[Federal Register: May 13, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 92)] [Proposed Rules] [Page 25864-25865] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr13my99-26] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Transit Administration 49 CFR Part 611 [Docket No. 99-5474] RIN 2132-AA63 Major Capital Investment Projects AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), DOT. ACTION: Proposed rule; notice of meeting. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: On April 7, 1999, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) describing the procedures that FTA proposes to use to evaluate and rate candidate projects for capital investment grants and loans for new fixed guideway systems and extensions to existing systems (``new starts'') (64 FR 17062-71). The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) requires FTA to issue regulations covering the evaluation and rating of such projects. The docket for this NPRM is open for public comment until July 6, 1999; FTA invites public comment, and included a number of questions in the NPRM soliciting specific comment. In order to encourage public comment, FTA intends to host three workshops on the NPRM. This notice announces the dates, times, locations and procedures for those workshops. DATES: The three workshops are scheduled as follows: 1. May 24, 1999, 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. (local time); Toronto, Ontario. 2. June 3, 1999, 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (local time); San Francisco, CA. 3. June 8, 1999, 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (local time); Washington, DC. ADDRESSES: The Toronto, Ontario workshop will be held in the Essex Ballroom at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel, 123 Queen St. West, Toronto, Ontario, MSH 2M9, in conjunction with the 1999 APTA Commuter Rail/Rapid Transit Conference. The San Francisco, CA workshop will be held at: Joseph P. Bort MetroCenter Auditorium, 101 Eighth Street, Oakland, California (adjacent to the Lake Merritt BART station). The Washington, DC workshop will be held at: U.S. Department of Transportation, room 3200-3204, 400 7th Street SW, Washington, DC 20590. Written material submitted at the workshops will be placed in the rulemaking docket. Interpreters and alternative-format information are available upon request; requests should be made by May 17 for any of the workshops. [[Page 25865]] FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Day, Office of Policy Development, FTA, (202) 366-4060. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On April 7, 1999, FTA issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to carry out the requirements of Section 3009(e)(5) of TEA-21 (64 FR 17062-71). This statute directs FTA to issue regulations that define the process that FTA will use to evaluate candidate new starts under the criteria contained in 49 U.S.C. 5309. When issued, the Final Rule will set forth the approach FTA will use to evaluate candidate projects in terms of their justification and local financial commitment, as required under 49 U.S.C. 5309(e). Consistent with 49 U.S.C. 5309(e)(6), as amended by Section 3009(e) of TEA-21, these procedures will also be used to approve candidate projects for entry into preliminary engineering and final design. These procedures will also be used to evaluate projects in order to make recommendations for funding in the annual report to Congress required by 49 U.S.C. 5309(o)(1). Notice of Meeting and Meeting Procedures FTA believes that the public will benefit from an opportunity for dialog concerning the NPRM on evaluation of major capital investment projects, or new starts. Therefore, FTA is holding three public workshops, as follows: May 24, 1999; Toronto, Ontario, in conjunction with the 1999 APTA Commuter Rail/Rapid Transit Conference; June 3, 1999; San Francisco, CA; June 8, 1999; Washington, DC. Information gathered at the workshops will be included in the rulemaking docket and evaluated in conjunction with the development of the Final Rule. This notice establishes the general procedures set forth below to facilitate the workshops. The workshops are intended to solicit public views and information on the proposed rule. Therefore, they will be conducted in an informal and nonadversarial manner. The San Francisco, CA and Washington, DC workshops will last 3\1/2\ hours, beginning at 9:00 a.m.; the Toronto, Ontario workshop will last 3 hours, beginning at 2:00 p.m. The format will consist of an overview of the NPRM, including relevant background information, by FTA officials. A general question-and-answer session will follow. Seating will be limited by available room size and will be made available on a first-come, first-served basis, with some seats reserved as necessary for speakers, interpreters and persons requiring their services, and others requiring specific accommodations. For those who cannot attend, a tape recording, transcript, or other record of the workshops will be available in the rulemaking docket after the workshops. We will try to accommodate all attendees who wish to speak during the question-and-answer period. Speakers will be accommodated on a first-come, first-served basis; however, FTA reserves the right to exclude some speakers or limit their time in order to provide equal opportunity to all who wish to speak. All statements and materials received at the workshop will become part of the rulemaking docket. Issued: May 7, 1999. Gordon J. Linton, Administrator. [FR Doc. 99-12034 Filed 5-12-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910-57-P