[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 86 (Thursday, May 3, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26355-26356]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-10616]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration

[FHWA Docket No. FHWA-2012-0005]


Surface Transportation Project Delivery Pilot Program; Caltrans 
Audit Report

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Final report.

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SUMMARY: Section 6005 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient 
Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) established 
the Surface Transportation Project Delivery Pilot Program, codified at 
23 U.S.C. 327. To ensure compliance by each State participating in the 
Pilot Program, 23 U.S.C. 327(g) mandates semiannual audits during each 
of the first 2 years of State participation. This final report presents 
the findings from the sixth FHWA audit of the California Department of 
Transportation (Caltrans) under the pilot program.

[[Page 26356]]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Ruth Rentch, Office of Project 
Development and Environmental Review, (202) 366-2034, 
[email protected], or Mr. Michael Harkins, Office of the Chief 
Counsel, (202) 366-4928, [email protected], Federal Highway 
Administration, Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue 
SE., Washington, DC 20590. Office hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 
p.m., e.t., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Electronic Access

    This document, the notice and request for comment, and all comments 
received may be viewed online through the Federal eRulemaking portal 
at: http://www.regulations.gov. Electronic submission and retrieval 
help and guidelines are available on the Web site. It is available 24 
hours each day, 366 days this year. Please follow the instructions. An 
electronic copy of this notice may be downloaded from the Office of the 
Federal Register's home page at http://www.archives.gov and the 
Government Printing Office's Web site at http://www.access.gpo.gov.

Background

    Section 6005 of SAFETEA-LU (codified at 23 U.S.C. 327) established 
a pilot program to allow up to five States to assume the Secretary of 
Transportation's responsibilities for environmental review, 
consultation, or other actions under any Federal environmental law 
pertaining to the review or approval of highway projects. In order to 
be selected for the pilot program, a State must submit an application 
to the Secretary.
    On June 29, 2007, Caltrans and FHWA entered into a Memorandum of 
Understanding (MOU) that established the assignments to and assumptions 
of responsibility to Caltrans. Under the MOU, Caltrans assumed the 
majority of FHWA's responsibilities under the National Environmental 
Policy Act, as well as the FHWA's responsibilities under other Federal 
environmental laws for most highway projects in California.
    To ensure compliance by each State participating in the Pilot 
Program, 23 U.S.C. 327(g) requires the Secretary to conduct semiannual 
audits during each of the first 2 years of State participation; and 
annual audits during each subsequent year of State participation. The 
results of each audit must be presented in the form of an audit report 
and be made available for public comment. The FHWA solicited comments 
on the sixth audit report in a Federal Register Notice published on 
February 22, 2012, at 77 FR 10599. The FHWA received one comment from 
Caltrans. This notice provides the final draft of the sixth FHWA audit 
report for Caltrans under the pilot program.

    Authority: Section 6005 of Pub. L. 109-59; 23 U.S.C. 315 and 
327; 49 CFR 1.48.

    Issued on: April 26, 2012.
Victor M. Mendez,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2012-10616 Filed 5-2-12; 8:45 am]
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