[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 48 (Wednesday, March 11, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14287-14288]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-04974]


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SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD

[Docket No. FD 36377 (Sub-No. 1)]


BNSF Railway Company--Trackage Rights Exemption--Union Pacific 
Railroad Company

    By petition filed on December 27, 2019, BNSF Railway Company (BNSF) 
requests that the Board partially revoke the trackage rights exemption 
granted to it under 49 CFR 1180.2(d)(7) in Docket No. FD 36377, as 
necessary to permit that trackage rights arrangement to expire at 
midnight on December 31, 2020.
    As explained by BNSF in its verified notice of exemption in Docket 
No. FD 36377, BNSF and Union Pacific Railroad Company (UP) entered into 
an agreement granting BNSF local trackage rights over two rail lines 
owned by UP between: (1) UP milepost 93.2 at Stockton, Cal., on UP's 
Oakland Subdivision, and UP milepost 219.4 at Elsey, Cal., on UP's 
Canyon Subdivision, a distance of 126.2 miles; and (2) UP milepost 
219.4 at Elsey and UP milepost 280.7 at Keddie, Cal., on UP's Canyon 
Subdivision, a distance of 61.3 miles. BNSF Verified Notice of 
Exemption 2, BNSF Ry.--Trackage Rights Exemption--Union Pac. R.R., FD 
36377. BNSF further stated that the trackage rights arrangement is 
intended to permit BNSF to move empty and loaded ballast trains to and 
from the ballast pit located at Elsey. (Id.) BNSF filed its verified 
notice of exemption under the Board's class exemption procedures at 49 
CFR 1180.2(d)(7), explaining that, because the trackage rights covered 
by the notice in Docket No. FD 36377 are local rather than overhead 
rights, they do not qualify for the Board's class exemption for 
temporary trackage rights under 49 CFR 1180.2(d)(8).See BNSF Verified 
Notice of Exemption 1 n.1, BNSF Ry.--Trackage Rights Exemption--Union 
Pac. R.R., FD 36377.
    In this sub-docket, BNSF has now filed a petition for partial 
revocation of the exemption as necessary to permit the trackage rights 
to expire at midnight on December 31, 2020, pursuant to the parties' 
agreement. (See BNSF Pet. 1-2); see also BNSF Verified Notice of 
Exemption Ex. B at 2, BNSF Ry.--Trackage Rights Exemption--Union Pac. 
R.R., FD 36377. BNSF argues that granting this petition will promote 
the rail transportation policy. BNSF also argues that the revocation 
would be consistent with the limited scope of the transaction and would 
not have an adverse effect on shippers. (BNSF Pet. 3.)

Discussion and Conclusions

    Although BNSF and UP have expressly agreed on the duration of the 
proposed trackage rights agreement, trackage rights approved under the 
class exemption at Sec.  1180.2(d)(7) typically remain effective 
indefinitely, regardless of any contract provisions. Occasionally, 
however, the Board has partially revoked a trackage rights exemption to 
allow those rights to expire after a limited time period rather than 
lasting in perpetuity. See, e.g., New Orleans Pub. Belt R.R.--Trackage 
Rights Exemption--Ill. Cent. R.R., FD 36198 (Sub-No. 1) (STB served 
June 20, 2018); BNSF Ry.--Temp. Trackage Rights Exemption--Union Pac. 
R.R., FD 35963 (Sub-No. 1) (STB served Dec. 17, 2015) (granting a 
petition to partially revoke a trackage rights exemption involving the 
same lines at issue in this case).
    Granting partial revocation in these circumstances to permit the 
trackage rights to expire at the end of 2020 would eliminate the need 
for BNSF to file a second pleading seeking discontinuance when the 
agreement expires, thereby promoting the rail transportation goals at 
49 U.S.C. 10101(2), (7) and (15). Moreover, partially revoking the 
exemption to limit the term of the trackage rights would have no 
adverse impact on shippers because the trackage rights at issue are 
solely to allow BNSF to move empty and loaded ballast trains to and 
from the ballast pit in Elsey for use in BNSF's maintenance-of-way 
projects. (See BNSF Pet. 2.) Therefore, the Board will grant the 
petition and permit the trackage rights exempted in Docket No. FD 36377 
to expire at midnight on December 31, 2020.
    To provide the statutorily mandated protection to any employee 
adversely affected by the discontinuance of trackage rights, the Board 
will impose the employee protective conditions set forth in Oregon 
Short Line Railroad--Abandonment Portion Goshen Branch Between Firth & 
Ammon, in Bingham & Bonneville Counties, Idaho, 360 I.C.C. 91 (1979).
    This action is categorically excluded from environmental review 
under 49 CFR 1105.6(c).
    It is ordered:
    1. The petition for partial revocation of the trackage rights class 
exemption is granted.
    2. As discussed above, the trackage rights in Docket No. FD 36377 
are permitted to expire at midnight on December 31, 2020, subject to 
the employee protective conditions set forth in Oregon Short Line.
    3. Notice of this decision will be published in the Federal 
Register.

[[Page 14288]]

    4. This decision is effective on April 10, 2020. Petitions for stay 
must be filed by March 23, 2020. Petitions for reconsideration must be 
filed by March 31, 2020.

    Decided: March 5, 2020.

    By the Board, Board Members Begeman, Fuchs, and Oberman.
Brendetta Jones,
Clearance Clerk.
[FR Doc. 2020-04974 Filed 3-10-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4915-01-P