[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 143 (Tuesday, July 27, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44727-44728]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-17055]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

[STB Ex Parte No. 647]


Class Exemption for Expedited Abandonment Procedure for Class II 
and Class III Railroads

AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board.

ACTION: Notice of public hearing.

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SUMMARY: The Surface Transportation Board (Board) will hold a public 
hearing on Wednesday, August 11, 2004, at its offices in Washington, 
DC, to provide interested persons an opportunity to express their views 
on the subject of the Board's abandonment regulations for Class II and 
Class III rail carriers.\1\ Persons wishing to speak at the hearing 
should notify the Board in writing.
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    \1\ The Board's regulations divide railroads into three classes 
based on annual carrier operating revenues. Class I railroads are 
those with annual carrier operating revenues of $250 million or more 
(in 1991 dollars); Class II railroads are those with annual carrier 
operating revenues of more than $20 million but less than $250 
million (in 1991 dollars); and Class III railroads are those with 
annual carrier operating revenues of $20 million or less (in 1991 
dollars). See 49 CFR Part 1201, General Instruction 1-1(a).

DATES: The public hearing will take place on Wednesday, August 11, 
2004. Any person wishing to speak at the hearing should file with the 
Board a written notice of intent to participate, and should indicate a 
requested time allotment, as soon as possible but no later than July 
26, 2004. Each speaker should also file with the Board any written 
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testimony by August 3, 2004.

ADDRESSES: All notices of intent to participate and testimony may be 
submitted either via the Board's e-filing format or in the traditional 
paper format. Any person using e-filing should comply with the 
instructions found on the Board's http://www.stb.dot.gov Web site, at 
the ``E-FILING'' link. Any person submitting a filing in the 
traditional paper format should send an original and 10 paper copies of 
the filing (referring to STB Ex Parte No. 647) to: Surface 
Transportation Board, 1925 K Street, NW., Washington, DC 20423-0001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joseph Dettmar, (202) 565-1609. 
[Assistance for the hearing impaired is available through the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On May 15, 2003, sixty-five short-line and 
regional carriers (petitioners) \2\ filed a petition to institute a 
proceeding under 49 U.S.C. 10502 to exempt a class of small carriers 
from the prior approval abandonment requirements of 49 U.S.C. 10903. 
Petitioners included a detailed proposal including revised rules for 49 
CFR 1152.50 (exempt abandonments) and 1152.27 (offers of financial 
assistance). The Board will hold a public hearing to provide a forum 
for the expression of views by rail shippers, railroads, and other 
interested persons, on this and other proposed changes to the Board's 
abandonment regulations as they relate to Class II and Class III rail 
carriers. This hearing will provide a forum for the oral discussion of 
the proposed class exemption and any proposals that interested persons 
might wish to offer to amend the abandonment regulations.
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    \2\ The sixty-five carriers are: Allegheny & Eastern Railroad, 
Inc.; Bradford Industrial Rail, Inc.; Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad, 
Inc.; Carolina Coastal Railway, Inc.; Commonwealth Railway, Inc.; 
Chicago SouthShore & South Bend Railroad; Chattahoochee & Gulf 
Railroad Co., Inc.; Connecuh Valley Railroad Co., Inc.; Corpus 
Christi Terminal Railroad, Inc.; The Dansville & Mount Morris 
Railroad Company; Eastern Idaho Railroad, Inc.; Genesee & Wyoming 
Railroad Company; Golden Isles Terminal Railroad, Inc.; H&S Railroad 
Co., Inc.; Illinois Indiana Development Company, LLC; Illinois & 
Midland Railroad Company, Inc.; Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad, Inc.; 
Knoxville & Holston River Railroad Co., Inc.; Lancaster and Chester 
Railway Company; Laurinburg & Southern Railroad Co., Inc.; Louisiana 
& Delta Railroad, Inc.; Louisville & Indiana Railroad Company; 
Minnesota Prairie Line, Inc.; Montana Rail Link, Inc.; New York & 
Atlantic Railway Company; Pacific Harbor Line, Inc.; Palouse River & 
Coulee City Railroad, Inc.; Pennsylvania Southwestern Railroad, 
Inc.; Piedmont & Atlantic Railroad Inc.; Pittsburgh & Shawmut 
Railroad, Inc.; Portland & Western Railroad, Inc.; Rochester & 
Southern Railroad, Inc.; Rocky Mount & Western Railroad Co., Inc.; 
St. Lawrence & Atlantic Railroad Company; Salt Lake City Southern 
Railroad Company; Savannah Port Terminal Railroad, Inc.; South 
Buffalo Railway Company; South Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad Company; 
Stillwater Central Railroad; Talleyrand Terminal Railroad, Inc.; 
Three Notch Railroad Co., Inc.; Timber Rock Railroad, Inc.; Twin 
Cities & Western Railroad Company; Utah Railway Company; Willamette 
& Pacific Railroad, Inc.; Wiregrass Central Railroad Company, Inc.; 
York Railway Company; AN Railway, LLC; Atlantic and Western Railway, 
Limited Partnership; Bay Line Railroad, LLC; Central Midland 
Railway; Copper Basin Railway, Inc.; East Tennessee Railway, L.P.; 
Galveston Railroad, L.P.; Georgia Central Railway, L.P.; The Indiana 
Rail Road Company; KWT Railway, Inc.; Little Rock & Western Railway, 
L.P.; M & B Railroad, L.L.C.; Tomahawk Railway, Limited Partnership; 
Valdosta Railway, L.P.; Western Kentucky Railway, LLC; Wheeling & 
Lake Erie Railway Company; Wilmington Terminal Railroad, L.P.; and 
Yolo Shortline Railroad Company.
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    Date Of Hearing. The hearing will begin at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, 
August 11, 2004, in the 7th floor hearing room at the Board's 
headquarters in Washington, DC, and will continue, with short breaks if 
necessary, until every person scheduled to speak has been heard.

[[Page 44728]]

    Notice Of Intent To Participate. Any person wishing to speak at the 
hearing should file with the Board a written notice of intent to 
participate, and should indicate a requested time allotment, as soon as 
possible but no later than July 26, 2004.
    Testimony. Each speaker should file with the Board any written 
testimony by August 3, 2004.
    Board Releases And Live Audio Available Via The Internet. Decisions 
and notices of the Board, including this notice and the proposed class 
exemption, are available on the Board's Web site at http://www.stb.dot.gov. This hearing will be available on the Board's Web site 
by live audio streaming. To access the hearing, click on the ``Live 
Audio'' link under ``Information Center'' at the left side of the home 
page beginning at 10 a.m. on August 11, 2004.
    This action will not significantly affect either the quality of the 
human environment or the conservation of energy resources.

    Dated: July 21, 2004.
Vernon A. Williams,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 04-17055 Filed 7-26-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915-01-P