[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 79 (Monday, April 27, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19113-19114]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-9471]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration

[FTA Docket No. FTA-2009-0023]


Notice of Request for Extension of a Currently Approved 
Information Collection

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 
notice announces the intention of the Federal Transit Administration 
(FTA) to request the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve 
the extension of the currently approved information collection:
    49 CFR Part 611 Major Capital Investment Projects.

DATES: Comments must be submitted before June 26, 2009.

ADDRESSES: To ensure that your comments are not entered more than once 
into the docket, submit comments identified by the docket number by 
only one of the following methods:
    1. Web site: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions 
for submitting comments on the U.S. Government electronic docket site. 
(Note: The U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT's) electronic 
docket is no longer accepting electronic comments.) All electronic 
submissions must be made to the U.S. Government electronic docket site 
at http://www.regulations.gov. Commenters should follow the directions 
below for mailed and hand-delivered comments.
    2. Fax: 202-493-2251.
    3. Mail: U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, 
SE., Docket Operations, M-30, West Building, Ground Floor, Room W12-
140, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
    4. Hand Delivery: U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New 
Jersey Avenue, SE., Docket Operations, M-30, West Building, Ground 
Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001 between 9 a.m. and 5 
p.m., Monday through Friday, except federal holidays.
    Instructions: You must include the agency name and docket number 
for this notice at the beginning of your comments. Submit two copies of 
your comments if you submit them by mail. For confirmation that FTA has 
received your comments, include a self-addressed stamped postcard. Note 
that all comments received, including any personal information, will be 
posted and will be available to Internet users, without change, to 
http://www.regulations.gov. You may review DOT's complete Privacy Act 
Statement in the Federal Register published April 11, 2000, (65 FR 
19477), or you may visit http://www.regulations.gov. Docket: For access 
to the docket to read background documents and comments received, go to 
http://www.regulations.gov at any time. Background documents and 
comments received may also be viewed at the U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Docket Operations, M-30, 
West Building, Ground Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001 
between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except federal 
holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Elizabeth Day, Office of Planning 
and Environment, (202) 366-5159, or e-mail: [email protected].

[[Page 19114]]


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Interested parties are invited to send 
comments regarding any aspect of this information collection, 
including: (1) The necessity and utility of the information collection 
for the proper performance of the functions of the FTA; (2) the 
accuracy of the estimated burden; (3) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility, and clarity of the collected information; and (4) ways to 
minimize the collection burden without reducing the quality of the 
collected information. Comments submitted in response to this notice 
will be summarized and/or included in the request for OMB approval of 
this information collection.

Title: 49 CFR Part 611 Major Capital Investment Projects (OMB Number: 
2132-0561)

    Background: On August 10, 2005, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, 
Efficient, Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) 
was enacted. Sections 3011(d)(5) and 3011(e)(6) of SAFETEA-LU require 
FTA to issue regulations on the manner in which candidate projects for 
major capital investment grants for new fixed guideway systems, 
extensions to existing fixed guideway systems, or significant corridor 
based bus investments (``New Starts,'' ``Small Starts,'' respectively) 
will be evaluated and rated for purposes of the FTA Capital Investment 
Grants program for New and Small Starts under 49 U.S.C. Section 5309. 
An Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) for this regulation 
was issued on January 30, 2006, (71 FR 22841). A Notice of Proposed 
Rulemaking (NPRM) was issued on August 3, 2007, (72 FR 43328). The NPRM 
was withdrawn on February 17, 2009, due to an intervening statutory 
change resulting from the passage of the SAFETEA-LU Technical 
Corrections Act in June 2008.
    FTA has a longstanding requirement to evaluate proposed projects 
against a prescribed set of statutory criteria. The Surface 
Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act of 1987 (STURAA) 
established in law a set of criteria that proposed projects had to meet 
in order to be eligible for federal funding. The requirement for 
summary project ratings has been in place since 1998. Thus, the 
requirements for project evaluation and data collection for New Starts 
projects are not new, nor have they changed extensively since their 
inception. One addition included in SAFETEA-LU is the Small Starts 
program. The Small Starts program enables projects with a lesser total 
capital cost and smaller requested share of New Starts funds to 
progress through a simplified and streamlined project evaluation and 
data collection process. In general, though, the information used by 
FTA for New and Small Starts project evaluation and rating purposes 
should arise as a part of the normal planning process.
    FTA has been collecting project evaluation information from project 
sponsors under the existing OMB approval for this program (OMB No. 
2132-0561). However, due to modifications in project evaluation 
criteria for the New Starts program and the addition of the Small 
Starts program, it became apparent that some information required might 
be beyond the scope of ordinary planning activities.
    SAFETEA-LU creates additional requirements for before-and-after 
data collection for purposes of Government Performance and Results Act 
reporting as a condition of obtaining a Full Funding Grant Agreement 
(FFGA) or a Project Construction Grant Agreement (PCGA).
    Respondents: State and local government.
    Estimated Annual Burden on Respondents: Approximately 217.7 hours 
for each of the 178 respondents.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: 38,760 hours.
    Frequency: Annual.

    Issued: April 21, 2009.
Ann M. Linnertz,
Associate Administrator for Administration.
[FR Doc. E9-9471 Filed 4-24-09; 8:45 am]
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