[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 15 (Monday, January 26, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4502-4503]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-1545]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration

[Docket Number: FTA-2009-0005]


Notice of Availability of Discussion Paper on the Evaluation of 
Economic Development

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of the Federal Transit 
Administration's (FTA) discussion paper on the Evaluation of Economic 
Development and requests your comments on it. The paper describes one 
possible approach that could be used to evaluate economic development 
impacts of projects seeking New Starts funding. Economic development is 
one of the criteria that FTA uses to assess project justification, 
which, along with local financial commitment, informs FTA funding 
decisions for New Starts projects.

DATES: Comments must be received within 60 days after publication in 
the Federal Register. Late filed comments will be considered to the 
extent practicable.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments [identified by the Docket Number 
FTA-2008-0053] by any of the following methods:
    Web site: http://regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for 
submitting comments on the DOT electronic docket site.
    Fax: 202-493-2251.
    Mail: U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket Operations, M-30, 
West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE., 
Washington, DC 20590.
    Hand Delivery: U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket 
Operations, M-30, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New 
Jersey Ave., SE., Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, except Federal Holidays.

[[Page 4503]]

    Instructions: You must include the agency name (Federal Transit 
Administration) and the docket number (FTA-2009-0005). You should 
submit two copies of your comments if you submit them by mail. If you 
wish to receive confirmation that FTA received your comments, you must 
include a self-addressed stamped postcard. Note that all comments 
received will be posted without change to the federal government Web 
site located at http://regulations.gov. This means that if your comment 
includes any personal identifying information, such information will be 
made available to users of Web site.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ron Fisher, Office of Planning and 
Environment, telephone (202) 366-4033. FTA is located at 1200 New 
Jersey Ave., SE., East Building, Washington, DC 20590. Office hours are 
from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal 
holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Although the discussion paper is reasonably 
detailed, FTA invites comments that may address broader areas of the 
evaluation of economic development as well as comments that address the 
level of detail described. Comments made on the discussion paper will 
be considered by FTA in its development of proposed policy guidance 
some time in the future on the approach for evaluation of economic 
development. That proposed policy guidance will also be published for 
notice and comment prior to being finalized.
    FTA is departing from its usual approach of simply issuing proposed 
guidance and then final because no formal FTA approach to evaluation of 
this criterion exists, there is a broad diversity of views on the 
definition of economic development, and the state-of-the-practice for 
its evaluation is far behind that for more traditional measures of 
mobility improvements. FTA requests comments on the evaluation of 
economic development and specifically on the discussion paper, which is 
available in DOT's electronic docket at http://regulations.gov and on 
FTA's Web site at http://www.fta.dot.gov/planning/newstarts/planning_environment_5615.html.

    Issued on: January 16, 2009.
Sherry E. Little,
Acting Administrator.
 [FR Doc. E9-1545 Filed 1-23-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-57-P