[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 205 (Tuesday, October 25, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-25996]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: October 25, 1994]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
INTERSTATE COMMERCE COMMISSION
[Docket No. AB-290 (Sub-No. 147X)]
Norfolk Southern Railway Company--Abandonment Exemption--at
Hilltop (Martinsville), VA
Norfolk Southern Railway Company (NS) has filed a notice of
exemption under 49 CFR 1152 Subpart F--Exempt Abandonments to abandon
approximately 5.5 miles of rail line between milepost 36.1-DW and
milepost 41.6-DW at Hilltop (Martinsville), VA.
NS has certified that: (1) No local traffic has moved over the line
for at least 2 years; (2) there is no overhead traffic on the line; (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
Commission or with any U.S. District Court or has been decided in favor
of the complainant within the 2-year period; and (4) the requirements
at 49 CFR 1105.7 (environmental report), 49 CFR 1105.8 (historic
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 use of this exemption, any employee adversely
affected by the abandonment shall be protected under Oregon Short Line
R. Co.--Abandonment--Goshen, 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. 10505(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 November 24, 1994, 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
trail use/rail banking requests under 49 CFR 1152.29\3\ must be filed
by November 4, 1994. Petitions to reopen or requests for public use
conditions under 49 CFR 1152.28 must be filed by November 14, 1994,
with: Office of the Secretary, Case Control Branch, Interstate Commerce
Commission, Washington, DC 20423.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\A stay will be issued routinely by the Commission in those
proceedings where an informed decision on environmental issues
(whether raised by a party or by the Commission's Section of Energy
and Environment in its independent investigation) cannot be made
prior to the effective date of the notice of exemption. See
Exemption of Out-of-Service Rail Lines, 5 I.C.C.2d 377 (1989). Any
entity seeking a stay on environmental concerns is encouraged to
file its request as soon as possible in order to permit this
Commission to review and act on the request before the effective
date of this exemption.
\2\See Exempt. of Rail Abandonment--Offers of Finan. Assist., 4
I.C.C.2d 164 (1987).
\3\The Commission will accept a late-filed trail use request as
long as it retains jurisdiction to do so.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
A copy of any pleading filed with the Commission should be sent to
applicant's representative: James R. Paschall, Three Commercial Place,
Norfolk, VA 23510.
If the notice of exemption contains false or misleading
information, the exemption is void ab initio.
NS has filed an environmental report which addresses the
abandonment's effects, if any, on the environment and historic
resources. The Section of Environmental Analysis (SEA) will issue an
environmental assessment (EA) by October 28, 1994. Interested persons
may obtain a copy of the EA by writing to SEA (Room 3219, Interstate
Commerce Commission, Washington, DC 20423) or by calling Elaine Kaiser,
Chief of SEA, at (202) 927-6248. Comments on environmental and historic
preservation matters must be filed within 15 days after the EA is
available to the public.
Environmental, historic preservation, public use, or trail use/rail
banking conditions will be imposed, where appropriate, in a subsequent
decision.
Decided: September 14, 1994.
By the Commission, David M. Konschnik, Director, Office of
Proceedings.
Vernon A. Williams,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 94-25996 Filed 10-24-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7035-01-P
