[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 200 (Friday, October 16, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Page 62599]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-26313]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

[STB Docket No. FD 35874]


Lone Star Railroad, Inc. and Southern Switching Company--Track 
Construction and Operation Exemption--in Howard County, Tex

AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board.

ACTION: Issuance of Draft Environmental Assessment; Request for 
Comments.

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SUMMARY: On February 24, 2015, Applicants, Lone Star Railroad, Inc. 
(LSR) and Southern Switching Company (SSC), filed a petition with the 
Surface Transportation Board (Board) pursuant to 49 United States Code 
(U.S.C.) 10502 and 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 1121.1. The 
Board's Office of Environmental Analysis (OEA) is responsible for 
ensuring the Board's compliance with the requirements of the National 
Environmental Policy Act. Applicants seek Board authority for LSR to 
construct and SSC to operate approximately 3.18 miles of rail line that 
would connect to an existing Union Pacific Railroad Company mainline 
and provide rail service to an industrial park property near Big 
Spring, in Howard County, Texas. The primary purpose for the proposed 
action is the efficient delivery of frac sand by rail to the industrial 
park property, where it would be transloaded to trucks for delivery to 
crude oil wellhead locations in the Permian Basin. Applicants 
anticipate that the proposed rail line would support an average of five 
trains per week.
    Today, OEA has issued the Draft Environmental Assessment (EA), 
which is available on the Board's Web site, ww.stb.dot.gov, by clicking 
``Decisions'' under ``Quick Links,'' and locating the document under 
the service date of 10/16/2015. The Draft EA identifies the natural and 
man-made resources in the area of the proposed rail line and analyzes 
the potential impacts of the proposal on these resources. Based on the 
information provided from all sources to date and its independent 
analysis, OEA preliminarily concludes that construction of the proposed 
rail line would have no significant environmental impacts if the Board 
imposes and Applicants implement the recommended mitigation measures 
set forth in the Draft EA.

DATES: Interested parties are invited to submit written comments on the 
Draft EA by November 16, 2015. OEA will consider and respond to 
comments received on the Draft 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: Kenneth Blodgett, Surface Transportation Board, 395 E 
Street SW., Washington, DC 20423-0001, Attention: Environmental Filing, 
Docket No. FD 35874. 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 35874 in all correspondence, including e-
filings, addressed to the Board.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kenneth Blodgett at the address above 
or by phone at 202-245-0305. 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.
Tia Delano,
Clearance Clerk.
[FR Doc. 2015-26313 Filed 10-15-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4915-01-P