[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 236 (Friday, December 8, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Page 63056]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-30007]
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INTERSTATE COMMERCE COMMISSION
[Docket No. AB-32 (Sub-No. 70X)]
Boston and Maine Corporation--Abandonment Exemption--in Middlesex
County, MA
Boston and Maine Corporation (B&M) has filed a notice of exemption
under 49 CFR part 1152, Subpart F--Exempt Abandonments to abandon a
portion of railroad known as the Tewksbury Branch line, between
milepost 0.75 and milepost 1.92, a distance of approximately 1.17
miles, in Tewksbury, Middlesex County, MA. The proposed consummation
date of the abandonment is January 8, 1996.
B&M has certified that: (1) no local traffic has moved over the
line for at least 2 years; (2) overhead traffic has been 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 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 reports), 49 CFR
1105.8 (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 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 January 6, 1996, 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 December 18, 1995. Petitions to reopen
or requests for public use conditions under 49 CFR 1152.28 must be
filed by December 27, 1995, 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
Environmental Analysis 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 the
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.
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A copy of any pleading filed with the Commission should be sent to
applicant's representative: John R. Nadolny, Iron Horse Park, North
Billerica, MA 01862.
If the notice of exemption contains false or misleading
information, the exemption is void ab initio.
B&M has filed an environmental report which addresses the
abandonment's effects, if any, on the environmental and historic
resources. The Section of Environmental Analysis (SEA) will issue an
environmental assessment (EA) by December 12, 1995. 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: November 29, 1995.
By the Commission, David M. Konschnik, Director, Office of
Proceedings.
Vernon A. Williams,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 95-30007 Filed 12-7-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7035-01-P
