[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 69 (Tuesday, April 11, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Page 18424]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-8868]
[[Page 18424]]
INTERSTATE COMMERCE COMMISSION
[Docket No. AB-290 (Sub-No. 158X)]
Norfolk Southern Railway Company--Abandonment Exemption--in
Elberton, GA
Norfolk Southern Railway Company (NS) has filed a notice of
exemption under 49 CFR 1152 Subpart F--Exempt Abandonments to abandon
1.9 miles of its line of railroad, between milepost P-48.5 and milepost
P-50.4, in Elberton, GA.
NS has certified that: (1) No local traffic has moved over the line
for at least 2 years; (2) no overhead traffic has moved over the line
for at least 2 years; (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 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 May 11, 1995, 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 April 21, 1995. Petitions to reopen or requests for public use
conditions under 49 CFR 1152.28 must be filed by May 1, 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 involving 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 prior to 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: 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 effects of
the abandonment, if any, on the environment and historic resources. The
Commission's Section of Environmental Analysis (SEA) will issue an
environmental assessment (EA) by April 14, 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: April 5, 1995.
By the Commission, David M. Konschnik, Director, Office of
Proceedings.
Vernon A. Williams,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 95-8868 Filed 4-10-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7035-01-P
