Railroad services abandonment: Union Pacific Railroad Co.,

[Federal Register: January 12, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 8)]

[Notices]

[Page 1947-1948]

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

[DOCID:fr12ja00-121]

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

[STB Docket No. AB-33 (Sub-No. 143X)]

Union Pacific Railroad Co.--Abandonment and Discontinuance of Trackage Rights Exemption--in Wright, Franklin and Cerro Gordo Counties, IA

Union Pacific Railroad Company (UP) has fileda notice of exemption under 49 CFR part 1152 Subpart F--Exempt Abandonments and Discontinuances of Service and Trackage Rights to abandon a 12.38-mile line of railroad over the Thornton Industrial Lead (formerly known as the Fort Dodge Branch) from milepost 17.14 near Thornton to milepost 29.52 near Belmond, in Wright, Franklin and Cerro Gordo Counties, IA.1The line traverses United States Postal Service Zip Codes 50421, 50449, 50457, and 50479.

\1\ Pursuant to 49 CFR 1150.50(d)(2), the railroad must file a verified notice with the Board at least 50 days before the abandonment or discontinuance is to be consummated. The applicant in its verified notice, indicated a proposed consummation date of February 7, 2000. Because the verified notice was officially filed upon payment of the required filing fee on December 23, 1999, consummation may not take place prior to February 11, 2000. Applicant's representative has been contacted and has confirmed that consummation may occur no earlier than February 11, 2000.

UP has certified that: (1) no local traffic has moved over the line for at least 2 years; (2) there is no overhead traffic moving over the line; (3) no formal complaint filedby a user of rail service on the line (or by a state or local government entity acting on behalf of such user) regarding cessation of service over the line either is pending with the Surface Transportation Board (Board) or with any U.S. District Court or has been decided in favor of complainant within the 2-year period; and (4) the requirements at 49 CFR 1105.7 (environmental reports), 49 CFR 1105.8 (historic reports), 49 CFR 1105.11 (transmittal letter), 49 CFR 1105.12 (newspaper publication), and 49 CFR 1152.50(d)(1) (notice to governmental agencies) have been met.

As a condition to this exemption, any employee adversely affected by the abandonment and discontinuance shall be protected under Oregon Short Line R. Co.--Abandonment--Goshen, 360 I.C.C.

[[Page 1948]]

91 (1979). To address whether this condition adequately protects affected employees, a petition for partial revocation under 49 U.S.C. 10502(d) must be filed. Provided no formal expression of intent to file an offer of financial assistance (OFA) has been received, this exemption will be effective on February 11, 2000, unless stayed pending reconsideration. Petitions to stay that do not involve environmental issues,2formal expressions of intent to file an OFA under 49 CFR 1152.27(c)(2),3and trail use/rail banking requests under 49 CFR 1152.29 must be filedby January 24, 2000. Petitions to reopen or requests for public use conditions under 49 CFR 1152.28 must be filedby February 1, 2000, with: Surface Transportation Board, Office of the Secretary, Case Control Unit, 1925 K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20423.

\2\ The Board will grant a stay if an informed decision on environmental issues (whether raised by a party or by the Board's Section of Environmental Analysis in its independent investigation) cannot be made before the exemption's effective date. See Exemption of Out-of-Service Rail Lines, 5 I.C.C.2d 377 (1989). Any request for a stay should be filedas soon as possible so that the Board may take appropriate action before the exemption's effective date.

\3\ Each offer of financial assistance must be accompanied by the filing fee, which currently is set at $1000. See 49 CFR 1002.2(f)(25).

A copy of any petition filedwith the Board should be sent to applicant's representative: James P. Gatlin, General Attorney, Union Pacific Railroad Company, 1416 Dodge Street, Room 830, Omaha, NE 68179.

If the verified notice contains false or misleading information, the exemption is void ab initio.

UP has filedan environmental report which addresses the effects, if any, of the abandonment and discontinuance on the environment and historic resources. The Section of Environmental Analysis (SEA) will issue an environmental assessment (EA) by January 14, 2000. Interested persons may obtain a copy of the EA by writing to SEA (Room 500, Surface Transportation Board, Washington, DC 20423) or by calling SEA, at (202) 565-1545. Comments on environmental and historic preservation matters must be filedwithin 15 days after the EA becomes available to the public.

Environmental, historic preservation, public use, or trail use/rail banking conditions will be imposed, where appropriate, in a subsequent decision.

Pursuant to the provisions of 49 CFR 1152.29(e)(2), UP shall file a notice of consummation with the Board to signify that it has exercised the authority granted and fully abandoned its line. If consummation has not been effected by UP's filing of a notice of consummation by January 12, 2001, and there are no legal or regulatory barriers to consummation, the authority to abandon will automatically expire.

Board decisions and notices are available on our website at ``WWW.STB.DOT.GOV.''

Decided: January 5, 2000.

By the Board, David M. Konschnik, Director, Office of Proceedings. Vernon A. Williams, Secretary.

[FR Doc. 00-604Filed1-11-00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4915-00-P