[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 245 (Thursday, December 21, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76724-76725]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-21526]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

[STB Docket No. AB-290 (Sub-No. 285X), STB Docket No. AB-290 (Sub-No. 
276X)]


High Point, Randleman, Asheboro and Southern Railroad Company--
Abandonment Exemption--in Guilford County, NC; Norfolk Southern Railway 
Company--Discontinuance of Service Exemption--in Guilford County, NC

    Norfolk Southern Railway Company (NSR) and High Point, Randleman, 
Asheboro and Southern Railroad Company (HPRAS), a majority-owned NSR 
subsidiary, have jointly filed a notice of exemption under 49 CFR 1152 
Subpart F--Exempt Abandonments and Discontinuances of Service for NSR 
to discontinue service over, and for HPRAS to abandon, 1.5 miles of 
railroad between milepost M 0.0 and milepost M 1.5 in High Point, 
Guilford County, NC. The line traverses United States Postal Service 
Zip Code 27260, and includes the former station of High Point.
    NSR and HPRAS have certified that: (1) No local traffic has moved 
over the line for at least 2 years; (2) any overhead traffic can be 
rerouted over other lines; (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 of 49 
CFR 1105.7 (environmental report), 49 CFR 1105.8 (historic report), 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 January 20, 2007, 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 
January 2, 2007. Petitions to reopen or requests for public use 
conditions under 49 CFR 1152.28 must be filed by January 10, 2007, 
with: Surface Transportation Board, 1925 K Street, NW., Washington, DC 
20423-0001.
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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 exemptions' 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 exemptions' 
effective date.
    \2\ Each OFA must be accompanied by the filing fee, which 
currently is set at $1,300. 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' representative: James R. Paschall, Three Commercial Place, 
Norfolk, VA 23510.
    If the verified notice contains false or misleading information, 
the exemptions are void ab initio.
    NSR and HPRAS have 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 December 26, 2006. 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) 565-1539. 
[Assistance for the hearing impaired is available through the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.] Comments on 
environmental and historic

[[Page 76725]]

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), HPRAS 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 HPRAS's filing of a notice of 
consummation by December 21, 2007, 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 Web site at http://www.stb.dot.gov.

    Decided: December 11, 2006.

    By the Board, David M. Konschnik, Director, Office of 
Proceedings.
Vernon A. Williams,
Secretary. 1 4
 [FR Doc. E6-21526 Filed 12-20-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915-01-P