81 FR 11833 - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Lands in the Northeast Region; Draft Long Range Transportation Plan
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 44 (March 7, 2016)
Fish and Wildlife Service
Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 44 (March 7, 2016)
| Page Range | 11833-11834 | |
| FR Document | 2016-04987 |
[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 44 (Monday, March 7, 2016)] [Notices] [Pages 11833-11834] From the Federal Register Online [www.thefederalregister.org] [FR Doc No: 2016-04987] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS-R5-R-2015-N238; FXRS85510553RGO-XXX-FF05R04000] U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Lands in the Northeast Region; Draft Long Range Transportation Plan AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of a draft long-range transportation plan (LRTP) for public review and comment. The draft LRTP outlines a strategy for improving and maintaining transportation assets that provide access to Service-managed lands in the Northeast Region (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia) over the next 20 years. DATES: To ensure our consideration of your written comments, please send them no later than April 6, 2016. ADDRESSES: Send your comments or requests for copies of the draft LRTP for Service lands in the Northeast Region by one of the following methods.Agency Web site: View or download the draft document on the Web at http://www.fws.gov/northeast/refuges/roads/pdf/northeast-region-long-range-transportation-plan.pdf. U.S. Mail: Carl Melberg, Acting Regional Transportation Program Coordinator, Northeast Region, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 300 Westgate Center Drive, Hadley, MA 01035. Email: [email protected]. Please put the words ``Draft Long Range Transportation Plan'' in the subject line of your electronic mail. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carl Melberg, Acting Regional Transportation Program Coordinator, phone: 413-253-8586; facsimile: 413-253-8468; or electronic mail: [email protected]. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Introduction With this notice, we make the draft LRTP for the Northeast Region of the Service available for public review and comment. When finalized, the LRTP will apply to Service-managed lands in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. Background The Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) requires all Federal land management agencies to conduct long-range transportation planning in a manner that is consistent with metropolitan planning organization and state Department of Transportation planning. This LRTP was initiated within the Service to achieve the following: Establish a defensible structure for sound transportation planning and decision-making. Establish a vision, mission, goals, and objectives for transportation planning in the Service's Northeast Region. Implement coordinated and cooperative transportation partnerships in an effort to improve the Service's transportation infrastructure. Integrate transportation planning and funding for wildlife refuges and fish hatcheries into existing and future Service management plans and strategies (e.g., comprehensive conservation plans and comprehensive hatchery management plans). Increase awareness of Alternative Transportation Systems and associated benefits. Develop best management practices for transportation improvements on Service lands. Serve as a pilot project for the implementation of a Region-level transportation planning process within the Service. LRTP Mission, Goals, and Objectives Through a collaborative effort, the Service's National Wildlife Refuge System (Refuge System) and Fish and Aquatic Conservation program, in cooperation with the Division of Refuge Field Support within the Service's Northeast Region, have contributed to defining the mission, goals, and objectives presented in this document. The resulting mission, goals, and objectives are intended to provide a systematic approach to guide the process for evaluating and selecting transportation improvement for the Service lands in the Northeast Region. These guiding principles have shaped the development, conclusions, and recommendations of this LRTP. Mission To support the Service's mission by connecting people to fish, wildlife, and their habitats through strategic implementation of transportation programs. Goals and Objectives This LRTP has six categories of goals: Coordinated Opportunities; Asset Management; Safety; Environmental; Access, Mobility, and Connectivity; and Visitor Experience. Under each goal, we present distinct objectives that move us to the goal. 1. Coordinated Opportunities: The program will seek joint transportation opportunities that support the Service mission, maximize the utility of Service resources, and provide mutual benefits to the Service and external partners. Objectives: Identify and increase key internal and external partnerships at the national, regional, and unit levels. [[Page 11834]] Maximize leveraged opportunities by identifying and pursuing funding for projects of mutual interest and benefit. Develop best practices for external engagement that illustrates success in forming and nurturing coalitions and partnerships that support the Service's mission. Coordinate within Service programs, including the Refuge System, Ecological Services, Fish and Aquatic Conservation, hatcheries, and Migratory Birds during the development of regional long-range and project-level plans. 2. Asset Management: The program will operate and maintain a functional, financially sustainable, and resilient transportation network to satisfy current and future land management needs in the face of a changing climate. Objectives: Use asset management principles to maintain important infrastructure at an appropriate condition level. Prioritize work programs through the project selection process detailed in this plan or an adaptation thereof. Evaluate life-cycle costs when considering new assets to determine long-term financial sustainability. Consider the impacts of increased climate variability in the planning and management of transportation assets. 3. Safety: The program's network will provide a superior level of safety for all users and all modes of transportation to and within Service lands. Objectives: Identify safety issue ``hot spots'' within the Service's transportation system with the Safety Analysis Toolkit. Implement appropriate safety countermeasures to resolve safety issues and reduce the frequency and severity of crashes (also with the Safety Analysis Toolkit). Address wildlife-vehicle collisions with design solutions (Environmental Enhancements). Use cooperation and communication among the 4E's of safety, including engineering, education, enforcement, and emergency medical services. 4. Environmental: Transportation infrastructure will be landscape appropriate and play a key role in the improvement of environmental conditions in and around Service lands. Objectives: Follow the Roadway Design Guidelines for best practices in design, planning, management, maintenance, and construction of transportation assets. Reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants by increasing transportation options and use of alternative fuels. Protect wildlife corridors, reduce habitat fragmentation, and enhance terrestrial and aquatic organism passage on and adjacent to Service lands to conserve fish, wildlife, and plant populations. 5. Access, Mobility, and Connectivity: The program will ensure that units open to public visitation have adequate transportation options for all users, including underserved, underrepresented, and mobility- limited populations. Objectives: Offer a wide range of transportation modes and linkages for on and offsite access. Provide a clear way finding information both on and off Service lands. Through the Urban Wildlife Conservation Program, integrate Service transportation facilities with local community transportation systems in a way that encourages local visitation and provides economic benefits to partner and gateway communities. Through coordinated planning, provide context-appropriate transportation facilities that address the specific needs of local visitor groups and respect the natural setting of the refuge or hatchery. Address congestion issues to and within Service units. 6. Visitor Experience: The program will enhance the visitation experience through improvement and investment in the transportation network. Objectives: Integrate interpretation, education, and resource stewardship principles into the transportation experience. Evaluate the feasibility of alternative transportation systems at all stations and implement where appropriate. Encourage connections with existing and planned public and private transportation services. Design infrastructure in such a way that highlights the landscape and not the transportation facility. Next Steps After this comment period ends, we will analyze the comments and address them in the form of a final LRTP. Public Availability of Comments Before including your address, telephone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment-including your personal identifying information-may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. Dated: February 4, 2016. Deborah Rocque, Acting Regional Director, Northeast Region. [FR Doc. 2016-04987 Filed 3-4-16; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4333-15-P
![Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 44 / Monday, March 7, 2016 / Notices 11833
during the public meeting. Written maintaining transportation assets that • Implement coordinated and
statements must be received by the date provide access to Service-managed cooperative transportation partnerships
above, so that the information may be lands in the Northeast Region (Maine, in an effort to improve the Service’s
made available to the Council for their New Hampshire, Vermont, transportation infrastructure.
consideration prior to this meeting. Massachusetts, Rhode Island, • Integrate transportation planning
Written statements must be supplied to Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, and funding for wildlife refuges and fish
the Council Coordinator in both of the New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, hatcheries into existing and future
following formats: One hard copy with Virginia, and West Virginia) over the Service management plans and
original signature, and one electronic next 20 years. strategies (e.g., comprehensive
copy via email (acceptable file formats DATES: To ensure our consideration of conservation plans and comprehensive
are Adobe Acrobat PDF, MS Word, MS your written comments, please send hatchery management plans).
PowerPoint, or rich text file). them no later than April 6, 2016. • Increase awareness of Alternative
Giving an Oral Presentation ADDRESSES: Send your comments or Transportation Systems and associated
Individuals or groups requesting to requests for copies of the draft LRTP for benefits.
make an oral presentation at the meeting Service lands in the Northeast Region by • Develop best management practices
will be limited to 2 minutes per speaker, one of the following methods. for transportation improvements on
with no more than a total of 30 minutes • Agency Web site: View or download Service lands.
for all speakers. Interested parties the draft document on the Web at • Serve as a pilot project for the
should contact the Council Coordinator, http://www.fws.gov/northeast/refuges/ implementation of a Region-level
in writing (preferably via email; see FOR roads/pdf/northeast-region-long-range- transportation planning process within
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT), to be
transportation-plan.pdf. the Service.
• U.S. Mail: Carl Melberg, Acting
placed on the public speaker list for this LRTP Mission, Goals, and Objectives
Regional Transportation Program
meeting. Nonregistered public speakers
Coordinator, Northeast Region, U.S. Through a collaborative effort, the
will not be considered during the
Fish and Wildlife Service, 300 Westgate Service’s National Wildlife Refuge
meeting. Registered speakers who wish
Center Drive, Hadley, MA 01035. System (Refuge System) and Fish and
to expand upon their oral statements, or
• Email: carl_melberg@fws.gov. Aquatic Conservation program, in
those who had wished to speak but
Please put the words ‘‘Draft Long Range cooperation with the Division of Refuge
could not be accommodated on the
Transportation Plan’’ in the subject line Field Support within the Service’s
agenda, may submit written statements
of your electronic mail. Northeast Region, have contributed to
to the Council Coordinator up to 30
days subsequent to the meeting. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carl defining the mission, goals, and
Melberg, Acting Regional objectives presented in this document.
Meeting Minutes Transportation Program Coordinator, The resulting mission, goals, and
Summary minutes of the conference phone: 413–253–8586; facsimile: 413– objectives are intended to provide a
will be maintained by the Council 253–8468; or electronic mail: carl_ systematic approach to guide the
Coordinator (see FOR FURTHER melberg@fws.gov. process for evaluating and selecting
INFORMATION CONTACT). They will be SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: transportation improvement for the
available for public inspection within Service lands in the Northeast Region.
Introduction
90 days of the meeting, and will be These guiding principles have shaped
posted on the Council’s Web site at With this notice, we make the draft the development, conclusions, and
http://www.fws.gov/whhcc. LRTP for the Northeast Region of the recommendations of this LRTP.
Service available for public review and
James W. Kurth, Mission
comment. When finalized, the LRTP
Acting Director. will apply to Service-managed lands in To support the Service’s mission by
[FR Doc. 2016–04962 Filed 3–4–16; 8:45 am] Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, connecting people to fish, wildlife, and
BILLING CODE 4333–15–P Massachusetts, Rhode Island, their habitats through strategic
Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, implementation of transportation
New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, programs.
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Virginia, and West Virginia.
Goals and Objectives
Fish and Wildlife Service Background
This LRTP has six categories of goals:
[FWS–R5–R–2015–N238; The Fixing America’s Surface
FXRS85510553RGO–XXX–FF05R04000]
Coordinated Opportunities; Asset
Transportation Act (FAST Act) requires
Management; Safety; Environmental;
all Federal land management agencies to
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Lands in Access, Mobility, and Connectivity; and
conduct long-range transportation
the Northeast Region; Draft Long Visitor Experience. Under each goal, we
planning in a manner that is consistent
Range Transportation Plan present distinct objectives that move us
with metropolitan planning
to the goal.
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, organization and state Department of
Transportation planning. This LRTP 1. Coordinated Opportunities: The
Interior. program will seek joint transportation
was initiated within the Service to
asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
ACTION: Notice of availability; request opportunities that support the Service
for comments. achieve the following:
• Establish a defensible structure for mission, maximize the utility of Service
SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and sound transportation planning and resources, and provide mutual benefits
Wildlife Service (Service), announce the decision-making. to the Service and external partners.
availability of a draft long-range • Establish a vision, mission, goals, Objectives:
transportation plan (LRTP) for public and objectives for transportation • Identify and increase key internal
review and comment. The draft LRTP planning in the Service’s Northeast and external partnerships at the
outlines a strategy for improving and Region. national, regional, and unit levels.
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![11834 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 44 / Monday, March 7, 2016 / Notices
• Maximize leveraged opportunities • Protect wildlife corridors, reduce identifying information from public
by identifying and pursuing funding for habitat fragmentation, and enhance review, we cannot guarantee that we
projects of mutual interest and benefit. terrestrial and aquatic organism passage will be able to do so.
• Develop best practices for external on and adjacent to Service lands to Dated: February 4, 2016.
engagement that illustrates success in conserve fish, wildlife, and plant Deborah Rocque,
forming and nurturing coalitions and populations.
partnerships that support the Service’s Acting Regional Director, Northeast Region.
5. Access, Mobility, and Connectivity:
mission. [FR Doc. 2016–04987 Filed 3–4–16; 8:45 am]
The program will ensure that units open
• Coordinate within Service to public visitation have adequate BILLING CODE 4333–15–P
programs, including the Refuge System, transportation options for all users,
Ecological Services, Fish and Aquatic including underserved,
Conservation, hatcheries, and Migratory underrepresented, and mobility-limited DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Birds during the development of populations.
regional long-range and project-level Bureau of Safety and Environmental
Objectives: Enforcement (BSEE)
plans. • Offer a wide range of transportation
2. Asset Management: The program modes and linkages for on and offsite
will operate and maintain a functional, access. [Docket ID BSEE–2016–0002; OMB Control
financially sustainable, and resilient • Provide a clear way finding Number 1014–0002; 16XE1700DX
transportation network to satisfy current EX1SF0000.DAQ000 EEEE500000]
information both on and off Service
and future land management needs in lands. Information Collection Activities: Oil
the face of a changing climate. • Through the Urban Wildlife and Gas Production Measurement,
Objectives: Conservation Program, integrate Service
• Use asset management principles to transportation facilities with local
Surface Commingling, and Security;
maintain important infrastructure at an Proposed Collection; Comment
community transportation systems in a Request
appropriate condition level. way that encourages local visitation and
• Prioritize work programs through
provides economic benefits to partner AGENCY: Bureau of Safety and
the project selection process detailed in
and gateway communities. Environmental Enforcement, Interior.
this plan or an adaptation thereof. • Through coordinated planning,
• Evaluate life-cycle costs when ACTION: 60-Day notice.
provide context-appropriate
considering new assets to determine
transportation facilities that address the SUMMARY: To comply with the
long-term financial sustainability.
• Consider the impacts of increased specific needs of local visitor groups Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
climate variability in the planning and and respect the natural setting of the (PRA), the Bureau of Safety and
management of transportation assets. refuge or hatchery. Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) is
3. Safety: The program’s network will • Address congestion issues to and inviting comments on a collection of
provide a superior level of safety for all within Service units. information that we will submit to the
users and all modes of transportation to 6. Visitor Experience: The program Office of Management and Budget
and within Service lands. will enhance the visitation experience (OMB) for review and approval. The
Objectives: through improvement and investment in information collection request (ICR)
• Identify safety issue ‘‘hot spots’’ the transportation network. concerns a renewal to the paperwork
within the Service’s transportation Objectives: requirements in the regulations under
system with the Safety Analysis Toolkit. • Integrate interpretation, education, Subpart L, Oil and Gas Production
• Implement appropriate safety and resource stewardship principles Measurement, Surface Commingling,
countermeasures to resolve safety issues into the transportation experience. and Security.
and reduce the frequency and severity • Evaluate the feasibility of
alternative transportation systems at all DATES: You must submit comments by
of crashes (also with the Safety Analysis
stations and implement where May 6, 2016.
Toolkit).
• Address wildlife-vehicle collisions appropriate. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
with design solutions (Environmental • Encourage connections with by either of the following methods listed
Enhancements). existing and planned public and private below.
• Use cooperation and transportation services. • Electronically: go to http://
communication among the 4E’s of • Design infrastructure in such a way www.regulations.gov and search for
safety, including engineering, that highlights the landscape and not BSEE–2016–0002. Follow the
education, enforcement, and emergency the transportation facility. instructions to submit public comments
medical services. and view all related materials. We will
Next Steps
4. Environmental: Transportation post all comments.
infrastructure will be landscape After this comment period ends, we • Email kelly.odom@bsee.gov. Mail or
appropriate and play a key role in the will analyze the comments and address hand-carry comments to the Department
improvement of environmental them in the form of a final LRTP. of the Interior; BSEE; Regulations and
conditions in and around Service lands. Public Availability of Comments Standards Branch; ATTN: Kelly Odom;
Objectives: 45600 Woodland Road, Sterling,
• Follow the Roadway Design Before including your address,
asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Virginia 20166. Please reference ICR
Guidelines for best practices in design, telephone number, email address, or
1014–0002 in your comment and
planning, management, maintenance, other personal identifying information
include your name and return address.
and construction of transportation in your comment, you should be aware
assets. that your entire comment–including FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions your personal identifying information– Kelly Odom, Regulations and Standards
and air pollutants by increasing may be made publicly available at any Branch at (703) 787–1775 to request
transportation options and use of time. While you can ask us in your additional information about this ICR.
alternative fuels. comment to withhold your personal SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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Document Created: 2018-02-02 15:07:31
Document Modified: 2018-02-02 15:07:31
| Category | Regulatory Information | |
| Collection | Federal Register | |
| sudoc Class | AE 2.7: GS 4.107: AE 2.106: | |
| Publisher | Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration | |
| Section | Notices | |
| Action | Notice of availability; request for comments. | |
| Dates | To ensure our consideration of your written comments, please send them no later than April 6, 2016. | |
| Contact | Carl Melberg, Acting Regional Transportation Program Coordinator, phone: 413-253-8586; facsimile: 413-253-8468; or electronic mail: [email protected] | |
| FR Citation | 81 FR 11833 |
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