[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 50 (Wednesday, March 14, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14983-14984]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-5911]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

[STB Docket No. AB-33 (Sub-No. 159X)] and [STB Docket No. AB-364 (Sub-
No. 5X)]


Union Pacific Railroad Company--Abandonment Exemption--in Bowie 
County, TX; Texas and Northeastern Railroad, a Division of Mid-Michigan 
Railroad, Inc.--Discontinuance of Service Exemption--in Bowie County, 
TX

    Union Pacific Railroad Company (UP) and Texas and Northeastern 
Railroad, a Division of Mid-Michigan Railroad, Inc. (TNER), have filed 
a notice of exemption under 49 CFR 1152 Subpart F--Exempt Abandonments 
and Discontinuances of Service for UP to abandon and TNER to 
discontinue service over a 1.2-mile line of railroad between milepost 
21.80 and milepost 23.0 in the city of New Boston, Bowie County, TX. 
The line traverses United States Postal Service Zip Code 75570.
    UP and TNER have certified that: (1) No local traffic has moved 
over the line for at least 2 years; (2) there has been no overhead 
traffic on TNER's line for the past 2 years; (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 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 these exemptions, any employee adversely affected 
by the abandonment or discontinuance 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. 10502(d) must be 
filed. Provided no formal expression of intent to file an offer of 
financial assistance (OFA) has been received, these exemptions will be 
effective on April 13, 2001, 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 must be filed by 
March 26, 2001. Petitions to reopen or requests for public use 
conditions under 49 CFR 1152.28 must be filed by April 3, 2001, with: 
Surface Transportation Board, Office of the Secretary, Case Control 
Unit, 1925 K Street, NW., Washington, DC 20423.
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    \1\ 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 filed as soon as possible so that the Board may 
take appropriate action before the exemption's effective date.
    \2\ Each offer of financial assistance must be accompanied by 
the filing fee, which currently is set at $100. See 49 CFR 
1002.2(f)(25).
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    A copy of any petition filed with the Board should be sent to 
applicants' representatives: James P. Gatlin, General Attorney, Union 
Pacific Railroad Company, 1416 Dodge Street, Room

[[Page 14984]]

830, Omaha, NE 68179; and Gary Laakso, Texas and Northeastern 
Railroad,Vice President, Regulatory Matters, 5300 Broken Sound Blvd., 
NW., 2nd Floor, Boca Raton, FL 33487-3509.
    If the verified notice contains false or misleading information, 
the exemption is void ab initio.
    UP and TNER have filed an environmental report which addresses the 
effects of the abandonment and discontinuance, if any, on the 
environment and historic resources. The Section of Environmental 
Analysis (SEA) will issue an environmental assessment (EA) by March 19, 
2001. 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 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.
    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 the line. If consummation has 
not been effected by UP's filing of a notice of consummation by March 
14, 2002, 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.''

    Dated: March 5, 2001.

    By the Board, David M. Konschnik, Director, Office of 
Proceedings.
Vernon A. Williams,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 01-5911 Filed 3-13-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915-00-P