[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 152 (Tuesday, August 8, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40388-40389]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-19516]



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INTERSTATE COMMERCE COMMISSION
[Docket No. AB-57 (Sub-No. 39X)]


Soo Line Railroad Company--Abandonment Exemption--in St. Louis 
County, MN

    Soo Line Railroad Company (Soo) has filed a notice of exemption 
under 49 CFR 1152 Subpart F--Exempt Abandonments to abandon a .5-mile 
portion of its line of railroad, known as the Rice's Point Trackage, 
from milepost 288.17+/- to milepost 288.70+/-, at Duluth, in St. Louis 
County, MN.
    Soo has certified that: (1) No local traffic has moved over the 
line for at least 2 years; (2) all overhead traffic previously routed 
over this line has been rerouted to alternative lines; (3) no formal 
complaint filed by 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 
Commission or with any U.S. District Court or has been decided in favor 
of the 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 use of this exemption, any employee affected by 
the abandonment shall be protected under Oregon Short Line R. Co.--
Abandonment--Goshen, 360 I.C.C. 91 (1979). To address whether this 
condition adequately protects affected employees, a petition for 
partial revocation under 49 U.S.C. 10505(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 September 7, 1995, unless stayed pending reconsideration. 
Petitions to stay that do not involve environmental issues,1 
formal expressions of intent to file an OFA under 49 CFR 
1152.27(c)(2),2 and trail use/rail banking requests under 49 CFR 
1152.29 3 must be filed by August 18, 1995. Petitions to reopen or 
requests for public use conditions under 49 CFR 1152.28 must be filed 
by August 28, 1995, with: Office of the Secretary, Case Control Branch, 
Interstate Commerce Commission, Washington, DC 20423.

    \1\ A stay will be issued routinely by the Commission in those 
proceedings where an informed decision on environmental issues 
(whether raised by a party or by the Commission's Section of 
Environmental Analysis in its independent investigation) cannot be 
made prior to the effective date of the notice of exemption. See 
Exemption of Out-of-Service Rail Lines, 5 I.C.C.2d 377 (1989). Any 
entity seeking a stay on environmental concerns is encouraged to 
file its request as soon as possible in order to permit the 
Commission to review and act on the request prior to the effective 
date of this exemption.
    \2\ See Exempt. of Rail Abandonment Offers of Finan. Assist., 4 
I.C.C.2d 164 (1987).
    \3\ The Commission will accept a late-filed trail use request as 
long as it retains jurisdiction to do so.
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    A copy of any pleading filed with the Commission should be sent to 
applicant's representative: Larry D. Starns, Office of the U.S. 
Regional Counsel, 1000 Soo Line Building, 105 South 5th Street, 
Minneapolis, MN 55402.
    If the notice of exemption contains false or misleading 
information, the exemption is void ab initio. 

[[Page 40389]]

    Soo filed an environmental report which addresses the effects of 
the abandonment, if any, on the environment and historic resources. The 
Commission's Section of Environmental Analysis (SEA) will issue an 
environmental assessment (EA) by August 11, 1995. Interested persons 
may obtain a copy of the EA by writing to SEA (Room 3219, Interstate 
Commerce Commission, Washington, DC 20423) or by calling Elaine Kaiser, 
Chief of SEA, at (202) 927-6248. Comments on environmental and historic 
preservation matters must be filed within 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.

    Decided: July 28, 1995.

    By the Commission, David M. Konschnik, Director, Office of 
Proceedings.
Vernon A. Williams,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 95-19516 Filed 8-7-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7035-01-P