[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 44 (Monday, March 8, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Page 11083]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-5625]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board
[Finance Docket No. 33556]


Canadian National Railway Company, Grand Trunk Corporation, and 
Grand Trunk Western Railroad Incorporated--Control--Illinois Central 
Corporation, Illinois Central Railroad Company, Chicago, Central and 
Pacific Railroad Company, and Cedar River Railroad Company

AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board.

ACTION: Notice of availability of Final Environmental Assessment.

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SUMMARY: The Surface Transportation Board's (Board) Section of 
Environmental Analysis (SEA) issued a Final Environmental Assessment 
(Final EA) for the proposed acquisition of control of Illinois Central 
Corporation (IC) and its railroad affiliates by Canadian National 
Railway Company (CN). The Final EA addresses written public comments 
made since issuance of the Draft Environmental Assessment (Draft EA) on 
November 9, 1998 and the errata to the Draft EA on November 24, 1998, 
and includes SEA's final recommendations for mitigating the potential 
environmental impacts of the proposed CN/IC acquisition. In addition, 
the Final EA responds to public comments regarding the Safety 
Integration Plan prepared by CN and IC, in consultation with the 
Federal Railroad Administration, that explains how they propose to 
safely integrate their separate operations if the Board approves the 
proposed acquisition. SEA believes that with the recommended 
environmental mitigation, there will be no potential for significant 
environmental impact. SEA assessed the potential environmental impacts 
the proposed CN/IC acquisition could have on safety, transportation 
systems, land use, energy, air quality, noise, biological resources, 
water resources, historic and cultural resources, and environmental 
justice, and addressed the potential impacts in the Draft and Final EA. 
SEA determined that there would be potentially significant impacts on 
only one issue area, hazardous materials transport safety. Accordingly, 
in the Final EA, SEA is recommending mitigation to address the 
potential acquisition-related increases in hazardous materials 
transport, including potential disproportionately high and adverse 
impacts these increases could have on minority and low-income 
populations. With these final mitigation recommendations, SEA believes 
there will be no potential for significant environmental effects on 
hazardous materials transport safety or environmental justice 
populations. SEA determined that none of the other environmental issue 
areas would have a potential for significant environmental effects and 
therefore do not warrant mitigation. However, because safety 
integration is an ongoing process, the Safety Integration Plan is an 
evolving document that will continue to be modified and refined until 
the proposed acquisition is safely implemented.
    SEA fully considered all comments received in response to the Draft 
EA, consulted further with Federal, state, and local agencies, and 
conducted additional environmental analysis where appropriate in 
preparing the Final EA and in making its final environmental mitigation 
recommendations to the Board. In making its final decision, the Board 
will consider the entire environmental record, including all public 
comments, the Draft EA, the Final EA, and SEA's final recommended 
environmental mitigation.

DATES: The Board plans to conduct oral argument on March 18, 1999 and a 
formal voting conference on March 25, 1999. The Board plans to serve 
its final written decision on May 25, 1999. Any party may file an 
administrative appeal within 20 days of the Board's final written 
decision.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: To request a copy of the Final EA or for 
further information on the proposed CN/IC acquisition, interested 
parties may call SEA's toll-free Environmental Hotline at 1-888-869-
1997 (TDD for the hearing impaired: (202) 565-1695), or access SEA's 
website for the CN/IC acquisition at www.cnicacquisition.com. For 
additional information regarding environmental issues, or the 
environmental review process, contact SEA's Project Manager for the 
proposed CN/IC acquisition, Michael Dalton, at (202) 565-1530.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On July 15, 1998, CN and IC, collectively 
referred to as CN/IC or applicants, filed a joint application 
1 with the Board seeking authority for CN to acquire control 
of IC. The proposed CN/IC system would extend to both the east and west 
coasts of North America and the Gulf of Mexico. The Chicago area would 
serve as the hub of the combined system. This new system would cover 
approximately 18,670 miles of rail lines and related facilities, of 
which approximately 4,520 miles would be in the United States. The 
applicants state that integrating CN and IC operations would allow both 
rail systems to provide more reliable, efficient, and competitive 
service. The applicants also state that they anticipate relatively 
minor changes in rail operations as a result of the proposed 
acquisition. The applicants have proposed no rail line abandonments and 
only five minor construction projects (one rail line connection and 
four rail yard bypass tracks) as part of the proposed acquisition.

    \1\ Canadian National Railway Company, Grand Trunk Corporation, 
and Grand Trunk Western Railroad Incorporated--Control--Illinois 
Central Corporation, Illinois Central Railroad Company, Chicago, 
Central and Pacific Railroad Company, and Cedar River Railroad 
Company, STB Finance Docket No. 33556.

    By the Board, Elaine K. Kaiser, Chief of the Section of 
Environmental Analysis.
Vernon A. Williams,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 99-5625 Filed 3-5-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915-00-P