[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 211 (Friday, October 31, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64883-64884]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-25924]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

[STB Docket No. FD 35523]


CSX Transportation, Inc.--Joint Use--Louisville & Indiana 
Railroad Company, Inc.

AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board, DOT.

[[Page 64884]]


ACTION: Issuance of Supplemental Environmental Assessment; request for 
comments.

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SUMMARY: On July 2, 2013, Applicants, CSX Transportation, Inc. (CSXT) 
and Louisville & Indiana Railroad Company, Inc. (L&I), filed an 
application with the Surface Transportation Board (Board) pursuant to 
49 United States Code (U.S.C.) 11323 and 49 Code of Federal Regulations 
(CFR) part 1180. Applicants seek Board authority for CSXT to acquire 
from and jointly use with the L&I a perpetual, non-exclusive railroad 
operating easement over L&I's rail line. The subject L&I rail line 
extends from a connection with CSXT in Indianapolis, Indiana at 
milepost (MP) 4.0, to a connection with CSXT in Louisville, Kentucky at 
MP 110.5 (L&I Line). The joint use and easement acquisition are 
referred to as the Proposed Transaction. Both CSXT and L&I would 
continue to use the L&I Line. CSXT would pay L&I $10 million dollars 
for the operating easement and would spend between $70 and $90 million 
to improve the rail line to allow CSXT to move longer, faster, and 
heavier trains.
    Currently, the L&I Line carries two to seven trains per day on the 
various sections of the line. Under the Proposed Transaction, CSXT 
would reroute some of its trains from current CSXT routes in the 
Indiana-Ohio-Kentucky region to a new route that includes the L&I Line 
in Indiana. The rerouting of these CSXT trains would add 13 to 15 
trains per day over the various sections of the L&I Line.
    In August 2013, the Board's Office of Environmental Analysis (OEA) 
issued a Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) that focused on the 
potential impacts of the proposed operational changes on the L&I Line, 
and also considered potential construction impacts associated with the 
extension of several rail line sidings and replacement of the Flatrock 
River Bridge, all on the L&I Line. During the public review and comment 
period on the Draft EA, OEA received comments that raised environmental 
issues that it had not addressed in the document. As a result, OEA 
decided to prepare a Supplemental EA focusing on the new environmental 
issues.
    Today, OEA has issued the Supplemental EA, which is available on 
the Board's Web site, www.stb.dot.gov, by clicking ``Decisions'' under 
``Quick Links,'' and locating the document under the service date of 
10/31/2014. The Supplemental EA analyzes the potential operational 
impacts of CSXT moving additional trains on the following three CSXT 
rail lines: Indianapolis Terminal Subdivision--Louisville Secondary 
Branch, Indianapolis Line Subdivision, and Louisville Connection. The 
Supplemental EA also quantifies potential impacts to wetlands, 
floodplains, and forested areas that could result from extending rail 
line sidings and replacing the Flatrock River Bridge on the L&I Line, 
and includes a review of potential changes in wildlife strikes that 
could occur under the Proposed Transaction.
    Additionally, the Indiana State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) 
and OEA concur that (1) replacement of the Flatrock River Bridge would 
constitute an adverse effect on a historic property considered eligible 
for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places; (2) 
avoidance of the adverse effect is not feasible if the L&I Line is to 
safely accommodate the modern rail traffic under the Proposed 
Transaction; (3) there appears to be no feasible alternative to bridge 
replacement and that documentation prior to removal would be an 
appropriate mitigation measure; (4) documentation completed by 
Applicants meets SHPO's standards; and (5) a Memorandum of Agreement 
(MOA) would memorialize the mitigation measures (i.e., documentation) 
and resolve adverse effects of the undertaking. OEA prepared a draft 
MOA that SHPO indicates it would sign as currently drafted. The draft 
MOA is located in Appendix I of the Supplemental EA and interested 
parties are invited to comment.

DATES: Interested parties are invited to submit written comments on the 
Supplemental EA by December 1, 2014 to assure full consideration. If 
you submitted comments on the Draft EA, you do not need to resubmit 
those comments. OEA will consider and respond to comments received on 
both the Draft EA and on today's Supplemental EA in the Final EA. The 
Board will issue a final decision on the proposed transaction after 
issuance of the Final EA.
    Filing Environmental Comments: Comments submitted by mail should be 
addressed to: Dave Navecky, Surface Transportation Board, 395 E Street 
SW., Washington, DC 20423-0001, Attention: Environmental Filing, Docket 
No. FD 35523. Comments may also be submitted electronically on the 
Board's Web site, www.stb.dot.gov, by clicking on the ``E-FILING'' link 
on the home page and then selecting ``Environmental Comments.'' Please 
refer to Docket No. FD 35523 in all correspondence, including e-
filings, addressed to the Board.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dave Navecky at the address above or 
by phone at 202-245-0294. Assistance for the hearing impaired is 
available through the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-
800-877-8339.

    By the Board, Victoria Rutson, Director, Office of Environmental 
Analysis.
Brendetta S. Jones,
Clearance Clerk.
[FR Doc. 2014-25924 Filed 10-30-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915-01-P