Sunset Railway Company-Abandonment Exemption-in Kern County, CA; San Joaquin Valley Railroad Company-Discontinuance Exemption-in Kern County, CA, 13570-13571 [05-5484]

Download as PDF 13570 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 53 / Monday, March 21, 2005 / Notices available after the comment closing date. Interested persons should continue to examine the docket for new material. Issued on: March 14, 2005. Annette M. Sandberg, Administrator. [FR Doc. 05–5491 Filed 3–18–05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910–EX–P DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Railroad Administration [Docket Number FRA–2004–18961] Union Pacific Railroad Company; Notice of Public Hearing and Extension of Comment Period The Union Pacific Railroad Company has petitioned the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) seeking approval of the proposed discontinuance and removal of the traffic control system (TCS), on Track No. 1 between Control Point River, milepost 247.4, and Control Point Ft. Worth, milepost 250.0, on the Dallas Subdivision, Dallas/Ft. Worth area, near Ft. Worth, Texas. The proposed changes include removal of CP University Avenue, milepost 248.01, and conversion of the existing dispatcher controlled, power-operated switch to a radio-controlled, poweroperated switch, operated by the Remote Control Locomotive (RCL) Operator. The proposed changes are in conjunction with the installation of a new TCS track between CP West Ft. Worth and CP River. This block signal application proceeding is identified as Docket No. FRA–2004–18961. FRA has issued a public notice seeking comments of interested parties and has conducted its own field investigation in this matter. After examining the carrier’s proposal, letters of protest, and the field report, FRA has determined that a public hearing is necessary before a final decision is made on this proposal. FRA is also extending the comment period to one week beyond the date of the public hearing. If information received at the public hearing warrants the need to extend the comment period further, a separate notice will be published indicating such extension. Accordingly, a public hearing is hereby set for 9 a.m. on Wednesday, April 20, 2005, in Room 120 of the Texas-New Mexico Power Building, Tower II, 4100 International Plaza, Ft. Worth, Texas 76109. Interested parties are invited to present oral statements at the hearing. The hearing will be an informal one and will be conducted in accordance with Rule 25 of the FRA VerDate jul<14>2003 18:36 Mar 18, 2005 Jkt 205001 Rules of Practice (49 CFR 211.25), by a representative designated by the FRA. The hearing will be a non adversary proceeding and, therefore, there will be no cross-examination of persons presenting statements. The FRA representative will make an opening statement outlining the scope of the hearing. After all initial statements have been completed, those persons wishing to make brief rebuttal statements will be given the opportunity to do so in the same order in which they made their initial statements. Additional procedures, if necessary for the conduct of the hearing, will be announced at the hearing. In addition, FRA is extending the comment period to April 28, 2005. All communications concerning these proceedings should identify the appropriate docket number (e.g., Waiver Petition Docket Number FRA–2004– 18961) and must be submitted to the Docket Clerk, DOT Docket Management Facility, Room PL–401 (Plaza Level), 400 7th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590. All written communications concerning these proceedings are available for examination during regular business hours (9 a.m.–5 p.m.) at the above facility. All documents in the public docket are also available for inspection and copying on the Internet at the docket facility’s Web site at https://dms.dot.gov. Anyone is able to search the electronic form of all comments received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review DOT’s complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published on April 11, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 70; Pages 19477–78). The Statement may also be found at https:// dms.dot.gov. Issued in Washington, DC on March 15, 2005. Grady C. Cothen, Jr., Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety, Standards and Program Development. [FR Doc. 05–5490 Filed 3–18–05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910–06–P PO 00000 DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [STB Docket No. AB–170 (Sub–No. 2X); STB Docket No. AB–398 (Sub–No. 10X)] Sunset Railway Company— Abandonment Exemption—in Kern County, CA; San Joaquin Valley Railroad Company—Discontinuance Exemption—in Kern County, CA Sunset Railway Company (SRY) and San Joaquin Valley Railroad Company (SJVR) (collectively, petitioners) have jointly filed a notice of exemption under 49 CFR part 1152, subpart F—Exempt Abandonments and Discontinuances of Service for SRY to abandon, and SJVR to discontinue service over, a 0.20-mile line of railroad, known as the Sunset Subdivision near Levee, between milepost 19.80 and milepost 20.00, in Kern County, CA. The line traverses United States Postal Service Zip Code 93268. SRY and SJVR have 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 and any overhead traffic on the line can 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 Surface Transportation Board (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 the governmental agencies) have been meet. As a condition to these exemptions, any employee adversely affected by the abandonment or discontinuance 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, these exemptions will be effective on April 20, 2005, unless stayed pending reconsideration. Petitions to stay that do not involve environmental issues,1 formal 1 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 Frm 00128 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\21MRN1.SGM 21MRN1 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 53 / Monday, March 21, 2005 / Notices 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 must be filed by March 31, 2005. Petitions to reopen or requests for public use conditions under 49 CFR 1152.28 must be filed by April 11, 2005, with: Surface Transportation Board, 1925 K Street, NW., Washington, DC 20423–0001. A copy of any petition filed with the Board should be sent to applicants’ representatives: Attorney for SRY, Mack H. Shumate, Jr., 101 North Wacker Drive, Room 1920, Chicago, IL 60606; Attorneys for SJVR, Gary A. Laakso, Vice President Regulatory Counsel, Rail America, Inc., 5300 Broken Sound Blvd., NW., Second Floor, Boca Raton, FL 33487 and Louis E. Gitomer, Ball Janik LLP, 1455 F Street, NW., Suite 225, Washington, DC 20005. If the verified notice contains false or misleading information, the exemption is void ab initio. SRV and SJVR have filed an environmental report which addresses the effects, if any of the abandonment and discontinuance on the environment and historic resources. SEA will issue an environmental assessment (EA) by March 25, 2005. Interested persons may obtain a copy of the EA by writing to SEA (Room 500, Surface Transportation Board, Washington, DC 20423–0001) or by calling SEA, at (202) 565–1539. (Assistance for the hearing impaired is available through the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1– 800–877–8339.) 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. Pursuant to the provisions of 49 CFR 1152.29(e)(2), SRY shall file a notice of consummation with the Board to signify that it has exercised the authority granted and fully abandoned the line. If consummation has not been effected by SRY’s filing of a notice of consummation by March 21, 2006, and there are no legal or regulatory barriers to consummation, the authority to abandon will automatically expire. Environmental Analysis (SEA) in its independent investigation) cannot be made before the exemption’s effective date. See Exemption of Outof-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. 2 Each offer of financial assistance must be accompanied by the filing fee, which currently is set at $1,200. See 49 CFR 1002.2(f)(25). VerDate jul<14>2003 18:36 Mar 18, 2005 Jkt 205001 Board decisions and notices are available on our Web site at https:// www.stb.dot.gov. Decided: March 14, 2005. By the Board, David M. Konschnik, Director, Office of Proceedings. Vernon A. Williams, Secretary. [FR Doc. 05–5484 Filed 3–18–05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4915–01–P DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Departmental Offices/Federal Consulting Group; Proposed Collection: Comment Request Notice and request for comments. ACTION: SUMMARY: The Department of the Treasury, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104–13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the Federal Consulting Group within the Department of the Treasury is soliciting comments concerning the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) EGovernment Website Customer Satisfaction Survey. DATES: Written comments should be received on or before May 20, 2005, to be assured of consideration. ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to the Federal Consulting Group, Attention: Ronald Oberbillig, 1700 G Street, NW., Washington, DC 20552, (202) 906–6863, Ronald.Oberbillig@ots.treas.gov. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or copies of the form(s) and instructions should be directed to the Federal Consulting Group, Attention: Ronald Oberbillig, 1700 G Street, NW., Washington, DC 20552, (202) 906–6863, Ronald.Oberbillig@ots.treas.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) E-Government Website Customer Satisfaction Survey. OMB Number: 1505–0186. Abstract: The proposed renewal of this information collection activity supports continued use of a proven methodology to measure and improve customer satisfaction with federal government agency websites. The Federal Consulting Group of the PO 00000 Frm 00129 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 13571 Department of the Treasury serves as the executive agent for this project and has partnered with ForeSee Results Inc. (the ‘‘partnership’’) to offer this assessment service to federal government agencies. ForeSee Results is a leader in customer satisfaction and customer experience management on the web. It utilizes the methodology of the most respected, credible, and well-known measure of customer satisfaction in the country, the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). This methodology combines survey data and a patented econometric model to precisely measure the customer satisfaction of website users, identify specific areas for improvement, and determine the impact of those improvements on customer satisfaction and future customer behaviors. The ACSI is the only cross-industry, cross-agency methodology for obtaining comparable measures of customer satisfaction with federal government programs and/or websites. Along with other economic objectives, the quality of goods and services is a part of measuring living standards. The ACSI’s ultimate purpose is to help improve the quality of goods and services available to the American people, including those provided by the federal government. The ACSI E-Government Website Customer Satisfaction Surveys will be completed subject to the Privacy Act of 1974, Public Law 93–579, December 31, 1974 (5 U.S.C. 522a). The agency information collection will be used solely for the purpose of the survey. The partnership will not be authorized to release any agency information upon completion of the survey without first obtaining permission from the Federal Consulting Group and the participating agency. In no case shall any new system of records containing privacy information be developed by the Federal Consulting Group, participating agencies, or the contractor collecting the data. In addition, participating federal agencies may only provide information sufficient to randomly select website visitors as potential survey respondents. This survey asks no questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered private. Current Actions: Proposed renewal of collection of information. Type of Review: Renewal. Affected Public: Individuals or households/business or other for-profit/ not-for-profit institutions/farms/federal government/state, local or tribal government. Estimated Number of Respondents: E:\FR\FM\21MRN1.SGM 21MRN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 53 (Monday, March 21, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13570-13571]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-5484]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

[STB Docket No. AB-170 (Sub-No. 2X); STB Docket No. AB-398 (Sub-No. 
10X)]


Sunset Railway Company--Abandonment Exemption--in Kern County, 
CA; San Joaquin Valley Railroad Company--Discontinuance Exemption--in 
Kern County, CA

    Sunset Railway Company (SRY) and San Joaquin Valley Railroad 
Company (SJVR) (collectively, petitioners) have jointly filed a notice 
of exemption under 49 CFR part 1152, subpart F--Exempt Abandonments and 
Discontinuances of Service for SRY to abandon, and SJVR to discontinue 
service over, a 0.20-mile line of railroad, known as the Sunset 
Subdivision near Levee, between milepost 19.80 and milepost 20.00, in 
Kern County, CA. The line traverses United States Postal Service Zip 
Code 93268.
    SRY and SJVR have 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 and any overhead traffic on the line 
can 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 Surface Transportation Board 
(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 the governmental 
agencies) have been meet.
    As a condition to these exemptions, any employee adversely affected 
by the abandonment or discontinuance 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, these exemptions will be effective 
on April 20, 2005, unless stayed pending reconsideration. Petitions to 
stay that do not involve environmental issues,\1\ formal

[[Page 13571]]

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 must be filed by 
March 31, 2005. Petitions to reopen or requests for public use 
conditions under 49 CFR 1152.28 must be filed by April 11, 2005, with: 
Surface Transportation Board, 1925 K Street, NW., Washington, DC 20423-
0001.
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    \1\ 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 (SEA) 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.
    \2\ Each offer of financial assistance must be accompanied by 
the filing fee, which currently is set at $1,200. See 49 CFR 
1002.2(f)(25).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    A copy of any petition filed with the Board should be sent to 
applicants' representatives: Attorney for SRY, Mack H. Shumate, Jr., 
101 North Wacker Drive, Room 1920, Chicago, IL 60606; Attorneys for 
SJVR, Gary A. Laakso, Vice President Regulatory Counsel, Rail America, 
Inc., 5300 Broken Sound Blvd., NW., Second Floor, Boca Raton, FL 33487 
and Louis E. Gitomer, Ball Janik LLP, 1455 F Street, NW., Suite 225, 
Washington, DC 20005.
    If the verified notice contains false or misleading information, 
the exemption is void ab initio.
    SRV and SJVR have filed an environmental report which addresses the 
effects, if any of the abandonment and discontinuance on the 
environment and historic resources. SEA will issue an environmental 
assessment (EA) by March 25, 2005. Interested persons may obtain a copy 
of the EA by writing to SEA (Room 500, Surface Transportation Board, 
Washington, DC 20423-0001) or by calling SEA, at (202) 565-1539. 
(Assistance for the hearing impaired is available through the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.) 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.
    Pursuant to the provisions of 49 CFR 1152.29(e)(2), SRY shall file 
a notice of consummation with the Board to signify that it has 
exercised the authority granted and fully abandoned the line. If 
consummation has not been effected by SRY's filing of a notice of 
consummation by March 21, 2006, and there are no legal or regulatory 
barriers to consummation, the authority to abandon will automatically 
expire.
    Board decisions and notices are available on our Web site at http:/
/www.stb.dot.gov.

    Decided: March 14, 2005.

    By the Board, David M. Konschnik, Director, Office of 
Proceedings.
Vernon A. Williams,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 05-5484 Filed 3-18-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915-01-P
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