[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 195 (Wednesday, October 8, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58162-58163]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-25618]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

[Docket Nos. FMCSA-98-3298 and FMCSA-98-3299]


Notice of Scoping Meetings and Soliciting Scoping Comments for 
Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement and General Conformity 
Evaluation for Proposal To Promulgate North American Free Trade 
Agreement Regulations

AGENCY: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), DOT.

ACTION: Announcement of public scoping meetings.

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SUMMARY: The agency is in the early stages of preparing an 
environmental analysis, including a Programmatic Environmental Impact 
Statement (PEIS) and a General Conformity Evaluation (GCE), assessing 
the potential environmental impacts'such as impact on air quality'on 
its proposal to promulgate regulations allowing trucks and buses 
domiciled in Mexico to operate throughout the United States under 
conditions ensuring public safety. The FMCSA is holding several public 
meetings on environmental issues and concerns to be considered in the 
PEIS and GCE. The purpose of these meetings is to obtain the public's 
input on the potential range or scope of environmental impacts and 
alternatives that should be considered in the PEIS and GCE. FMCSA 
invites the public to submit comments on the environmental issues and 
topics that they believe are appropriate for inclusion in these 
analyses.

DATES: See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for meeting dates.

ADDRESSES: See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for meeting addresses.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Charles Rombro, Analysis Division, 
Office of Information Management, (202) 366-1861, FMCSA, Department of 
Transportation, 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC 20590-0001. You 
may also visit FMCSA's Web site at http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/NAFTAEIS or 
call FMCSA's toll-free hotline number at (800) 288-5634. Inquiries may 
be made in Spanish or English.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Meeting Dates and Addresses

    The scoping meeting addresses, dates and times are as follows:
    1. El Paso--October 21, 2003, 7 p.m. `` 9 p.m.; Franklin High 
School, 900 North Resler Drive, El Paso, TX; (915) 832-6600.
    2. Phoenix--October 21, 2003; 7 p.m. `` 9 p.m.; Wyndham Phoenix 
Hotel, 50 East Adams Street, Phoenix, AZ; (602) 333-0000.
    3. San Diego--October 22, 2003; 7 p.m. `` 9 p.m.; San Diego 
Concourse, 202 C Street, San Diego, CA; (619) 525-5000.
    4. Nogales--October 22, 2003; 7 p.m. `` 9 p.m.; Santa Cruz County 
Complex, 2150 N. Congress Drive, Nogales, AZ; (520) 375-7812.
    5. Los Angeles--October 23, 2003; 7 p.m. `` 9 p.m.; Los Angeles 
Convention Center; 1201 South Figueroa Street; Los Angeles, CA;
    (213) 741-1151.
    6. Las Cruces--October 27, 2003; 7 p.m. `` 9 p.m.; New Mexico State 
University, Corbett Center Student Union; Las Cruces, NM;
    (505) 646-3049.
    7. Laredo--October 27, 2003; 7 p.m. `` 9 p.m.; Texas A&M 
International University, 5201 University Blvd, Laredo, TX; (956) 326-
2001.
    8. Houston--October 28, 2003; 7 p.m. `` 9 p.m.; Reliant Arena; One 
Reliant Park, Houston, TX; (800) 776-4995.
    9. Washington, DC--October 30, 2003; 2 p.m. `` 4 p.m.; Loews 
L'Enfant Plaza Hotel; 480 L'Enfant Plaza, Washington, DC; (202) 484-
1000.

Pre-Registration to Speak at Public Meetings

    Persons wanting to speak at a public meeting are encouraged to pre-
register by calling FMCSA's toll-free hotline at (800) 288-5634 and 
leave their name, telephone number, the name of any group, business, or 
agency affiliation, if applicable, and the date and location of the 
meeting at which they wish to speak. The deadline for pre-registration 
for all meetings is October 20, 2003.
    Persons will be called to speak at each meeting in the following 
order: elected officials, those who pre-registered, and then those 
wishing to speak who did not pre-register. Those wishing to speak at 
more than one meeting will also be accommodated, after their first 
meeting, as time allows and after all others have had an opportunity to 
participate. As FMCSA would like as many persons as possible to 
participate and since there will be a limited amount of time at each 
meeting, all speakers are strongly

[[Page 58163]]

encouraged to prepare summary oral comments, and submit detailed 
comments in writing at the meeting or as described below. FMCSA also 
encourages groups of individuals with similar comments to designate a 
representative to speak for them. A translator will be available at the 
meetings for Spanish-speakers wishing to speak.
    In addition to submitting comments at the public meetings, the 
public may submit comments to FMSCA by November 7, 2003, via one of the 
following:
    [sbull] Project Web site at http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/NAFTAEIS;
    [sbull] E-mail to [email protected];
    [sbull] FAX at (800) 260-9702; or
    [sbull] Mail to NAFTA EIS, P.O. Box 4050, Merrifield, VA 22116-
4050.
    After completing the scoping comment process, FMCSA will prepare a 
draft EIS and GCE to address the environmental concerns identified by 
the public. This draft EIS will be made publicly available for review 
and comment. FMCSA will then prepare a final EIS and issue a record of 
decision that considers and responds to comments concerning the draft 
EIS. Both the draft and final PEIS will be available to the public on 
the Project Web site at http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/NAFTAEIS. In addition, 
copies can be requested by calling FMCSA's toll-free hotline at (800) 
288-5634.

Background

    The FMCSA is responsible for ensuring the safe operation of 
commercial motor vehicles within the United States. In carrying out 
these responsibilities, FMCSA proposed regulations in May 2001 
prescribing application procedures and procedures for monitoring the 
safety of Mexico-domiciled carriers seeking permission to operate 
within the United States. FMCSA proposed these rules pursuant to NAFTA 
and in anticipation of the President lifting a moratorium previously 
imposed by Congress on the operating authority of Mexico-domiciled 
carriers. The proposed regulations would permit Mexico-domiciled 
carriers to operate throughout the entire Unites States, rather than 
only in the narrow border commercial zone to which they are currently 
confined. The implementation of the rules was put on hold as a result 
of a court decision finding FMCSA should have conducted a more 
extensive analysis of the environmental impacts of the regulations. See 
Public Citizen v. Department of Transportation, 316 F. 3d 1002 (9th 
Cir. 2003).
    FMCSA is now in the process of preparing a more extensive 
environmental analysis of the potential impacts of the rules. This will 
include a detailed analysis of the environmental impacts of the rules 
and other alternatives, called a ``Programmatic Environmental Impact 
Statement'' or PEIS, to be prepared pursuant to the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969. It also will include an analysis of 
specific air quality impacts, called a ``General Conformity 
Evaluation'' or GCE, to be prepared pursuant to the Clean Air Act of 
1990. A notice of intent to prepare a PEIS and a GCE was published in 
the Federal Register on August 26, 2003 [68 FR 51322].

(Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6)

    Issued on: October 3, 2003.
Annette M. Sandberg,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 03-25618 Filed 10-7-03; 8:45 am]
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