96-9966. Burlington Northern Railroad CompanyAbandonment Exemptionin Thayer County, NE  

  • [Federal Register Volume 61, Number 79 (Tuesday, April 23, 1996)]
    [Notices]
    [Page 17953]
    From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
    [FR Doc No: 96-9966]
    
    
    
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    DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION -
        \1\ The ICC Termination Act of 1995, Pub. L. No. 104-88, 109 
    Stat. 803, which was enacted on December 29, 1995, and took effect 
    on January 1, 1996, abolished the Interstate Commerce Commission and 
    transferred certain functions to the Surface Transportation Board 
    (Board). This notice relates to functions that are subject to the 
    Board's jurisdiction pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 10903.
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    Surface Transportation Board \1\
    [STB Docket No. AB-6 (Sub-No. 377X)]
    
    Burlington Northern Railroad Company--Abandonment Exemption--in 
    Thayer County, NE
    
        Burlington Northern Railroad Company (BN) filed a notice of 
    exemption under 49 CFR Part 1152 Subpart F--Exempt Abandonments to 
    abandon 12.15 miles of its line of railroad between milepost 24.00 near 
    Bruning and milepost 32.20 near Hebron, including the station of Hebron 
    at milepost 26.2, in Thayer County, NE.\2\
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        \2\ BN has proposed a consummation date for the abandonment that 
    is four months from the date of filing of its verified notice. This 
    proposed consummation date is based on BN's reading of 49 U.S.C. 
    10904. The first sentence of 10904(c) provides, ``Within 4 months 
    after an application is filed under section 10903, any person may 
    offer to subsidize or purchase the railroad line that is the subject 
    of such application.''
        The Board recently addressed this provision in proposing revised 
    abandonment regulations to implement 49 U.S.C. 10903-04, as 
    established by the ICC Termination Act. In Abandonment and 
    Discontinuance of Rail Lines and Rail Transportation Under 49 U.S.C. 
    10903, STB Ex Parte No. 537 (STB served Mar. 15, 1996) slip op. at 
    10 [61 FR 11174, 11176 (Mar. 19, 1996)], the Board said, ``We see 
    the 4-month statutory deadline as an outer limit, which does not 
    require us to delay resolution of proceedings where the entire time 
    is not needed.''
        Based on the Board's statement, the exemption in this proceeding 
    will be scheduled to become effective on May 23, 1996, or 50 days 
    after BN's filing of its verified notice of exemption. This is 
    consistent with the existing rules at 49 CFR 1152.50. Offers of 
    financial assistance will be due according to deadlines established 
    in this notice. Potential offerors will not have until 4 months 
    after the notice was filed by BN with the Board to make an offer of 
    financial assistance.
        While the exemption is scheduled to take effect on May 23, 1996, 
    BN may of course delay consummation until a later date.
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        BN has certified that: (1) No local traffic has moved over the line 
    for at least 2 years; (2) there is no overhead traffic to be rerouted 
    from 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 Board or with any U.S. District Court or has been 
    decided in favor of 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. 10502(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 23, 
    1996, unless stayed pending reconsideration. Petitions to stay that do 
    not involve environmental issues,\3\ formal expressions of intent to 
    file an OFA under 49 CFR 1152.27(c)(2),\4\ and trail use/rail banking 
    requests under 49 CFR 1152.29 \5\ must be filed by May 3, 1996. 
    Petitions to reopen or requests for public use conditions under 49 CFR 
    1152.28 must be filed by May 13, 1996, with: Office of the Secretary, 
    Case Control Branch, Surface Transportation Board, 1201 Constitution 
    Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20423.
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        \3\ The Board will grant a stay if an informed decision on 
    environmental issues (whether raised by a party or by the Board's 
    Section of Environmental Analysis in its independent investigation) 
    cannot be made before the exemption's effective date. See Exemption 
    of Out-of-Service 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.
        \4\ See Exempt. of Rail Abandonment--Offers of Finan. Assist., 4 
    I.C.C.2d 164 (1987).
        \5\ The Board will accept late-filed trail use requests so long 
    as the abandonment has not been consummated and the abandoning 
    railroad is willing to negotiate an agreement.
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        A copy of any petition filed with the Board should be sent to 
    applicant's representative: Sarah J. Whitley, General Attorney, 
    Burlington Northern Railroad Company, 3800 Continental Plaza, 777 Main 
    Street, Fort Worth, TX 76102-5384.
        If the verified notice contains false or misleading information, 
    the exemption is void ab initio.
        BN 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 April 26, 1996. Interested persons may 
    obtain a copy of the EA by writing to SEA (Room 3219, Surface 
    Transportation Board, 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 
    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.
        Decided: April 12, 1996.
        By the Board, David M. Konschnik, Director, Office of 
    Proceedings.
    Vernon A. Williams,
    Secretary.
    [FR Doc. 96-9966 Filed 4-22-96; 8:45 am]
    BILLING CODE 4915-00-P
    
    

Document Information

Published:
04/23/1996
Entry Type:
Notice
Document Number:
96-9966
Pages:
17953-17953 (1 pages)
Docket Numbers:
STB Docket No. AB-6 (Sub-No. 377X)
PDF File:
96-9966.pdf