[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 236 (Wednesday, December 9, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Page 76617]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-31006]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

[Docket No. AB 331 (Sub-No. 2X)]


The Bi-State Development Agency of the Missouri-Illinois 
Metropolitan District--Abandonment Exemption--in the City of St. Louis, 
MO

    The Bi-State Development Agency of the Missouri-Illinois 
Metropolitan District (Metro) has filed a verified notice of exemption 
under 49 CFR part 1152 subpart F-Exempt Abandonments to abandon 1.43 
miles of rail line extending from milepost 1.8 to milepost 3.23 within 
the City of St. Louis, Missouri (the Line). The Line traverses United 
States Postal Service Zip Codes 63110 and 63108.
    Metro has certified that: (1) No local traffic has moved over the 
Line for at least two years; (2) no overhead traffic has moved over the 
Line for at least two years, and if there were any overhead traffic, it 
could 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 two-year period; and (4) the requirements at 
49 CFR 1105.7(c) (environmental 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--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 January 8, 2016, 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 
interim trail use/rail banking requests under 49 CFR 1152.29 must be 
filed by December 21, 2015. Petitions to reopen or requests for public 
use conditions under 49 CFR 1152.28 must be filed by December 29, 2015, 
with the Surface Transportation Board, 395 E Street SW., 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 
Office of Environmental Analysis (OEA) 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.
    \2\ Each OFA must be accompanied by the filing fee, which is 
currently set at $1,600. See 49 CFR 1002.2(f)(25).
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    A copy of any petition filed with the Board should be sent to 
Metro's representative: James C. Hetlage, Lashly & Baer, P.C., 714 
Locust Street, St. Louis, MO 63101.
    If the verified notice contains false or misleading information, 
the exemption is void ab initio.
    Metro has filed a combined environmental and historic report that 
addresses the effects, if any, of the abandonment on the environment 
and historic resources. OEA will issue an environmental assessment (EA) 
by December 14, 2015. Interested persons may obtain a copy of the EA by 
writing to OEA (Room 1100, Surface Transportation Board, Washington, DC 
20423-0001) or by calling OEA at (202) 245-0305. Assistance for the 
hearing impaired is available through the Federal Information Relay 
Service at (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), Metro 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 Metro's filing of a notice of 
consummation by December 9, 2016, 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 
``WWW.STB.DOT.GOV.''

    Decided: December 4, 2015.

    By the Board, Rachel D. Campbell, Director, Office of 
Proceedings.
Brendetta S. Jones,
Clearance Clerk.
[FR Doc. 2015-31006 Filed 12-8-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915-01-P