February 21, 2007

300 E. 8th Street, Rm 826 Austin, Texas 78701 In Reply Refer To: HA-TX

Invitation to Become a Participating Agency for a
Proposed Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Project
State Highway (SH) 201 from SH 195 to Interstate Highway (IH) 35,
CSJ 0909-36-117

Mr. John Tointigh
Tribal Administrator
Apache Tribe of Oklahoma
P.O. Box 1220
Anadarko, OK 73005

Dear Mr. Tointigh:

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), in cooperation with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is initiating an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed extension of SH 201. The project limits are from SH 195 in Killeen to Interstate Highway (IH) 35 in Salado. The purpose of the proposed project, as currently defined, is to alleviate congestion on US 190, improve traffic flow in southern Bell County, and provide direct access to the Killeen-Fort Hood Regional Airport. Additional information regarding the proposed project can be found in the enclosed Notice of Intent (NOI).

The proposed project is located in an area that may be of interest to your tribe. With this letter, we extend your Tribe an invitation to become a Participating Agency with the FHWA in the development of the EIS for the subject project. This designation does not imply that your Tribe either supports the proposal or has any special expertise with respect to evaluation of the proposed project.

Pursuant to Section 6002 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), Participating Agencies are responsible to identify, as early as practicable, any issues of concern regarding the proposed project's potential environmental or socioeconomic impacts that could substantially delay or prevent an agency from granting a permit or other approval that is needed for the proposed project. We suggest that your Tribe's role in the development of the above project should include the following as they relate to your area of expertise:

1. Provide meaningful and early input on defining the purpose and need, determining the range of alternatives to be considered, and the methodologies and level of detail required in the alternatives analysis.
2. Participate in coordination meetings and joint field reviews as appropriate.
3. Timely review and comment on the pre-draft or pre-final environmental documents to reflect the views and concerns of your tribe on the adequacy of the document, alternatives considered, and the anticipated impacts and mitigation.

Please respond to FHWA in writing by March 21, 2007 if your tribe wishes to become a Participating Agency.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss in more detail the proposed project or our agencies' respective roles and responsibilities during the preparation of this EIS, please contact:

James Cravens, P.E., Area Engineer
Federal Highway Administration
300 E. 8th Street, Ste. 826
Austin, TX 78701-3233
(512) 536-5974

Thank you for your cooperation and interest in this proposed project.

Sincerely yours,

Janice Weingart Brown
Division Administration

Enclosure: Project NOI

Cc: Dianna Noble, Director, Environmental Affairs Division, TxDOT