[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 140 (Thursday, July 22, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42814-42815]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-17973]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

[Docket No. AB 511 (Sub-No. 5X)]


Central Railroad Company of Indianapolis--Abandonment Exemption--
in Howard County, IN

    Central Railroad Company of Indianapolis (CERA) filed a verified 
notice of exemption under 49 CFR part 1152 subpart F--Exempt 
Abandonments to abandon 2.84 miles of rail line on CERA's Tipton 
Industrial Lead between milepost 55.66 and milepost 58.5, in Howard 
County, Ind. The line traverses United States Postal Service Zip Code 
46901.\1\
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    \1\ On July 8, 2010, CERA filed a correction to its notice of 
exemption.
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    CERA has certified that: (1) No local traffic has moved over the 
line for at least 2 years; (2) any overhead traffic on the line 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

[[Page 42815]]

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 
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 this exemption, any employee adversely affected 
by the abandonment shall be protected under Oregon Short Line Railroad 
& The Union Pacific Railroad--Abandonment Portion Goshen Branch Between 
Firth & Ammon, in Bingham & Bonneville Counties, Idaho, 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 August 21, 2010, unless stayed pending reconsideration. 
Petitions to stay that do not involve environmental issues,\2\ formal 
expressions of intent to file an OFA under 49 CFR 1152.27(c)(2),\3\ and 
trail use/rail banking requests under 49 CFR 1152.29 must be filed by 
August 2, 2010.\4\ Petitions to reopen or requests for public use 
conditions under 49 CFR 1152.28 must be filed by August 11, 2010, with 
the Surface Transportation Board, 395 E Street, SW., Washington, DC 
20423-0001.
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    \2\ 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-Serv. 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.
    \3\ Each OFA must be accompanied by the filing fee, which is 
currently set at $1,500. See 49 CFR 1002.2(f)(25).
    \4\ CERA notes that the property proposed for abandonment is 
suitable for other public purposes. However, CERA states that CERA 
and the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) have entered 
into an agreement where, upon receipt of abandonment authority, CERA 
proposes to convey 4.671 acres of land to INDOT to further a highway 
construction project.
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    A copy of any petition filed with the Board should be sent to 
CERA's representative: Melanie B. Yasbin, Law Offices of Louis E. 
Gitomer, LLC, 600 Baltimore Avenue, Suite 301, Towson, MD 21204.
    If the verified notice contains false or misleading information, 
the exemption is void ab initio.
    CERA has filed a combined environmental and historic report which 
addresses the effects, if any, of the abandonment on the environment 
and historic resources. SEA will issue an environmental assessment (EA) 
by July 27, 2010. Interested persons may obtain a copy of the EA by 
writing to SEA (Room 1100, Surface Transportation Board, Washington, DC 
20423-0001) or by calling SEA, at (202) 245-0305. Assistance for the 
hearing impaired is available through the Federal Information Relay 
Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339. 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), CERA 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 CERA's filing of a notice of 
consummation by July 22, 2011, 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: July 16, 2010.

    By the Board, Rachel D. Campbell, Director, Office of 
Proceedings.
Jeffrey Herzig,
Clearance Clerk.
[FR Doc. 2010-17973 Filed 7-21-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915-01-P