[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 246 (Friday, December 21, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66013-66014]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-30993]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

[STB Docket No. AB-55 (Sub-No. 602X)]


CSX Transportation, Inc.--Abandonment Exemption--in Limestone 
County, AL

    CSX Transportation, Inc. (CSXT) has filed a notice of exemption 
under 49 CFR 1152 Subpart F--Exempt Abandonments to abandon a 0.56-mile 
line of railroad between milepost 000-290.2 and milepost 000-290.76 in 
Athens, Limestone County, AL. The line traverses United States Postal 
Service Zip Code 35614.
    CSXT has certified that: (1) No local traffic has moved over the 
line for at least 2 years; (2) there is no overhead traffic on the 
line; (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 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 January 
22, 2002, unless stayed pending reconsideration. Petitions to stay that 
do not involve environmental issues,\1\ formal

[[Page 66014]]

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 
December 31, 2001. Petitions to reopen or requests for public use 
conditions under 49 CFR 1152.28 must be filed by January 10, 2002, 
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 (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 
CSXT's representative: Paul R. Hitchcock, Assistant General Counsel, 
CSX Transportation, Inc., 500 Water Street, J150, Jacksonville, FL 
32202.
    If the verified notice contains false or misleading information, 
the exemption is void ab initio.
    CSXT has filed an environmental report which addresses the effects, 
if any, of the abandonment on the environment and historic resources. 
SEA will issue an environmental assessment (EA) by December 28, 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), CSXT 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 CSXT's filing of a notice of 
consummation by December 21, 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: December 11, 2001.

    By the Board, David M. Konschnik, Director, Office of 
Proceedings.
Vernon A. Williams,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 01-30993 Filed 12-20-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915-00-P