[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 245 (Friday, December 21, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65784-65785]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-27522]


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SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD

[Docket No. FD 36248]


RailUSA, LLC and American Rail Partners, LLC--Continuance in 
Control Exemption--Florida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad, LLC

    RailUSA, LLC (RailUSA) and American Rail Partners, LLC (ARP), each 
a noncarrier, have filed a verified notice of exemption pursuant to 49 
CFR 1180.2(d)(2) to continue in control of Florida Gulf & Atlantic 
Railroad, LLC (FGA), upon FGA's becoming a Class III rail carrier. FGA 
is a newly formed noncarrier entity that is wholly owned by RailUSA. 
RailUSA, in turn, is wholly owned by ARP. Thus, RailUSA directly 
controls FGA, and ARP indirectly controls FGA.
    This transaction is related to a concurrently filed verified notice 
of exemption in Florida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad--Acquisition & 
Operation Exemption With Interchange Commitment--CSX Transportation, 
Inc., Docket No. FD 36247. In that proceeding, FGA seeks an exemption 
under 49 CFR 1150.31 to acquire and operate approximately 373 miles of 
rail line in Florida and Georgia currently owned and operated by CSX 
Transportation, Inc., consisting of the

[[Page 65785]]

following: (1) The Tallahassee Subdivision between Baldwin, Fla., at or 
near CSXT milepost SP 653.3, and Chattahoochee, Fla., at or near CSXT 
milepost SP 842.5; (2) the P&A Subdivision between Chattahoochee, at or 
near CSXT milepost 00K810.7, and Pensacola, Fla., at or near CSXT 
milepost 00K651.0; and (3) portions of the Bainbridge Subdivision 
between Tallahassee, Fla., at or near CSXT milepost SLC 52.0, and 
Attapulgus, Ga., at or near CSXT milepost SLC 79.0.
    The earliest this transaction may be consummated is January 6, 
2019, the effective date of the exemption (30 days after the verified 
notice was filed).
    RailUSA and ARP currently control one rail carrier, Grenada 
Railroad, LLC (GRR), a Class III carrier that leases and operates on 
lines in Mississippi and Tennessee. RailUSA and ARP represent that: (1) 
The lines to be acquired and operated by FGA do not connect with the 
GRR lines; (2) the continuance in control is not part of a series of 
anticipated transactions that would connect any rail line to be 
operated by FGA with any GRR rail line; and (3) the transaction does 
not involve a Class I rail carrier. Therefore, the proposed transaction 
is exempt from the prior approval requirements of 49 U.S.C. 11323. See 
49 CFR 1180.2(d)(2).
    Under 49 U.S.C. 10502(g), the Board may not use its exemption 
authority to relieve a rail carrier of its statutory obligation to 
protect the interests of its employees. Section 11326(c), however, does 
not provide for labor protection for transactions under sections 11324 
and 11325 that involve only Class III rail carriers. Accordingly, the 
Board may not impose labor protective conditions here, because only 
Class III carriers are involved.
    If the notice contains false or misleading information, the 
exemption is void ab initio. Petitions to revoke the exemption under 49 
U.S.C. 10502(d) may be filed at any time. The filing of a petition to 
revoke will not automatically stay the effectiveness of the exemption. 
Petitions to stay must be filed no later than December 28, 2018 (at 
least seven days before the exemption becomes effective).
    An original and 10 copies of all pleadings, referring to Docket No. 
FD 36248, must be filed with the Surface Transportation Board, 395 E 
Street SW, Washington, DC 20423-0001. In addition, a copy of each 
pleading must be served on Peter W. Denton, Steptoe & Johnson LLP, 1330 
Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036.
    Board decisions and notices are available on our website at 
www.stb.gov.

    Decided: December 14, 2018.

    By the Board, Scott M. Zimmerman, Acting Director, Office of 
Proceedings.
Jeffrey Herzig,
Clearance Clerk.
[FR Doc. 2018-27522 Filed 12-20-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915-01-P