Norfolk Southern Railway Company-Abandonment Exemption-in Latrobe, Westmoreland County, PA, 45890-45891 [E9-21359]

Download as PDF 45890 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 171 / Friday, September 4, 2009 / Notices srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES 1152.50(d)(1) (notice to governmental agencies) have been met. As a condition to 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 October 7, 2009, unless stayed pending reconsideration. Petitions to stay that do not involve environmental issues,2 formal expressions of intent to file an OFA under 49 CFR 1152.27(c)(2),3 and trail use/rail banking requests under 49 CFR 1152.29 must be filed by September 14, 2009. Petitions to reopen or requests for public use conditions under 49 CFR 1152.28 must be filed by September 24, 2009, with the Surface Transportation Board, 395 E Street, SW., Washington, DC 20423–0001. A copy of any petition filed with the Board should be sent to NYS&W’s representative: Eric M. Hocky, One Commerce Square, 2005 Market Street, Suite 1000, Philadelphia, PA 19103. If the verified notice contains false or misleading information, the exemption is void ab initio. NYS&W has filed both an environmental report and a historic report that address the effects, if any, of the abandonment on the environment and historic resources. SEA will issue an environmental assessment (EA) by September 11, 2009. Interested persons may obtain a copy of the EA by writing to SEA (Room 1100, Surface Transportation Board, Washington, DC 20423–0001) or by calling SEA, at (202) 245–0305. [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. 2 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 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. 3 Each OFA must be accompanied by the filing fee, which currently is set at $1,500. See 49 CFR 1002.2(f)(25). VerDate Nov<24>2008 17:16 Sep 03, 2009 Jkt 217001 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), NYS&W 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 NYS&W’s filing of a notice of consummation by September 4, 2010, 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 https:// www.stb.dot.gov. Decided: August 25, 2009. By the Board, Joseph H. Dettmar, Acting Director, Office of Proceedings. Kulunie L. Cannon, Clearance Clerk. [FR Doc. E9–20764 Filed 9–3–09; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4915–01–P DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [STB Docket No. AB–290 (Sub-No. 314X)] Norfolk Southern Railway Company— Abandonment Exemption—in Latrobe, Westmoreland County, PA Norfolk Southern Railway Company (NSR) has filed a notice of exemption under 49 CFR 1152 Subpart F—Exempt Abandonments to abandon a 2.04-mile line of railroad between milepost XN– 0.00, and milepost XN0–2.04, in Latrobe, Westmoreland County, PA. The line traverses United States Postal Service Zip Code 15650. NSR has certified that: (1) No local traffic has moved over the line for at least 2 years; (2) any overhead traffic 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 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 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 this exemption, any employee adversely affected by the abandonment shall be protected under Oregon Short Line R. Co.— PO 00000 Frm 00089 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 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 October 7, 2009, 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 must be filed by September 14, 2009. Petitions to reopen or requests for public use conditions under 49 CFR 1152.28 must be filed by September 24, 2009, with: Surface Transportation Board, 395 E Street, SW., Washington, DC 20423–0001. A copy of any petition filed with the Board should be sent to NSR’s representative: James R. Paschall, Senior General Attorney, Norfolk Southern Corporation, Three Commercial Place, Norfolk, VA 23510. If the verified notice contains false or misleading information, the exemption is void ab initio. NSR has filed a combined environmental and historic report which addresses the effects, if any, of the abandonment on the environment and historic resources. SEA will issue an environmental assessment (EA) by September 11, 2009. Interested persons may obtain a copy of the EA by writing to SEA (Room 1100, Surface Transportation Board, Washington, DC 20423–0001) or by calling SEA, at (202) 245–0305. 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), NSR shall file a notice of 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 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 OFA must be accompanied by the filing fee, which currently is set at $1,500. See 49 CFR 1002.2(f)(25). E:\FR\FM\04SEN1.SGM 04SEN1 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 171 / Friday, September 4, 2009 / Notices 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 NSR’s filing of a notice of consummation by September 4, 2010, 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 https:// www.stb.dot.gov. Decided: August 31, 2009. By the Board, Rachel D. Campbell, Director, Office of Proceedings. Jeffrey Herzig, Clearance Clerk. [FR Doc. E9–21359 Filed 9–3–09; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4915–01–P DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Railroad Administration Environmental Impact Statement for the California High Speed Train Project From Palmdale to Bakersfield, CA srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of Transportation (DOT). ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement. SUMMARY: This notice is to advise the public that FRA and the California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) will jointly prepare a project Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and project Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Palmdale to Bakersfield section of the Authority’s proposed California High Speed Train (HST) System in compliance with relevant state and federal laws, in particular the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). In 2001, the Authority and FRA started a tiered environmental review process for the HST system and in 2005, completed the first tier California High Speed Train Program EIR/EIS (Statewide Program EIR/EIS) and approved the statewide HST system for intercity travel in California between the major metropolitan centers of Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area in the north, through the Central Valley, to Los Angeles and San Diego in the south. The approved HST system would be about 800-miles long, with electric propulsion and steel-wheel-onsteel-rail trains capable of maximum operating speeds of 220 miles per hour (mph) on a mostly dedicated system of fully grade-separated, access-controlled steel track and with state-of-the-art VerDate Nov<24>2008 17:16 Sep 03, 2009 Jkt 217001 safety, signaling, communication, and automated train control systems. In approving the HST system, the Authority and FRA also selected preferred corridor alignments and station location options throughout most of the system. In 2008, the Authority and FRA completed a second program EIR/EIS to evaluate alignments and station locations within the broad corridor between and including the Altamont Pass and the Pacheco Pass to connect the Bay Area and Central Valley portions of the HST system. The preparation of the Palmdale to Bakersfield HST Project EIR/EIS will involve the development of preliminary engineering designs and the assessment of potential environmental effects associated with the construction, operation, and maintenance of the HST system, including track and ancillary facilities along the State Route 58/14 corridor from Bakersfield to Palmdale. DATES: Written comments on the scope of the Palmdale to Bakersfield HST Project EIR/EIS should be provided to the Authority by 5 p.m., Monday, November 2, 2009. Public scoping meetings are scheduled from September 15, 2009 to September 17, 2009, as noted below in the cities of Bakersfield, CA, Tehachapi, CA and Palmdale, CA. ADDRESSES: Written comments on the scope should be sent to Ms. Carrie Bowen, Regional Director, ATTN: Bakersfield to Palmdale, California High Speed Rail Authority, 925 L Street, Suite 1425, Sacramento, CA 95814, or via e-mail with subject line ‘‘Palmdale to Bakersfield HST’’ to: comments@hsr.ca.gov. Comments may also be provided orally or in writing at the scoping meetings scheduled at the following locations: • Red Lion Hotel, 2400 Camino Del Rio Court. Bakersfield, CA 93308, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., September 15, 2009. • Stallion Springs Community Center, 27850 Stallion Springs Drive, Tehachapi, CA 93561, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., September 16, 2009. • Chimbole Cultural Center, 38350 Sierra Highway, Palmdale, CA 93550, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., September 17, 2009. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. David Valenstein, Environmental Program Manager, Office of Railroad Development, Federal Railroad Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., (Mail Stop 20), Washington, DC 20590; Telephone: (202) 493–6368, or Ms. Carrie Bowen, Telephone: (559) 221–2636 at the above noted address. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Authority was established in 1996 and is authorized and directed by statue to PO 00000 Frm 00090 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 45891 undertake the planning and development of a proposed statewide HST network that is fully coordinated with other public transportation services. The Authority adopted a Final Business Plan in June 2000, which reviewed the economic feasibility of an 800-mile-long HST capable of speeds in excess of 200 miles per hour on a mostly dedicated, fully grade-separated state-ofthe-art track. The Authority released an updated Business Plan in November 2008. The FRA has responsibility for overseeing the safety of railroad operations, including the safety of any proposed high-speed ground transportation system. For the proposed HST, it is anticipated that FRA would need to take certain regulatory actions prior to operation. In 2005, the Authority and FRA completed the Statewide Program EIR/ EIS for the Proposed California High Speed Train System, as the first phase of a tiered environmental review process. The Authority certified the Statewide Program EIR under CEQA and approved the proposed HST System. FRA issued a Record of Decision on the Statewide Program EIR/EIS as required under NEPA. The Statewide Program EIR/EIS established the purpose and need for the HST system, analyzed an HST system, and compared the proposed HST system with a No Project/ No Action Alternative and a Modal Alternative. In approving the Statewide Program EIR/EIS, the Authority and FRA selected the HST Alternative, selected certain corridors/general alignments and general station locations for further study, incorporated mitigation strategies and design practices, and specified further measures to guide the development of the HST system during the site-specific, project level environmental review to avoid and minimize potential adverse environmental impacts. In the Statewide Program EIR/EIS, the Authority and FRA selected the State Route 58/14 corridor for the Palmdale to Bakersfield section of the HST. The Palmdale to Bakersfield HST Project EIR/EIS will tier from the Statewide Program EIR/EIS and the Final Bay Area to Central Valley HST Program EIR/EIS in accordance with Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations, (40 CFR 1508.28) and State CEQA Guidelines (14 C.C.R. 15168(b)). Tiering ensures that the Palmdale to Bakersfield HST Project EIR/EIS builds upon all previous work prepared for, and incorporated in, the Statewide Program EIR/EIS and the Bay Area to Central Valley HST Program EIR/EIS. E:\FR\FM\04SEN1.SGM 04SEN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 171 (Friday, September 4, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45890-45891]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-21359]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

[STB Docket No. AB-290 (Sub-No. 314X)]


Norfolk Southern Railway Company--Abandonment Exemption--in 
Latrobe, Westmoreland County, PA

    Norfolk Southern Railway Company (NSR) has filed a notice of 
exemption under 49 CFR 1152 Subpart F--Exempt Abandonments to abandon a 
2.04-mile line of railroad between milepost XN-0.00, and milepost XN0-
2.04, in Latrobe, Westmoreland County, PA. The line traverses United 
States Postal Service Zip Code 15650.
    NSR has certified that: (1) No local traffic has moved over the 
line for at least 2 years; (2) any overhead traffic 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 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 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 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 October 7, 2009, 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 must be filed by 
September 14, 2009. Petitions to reopen or requests for public use 
conditions under 49 CFR 1152.28 must be filed by September 24, 2009, 
with: Surface Transportation Board, 395 E Street, SW., 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 OFA must be accompanied by the filing fee, which 
currently is set at $1,500. See 49 CFR 1002.2(f)(25).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    A copy of any petition filed with the Board should be sent to NSR's 
representative: James R. Paschall, Senior General Attorney, Norfolk 
Southern Corporation, Three Commercial Place, Norfolk, VA 23510.
    If the verified notice contains false or misleading information, 
the exemption is void ab initio.
    NSR has filed a combined environmental and historic report which 
addresses the effects, if any, of the abandonment on the environment 
and historic resources. SEA will issue an environmental assessment (EA) 
by September 11, 2009. Interested persons may obtain a copy of the EA 
by writing to SEA (Room 1100, Surface Transportation Board, Washington, 
DC 20423-0001) or by calling SEA, at (202) 245-0305. 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), NSR shall file 
a notice of

[[Page 45891]]

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 NSR's filing of a notice of consummation by September 
4, 2010, 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 https://www.stb.dot.gov.

    Decided: August 31, 2009.

    By the Board, Rachel D. Campbell, Director, Office of 
Proceedings.
Jeffrey Herzig,
Clearance Clerk.
[FR Doc. E9-21359 Filed 9-3-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915-01-P
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