[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 224 (Tuesday, November 20, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58190-58191]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-28503]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

[STB Docket No. AB-33 (Sub-No. 185X)]


Union Pacific Railroad Company--Abandonment Exemption--in Pulaski 
County, AR

    Union Pacific Railroad Company (UP) has filed a notice of exemption 
under 49 CFR 1152 subpart F--Exempt Abandonments and Discontinuances of 
Service and Trackage Rights to abandon a 0.63-mile rail line over the 
Junction Bridge Line from milepost 343.65 to milepost 343.02, and a 
2.1-mile rail line over the Rock Street Industrial Lead from the Amtrak 
connection near milepost 345.3 to milepost 347.4 near E. 6th Street, a 
total distance of 2.73 miles, in Pulaski County, Little Rock, AR. The 
lines traverse United States Postal Service Zip Codes 66607 and 66612.
    UP has certified that: (1) No local traffic has moved over the line 
for at least 2 years; (2) the lines have a history of limited erratic 
use as an overhead route, but all such traffic can be rerouted over 
other UP rail lines in the area; (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 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. 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 December 20, 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 
November 30, 2001. Petitions to reopen or requests for public use 
conditions under 49 CFR 1152.28 must be filed by December 10, 2001, 
with: Surface Transportation

[[Page 58191]]

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 (SEA) 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 $1000. See 49 CFR 
1002.2(f)(25).
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    A copy of any petition filed with the Board should be sent to 
applicant's representative: Mack H. Shumate, Jr., Senior General 
Attorney, Union Pacific Railroad Company, 101 North Wacker Drive, Room 
1920, Chicago, IL 60606.
    If the verified notice contains false or misleading information, 
the exemption is void ab initio.
    UP has filed an environmental report which addresses the effects, 
if any, of the abandonment and discontinuance on the environment and 
historic resources. SEA will issue an environmental assessment (EA) by 
November 23, 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) 565-1552. 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 its line. If consummation has 
not been effected by UP's filing of a notice of consummation by 
November 20, 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.

    Decided: November 6, 2001.

    By the Board, David M. Konschnik, Director, Office of 
Proceedings.
Vernon A. Williams,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 01-28503 Filed 11-19-01; 8:45 am]
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