opinions or ask questions at the hearings do not have to sign 
up in advance or give any prior notification. To the greatest extent 
practicable, the DOT representative will provide an opportunity to 
speak for all those wishing to do so.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joanne Petrie, Office of the Assistant 
General Counsel for Regulation and Enforcement, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, Room 10424, 400 Seventh Street, Washington, D.C. 20590, 
(202) 366-9315; email address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Under the Standard Time Act of 1918, as amended by the Uniform Time 
Act of 1966 (15 U.S.C. 260-64), the Secretary of Transportation has 
authority to issue regulations modifying the boundaries between time 
zones in the United States in order to move an area from one time zone 
to another. The standard in the statute for such decisions is ``regard 
for the convenience of commerce and the existing junction points and 
division points of common carriers engaged in interstate or foreign 
commerce.''

Petition for Rulemaking

    On January 8, 1999, Mayor Walter F. Sanders, Mayor of the City of 
West Wendover, Nevada sent a letter to the Department of Transportation 
asking the Department to change the city from the Pacific time zone to 
the Mountain time zone. The letter noted the following facts in support 
of its petition.
    1. West Wendover is located on the border of Utah and Nevada and is 
directly adjacent to the City of Wendover, Utah, which is in the 
Mountain time zone.
    2. It is more than one hundred miles to the nearest city.
    3. Businesses in West Wendover make most of their purchases from 
Salt Lake City, which is in the Mountain time zone.
    4. The city receives all of its television and radio broadcasts 
from Salt Lake City. Due to mountain ranges west of West Wendover, 
radio broadcasts cannot be received from the Nevada area.
    5. West Wendover has one weekly local newspaper, which is printed 
in Salt Lake City.
    6. The City of West Wendover currently has no passenger rail 
service. The nearest public rail service is located in either Salt Lake 
City, Utah or Elko, Nevada. Both cities are more than one hundred miles 
from West Wendover.
    7. Greyhound buses travel through West Wendover on an east/west 
run, but only stop in Wendover, Utah.
    8. Wendover, Utah has a small airport, which is limited to mostly 
small private aircraft and which receives no commercial air service. 
Tooele County, Utah, which is on Mountain time, is in the process of 
renovating its airport. The closest major airport is Salt Lake City 
International Airport.
    9. A small percentage of West Wendover's working population resides 
outside the City limits. The majority of employed residents work in the 
gaming/tourism industry.
    10. Medical services are currently provided by a local medical 
clinic. The facility is owned by the City of West Wendover, which in 
turn has leased the facility to the University of Utah--Medical 
Facility. This agreement provided the opportunity for expanded medical 
services to the community. Most residents of West Wendover travel to 
Salt Lake City for major and routine health care.
    11. Secondary education is offered in Salt Lake City, Utah and 
Elko, Nevada.
    12. West Wendover is in the process of expanding its recreation 
facilities. These recreational services are designed to accommodate 
people from the Wastach Front area, which is on Mountain time.
    13. West Wendover's residents must travel to Salt Lake City or Elko 
in order to obtain a greater variety of services, shopping, and 
recreation.
    14. The City of West Wendover is trying to purchase Air Force 
property adjacent to the Tooele County Airport. This purchase is 
expected to provide opportunities to establish a more diversified 
economy within the Wendover/West Wendover community.
    15. Historically, West Wendover has always operated on Mountain 
time. Prior to the 1980s, there was no reason to do otherwise because 
there was literally nothing to the town fifty yards past the state 
line. When West Wendover began to ``boom,'' the town tried to operate 
by Pacific time. According to the Mayor, this action created mass 
confusion for both residents and those outside the community.
    The Mayor stated that by allowing West Wendover to formally move 
into the Mountain time zone, commerce within the Wendover/West Wendover 
community would be facilitated and confusion would be eliminated.
    Under DOT procedures to change a time zone boundary, the Department 
will generally begin a rulemaking proceeding if the highest elected 
officials in the area make a prima facie case for the proposed change. 
DOT has determined that the petition from the City of West Wendover 
makes a prima facie case that warrants opening a proceeding to 
determine whether the change should be made. Consequently, in this 
notice of proposed rulemaking, DOT is proposing to make the requested 
change and is inviting public comment.
    Although the City of West Wendover has submitted sufficient 
information to begin the rulemaking process, the decision whether 
actually to make the change will be based upon information received at 
the hearing or submitted in writing to the docket. Persons supporting 
or opposing the change should not assume that the change will be made 
merely because DOT is making the proposal. We are not bound either to 
accept or reject the proposal of the City of West Wendover at the 
present time in the proceeding. The Department here issues no opinion 
on the merits of the City's request. Our decision will be made on the 
basis of information developed during the rulemaking proceeding.

Impact on Observance of Daylight Saving Time

    This time zone proposal does not directly affect the observance of 
daylight saving time. Under the Uniform Time Act of 1966, as amended, 
the standard time of each time zone in the United States is advanced 
one hour from 2:00 a.m. on the first Sunday in April until 2:00 a.m. on 
the last Sunday in October, except in any State that has, by law, 
exempted itself from this observance.

Regulatory Analysis & Notices

    This proposed rule is not a ``significant regulatory action'' under 
section 3(f) of Executive Order 12866 and does not require an 
assessment of potential costs and benefits under section 6(a)(3) of 
that Order. It has not been reviewed by the Office of Management and 
Budget under that Order. It is not ``significant'' under the regulatory 
policies and procedures of the Department of Transportation (DOT) (44 
FR 11040; February 26, 1979). We expect the economic impact of this 
proposed rule to be so minimal that a full Regulatory Evaluation under 
paragraph 10e of the regulatory policies and procedures of DOT is 
unnecessary.

[[Page 40333]]

The rule primarily affects the convenience of individuals in scheduling 
activities. By itself, it imposes no direct costs. Its impact is 
localized in nature.

Small Entities

    Under the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601-612), we 
considered whether this proposed rule would have a significant economic 
impact on a substantial number of small entities. The term ``small 
entities'' comprises small businesses, not-for-profit organizations 
that are independently owned and operated and are not dominant in their 
fields, and governmental jurisdictions with populations of less than 
50,000. This proposal, if adopted, would primarily affect individuals 
and their scheduling of activities. Although it would effect some small 
businesses, not-for-profits and, the City of West Wendover, it would 
not be a substantial number. In addition, the change should have 
little, if any, economic impact.
    Therefore, the Office of the Secretary certifies under 5 U.S.C. 
605(b) that this proposed rule would not have a significant economic 
impact on a substantial number of small entities. If you think that 
your business, organization, or governmental jurisdiction qualifies as 
a small entity and that this rule would have a significant economic 
impact on it, please submit a comment to the Docket Management Facility 
at the address under ADDRESSES. In your comment, explain why you think 
it qualifies and how and to what degree this rule would economically 
affect it.
    Under section 213(a) of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement 
Fairness Act of 1996 (Pub. L. 104-121), we want to assist small 
entities in understanding this proposed rule so that they can better 
evaluate its effects on them and participate in the rulemaking. If the 
rule would affect your small business, organization, or governmental 
jurisdiction and you have questions concerning its provisions or 
options for compliance, please call Joanne Petrie at (202) 366-9315.

Collection of Information

    This proposed rule would call for no new collection of information 
under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520).

Federalism

    We have analyzed this proposed rule under E.O. 12612 and have 
determined that this rule does not have sufficient implications for 
federalism to warrant the preparation of a Federalism Assessment.

Unfunded Mandates

    The Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1531-1538) and 
E.O. 12875, Enhancing the Intergovernmental Partnership, (58 FR 58093; 
October 28, 1993) govern the issuance of Federal regulations that 
require unfunded mandates. An unfunded mandate is a regulation that 
requires a State, local, or tribal government or the private sector to 
incur direct costs without the Federal Government's having first 
provided the funds to pay those costs. This proposed rule would not 
impose an unfunded mandate.

Taking of Private Property

    This proposed rule would not effect a taking of private property or 
otherwise have taking implications under E.O. 12630, Governmental 
Actions and Interference with Constitutionally Protected Property 
Rights.

Civil Justice Reform

    This proposed rule meets applicable standards in sections 3(a) and 
3(b)(2) of E.O. 12988, Civil Justice Reform, to minimize litigation, 
eliminate ambiguity, and reduce burden.

Protection of Children

    We have analyzed this proposed rule under E.O. 13045, Protection of 
Children from Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks. This rule is 
not an economically significant rule and does not concern an 
environmental risk to health or risk to safety that may 
disproportionately affect children.

Environment

    This rulemaking is not a major Federal action significantly 
affecting the quality of the human environment under the National 
Environmental Policy Act and, therefore, an environmental impact 
statement is not required.

List of Subjects in 49 CFR Part 71

    Time zones.
    For the reasons discussed above, the Office of the Secretary 
proposes to amend Title 49 Part 71 as follows:

PART 71--[AMENDED]

    1. The authority citation for Part 71 would continue to read as 
follows:

    Authority: Secs. 1-4, 40 Stat. 450, as amended; sec. 1, 41 Stat. 
1446, as amended; secs. 2-7, 80 Stat. 107, as amended; 100 Stat. 
764; Act of Mar. 19, 1918, as amended by the Uniform Time Act of 
1966 and Pub. L. 97-449, 15 U.S.C. 260-267; Pub. L. 99-359; 49 CFR 
159(a), unless otherwise noted.

    2. In Sec. 71.9 paragraph (b) would be revised to read as follows:


Sec. 71.9  Boundary line between mountain and Pacific zones.

    (a) * * *
    (b) Utah-Nevada-Arizona-California. From the northeast corner of 
the State of Nevada southerly along the Utah-Nevada boundary to the 
junction with the northern border of the City of West Wendover, Utah. 
Then westward along the northern, western, and southern boundaries of 
the City of West Wendover back to the Utah-Nevada boundary. Then 
southerly along the Utah-Nevada boundary, the Nevada-Arizona boundary, 
and the Arizona-California boundary to the boundary between the United 
States and Mexico.
* * * * *

    Issued in Washington on July 12, 1999, under authority delegated 
in 49 CFR Sec. 1.57(a).
Rosalind Knapp,
Acting General Counsel.
[FR Doc. 99-19041 Filed 7-23-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-62-P