[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 155 (Monday, August 16, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Page 45796]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-17499]



[[Page 45796]]

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SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD

[Docket No. AB 122 (Sub-No. 2X)]


Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis--Abandonment 
Exemption--in St. Louis County, Mo.

    Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis (TRRA) has filed a 
verified notice of exemption under 49 CFR part 1152 subpart F--Exempt 
Abandonments to abandon an approximately 0.1-mile segment of rail line, 
between milepost 0.7 (near Bodine Industrial Drive crossing) and 
milepost 0.8 (the end of the track) in St. Louis County, Mo., (the 
Line). The Line traverses U.S. Postal Service Zip Code 63114.
    TRRA has certified that: (1) No local traffic has moved over the 
Line for at least two years; (2) there is no overhead traffic that 
cannot 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 
a complainant within the two-year period; and (4) the requirements at 
49 CFR 1105.7(b) and 1105.8(c) (notice of environmental and historic 
reports), 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,\1\ this exemption will be 
effective on September 15, 2021, unless stayed pending reconsideration. 
Petitions to stay that do not involve environmental issues,\2\ formal 
expressions of intent to file an OFA under 49 CFR 1152.27(c)(2), and 
interim trail use/rail banking requests under 49 CFR 1152.29 must be 
filed by August 26, 2021.\3\ Petitions to reopen or requests for public 
use conditions under 49 CFR 1152.28 must be filed by September 7, 2021.
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    \1\ Persons interested in submitting an OFA must first file a 
formal expression of intent to file an offer, indicating the type of 
financial assistance they wish to provide (i.e., subsidy or 
purchase) and demonstrating that they are preliminarily financially 
responsible. See 49 CFR 1152.27(c)(2)(i).
    \2\ 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.
    \3\ Filing fees for OFAs and trail use requests can be found at 
49 CFR 1002.2(f)(25) and (27), respectively.
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    All pleadings, referring to Docket No. AB 122 (Sub-No. 2X), should 
be filed with the Surface Transportation Board via e-filing on the 
Board's website. In addition, a copy of each pleading must be served on 
TRRA's representative, Audrey L. Brodrick, Fletcher & Sippel LLC, 29 
North Wacker Drive, Suite 800, Chicago, IL 60606.
    If the verified notice contains false or misleading information, 
the exemption is void ab initio.
    TRRA has filed a combined environmental and historic report that 
addresses the potential effects, if any, of the abandonment on the 
environment and historic resources. OEA will issue a Draft 
Environmental Assessment (Draft EA) by August 20, 2021. The Draft EA 
will be available to interested persons on the Board's website, by 
writing to OEA, or by calling OEA at (202) 245-0294. Assistance for the 
hearing impaired is available through the Federal Relay Service at 
(800) 877-8339. Comments on environmental and historic preservation 
matters must be filed within 15 days after the Draft 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), TRRA shall file 
a notice of consummation with the Board to signify that it has 
exercised the authority granted and fully abandoned the Line.\4\ If 
consummation has not been effected by TRRA's filing of a notice of 
consummation by August 16, 2022, and there are no legal or regulatory 
barriers to consummation, the authority to abandon will automatically 
expire.
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    \4\ After TRRA filed its verified notice of exemption, West Belt 
Railway LLC (WBRY) filed a verified notice of exemption to 
discontinue service over the Line. WBRY Notice 1, Aug. 4, 2021, West 
Belt Ry.--Discontinuance of Serv. Exemption--in St. Louis Cnty., 
Mo., AB 1318X. There, WBRY states that it leases the Line from TRRA. 
See id. at 2. TRRA may not consummate abandonment of the Line until 
WBRY has received authority to discontinue service over the Line.
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    Board decisions and notices are available at www.stb.gov.

    Decided: August 11, 2021.

    By the Board, Scott M. Zimmerman, Acting Director, Office of 
Proceedings.
Jeffrey Herzig,
Clearance Clerk.
[FR Doc. 2021-17499 Filed 8-13-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915-01-P