Review of Unused Presidential Permit: Laredo, Texas International Railroad Bridge, 65830-65831 [E9-29335]
Download as PDF
65830
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 237 / Friday, December 11, 2009 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF STATE
[Public Notice 6835]
jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with NOTICES
Review of Unused Presidential Permit:
Laredo, Texas International Railroad
Bridge
SUMMARY: More than 14 years ago, the
Department of State issued to the Union
Pacific Railroad/Missouri Pacific
Railroad Company, a Presidential
permit for an international rail bridge at
Laredo, Texas. To date, the permit
remains unused. The Department and
other Federal agencies are currently
evaluating whether to revoke, modify, or
retain as written this long-unused
permit given the change of
circumstances in the project area,
development of nearby projects,
inaction by the permittee, and apparent
lack of interest in pursuing the
corresponding projects in Mexico. The
review is not a judgment regarding
either the need for a new bridge or the
merits of Union Pacific Railroad/
Missouri Pacific Railroad Company’s
(UP) plan, but rather represents a
recognition that the project for which
this permit was issued has gone
unimplemented longer than similar
projects and, due to the passage of time,
may no longer be viable. UP provided a
project status update, which is included
in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
section below.
DATES: Interested members of the public
are invited to submit written comments
regarding this permit review on or
before February 9, 2010.
ADDRESSES: Submit comments to Mr.
Stewart Tuttle, U.S.-Mexico Border
Affairs Coordinator, via e-mail at WHA–
BorderAffairs@state.gov, or by mail at
WHA/MEX—Room 3909, Department of
State, 2201 C St., NW., Washington, DC
20520.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.
Stewart Tuttle, U.S.-Mexico Border
Affairs Coordinator, via e-mail at WHA–
BorderAffairs@state.gov; by phone at
202–647–9894; or by mail at Office of
Mexican Affairs—Room 3909,
Department of State, 2201 C St., NW.,
Washington, DC 20520. Information
about Presidential permits is available at
https://www.state.gov/p/wha/rt/permit/.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Executive
Order 11423 of August 16, 1968, as
amended, authorizes the Secretary of
State to issue Presidential permits for
the construction, connection, operation,
and maintenance of facilities crossing
the international borders of the United
States, including, but not limited to,
bridges and pipelines connecting the
United States with Canada or Mexico. In
order to issue a Presidential permit, the
VerDate Nov<24>2008
17:33 Dec 10, 2009
Jkt 220001
Secretary or her delegate must find that
a border crossing is in the U.S. national
interest. Within the context of
appropriate border security, safety,
health, and environmental
requirements, it is in the U.S. national
interest to facilitate the efficient
movement of legitimate goods and
travelers across U.S. borders.
Since 1968, the Department has
issued 21 Presidential permits for nonpipeline border crossings on the U.S.Mexico border and one for the U.S.Canada border. Of the 21 U.S.-Mexican
border projects that have received
permits, most began construction within
two to five years. The Presidential
permit process, which emphasizes
interagency and binational
coordination, is designed to ensure that
border crossings are built if, and only if,
there is clear local, binational, and
interagency support for the project and
construction is in the U.S. national
interest. It is not in the U.S. national
interest to commit scarce government
resources (e.g., Customs and Border
Protection inspectors, highway
improvement funds, etc.) as well as
private resources (e.g., land, capital,
etc.) for border crossing projects that
cannot be successfully implemented
within a reasonable time period. While
the Department may find a project to be
in the U.S. national interest under a
certain set of circumstances, those
circumstances may change over time so
that, five or ten years later, the
Department may conclude that the
project is no longer in the national
interest or the relevant agencies may
reconsider their recommendations on
the Department’s initial grant of the
permit. The border region is dynamic
and fast-changing and it is important
that an outdated permit not be used to
build a border crossing on a site that is
no longer appropriate due to the passage
of time (e.g., due to changes in
transportation patterns, development
patterns, etc.). At the same time, the
Department recognizes that, by their
nature, border crossing projects are
complex, time consuming, and subject
to political, financial, regulatory, and
logistical setbacks.
In this review, the Department of
State seeks public input on whether to
revoke, modify, or retain as written the
Presidential permit that it issued in
1995 to the Union Pacific Railroad/
Missouri Pacific Railroad Company (UP)
for an international rail bridge at
Laredo, Texas. Interested members of
the public are invited to submit written
comments, as set forth above.
The following is the text of a letter
that UP submitted on September 3,
PO 00000
Frm 00099
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
2009, to the Department, providing its
initial input to this review process.
Begin text
I am responding on behalf of Union Pacific
Railroad Company (‘‘UP’’) to Mr. Daniel D.
Darrach’s August 7, 2009 letter concerning
the Presidential Permit UP received in May
1995 (the ‘‘Permit’’), to construct, operate,
and maintain a new international railroad
bridge between Laredo, Texas, and Nuevo
Laredo, Tamaulipas (the ‘‘New Bridge’’). In
his letter Mr. Darrach correctly noted that
construction has not yet begun on the New
Bridge, and he invited UP to provide a brief,
written statement outlining its interest in
maintaining the Permit, current and planned
activities to implement the project, and
coordination with government agencies on
both sides of the border.
UP is very interested in maintaining the
Permit. Though construction of the New
Bridge (which would be a part of a total
project known as the Flecha Lane project) has
not commenced and no start date has been
established for the capacity-related reasons
described below, UP has purchased all rightof-way in the U.S. required for the Flecha
Lane project and has planned (e.g.,
engineering) extensively for it. We are also
considering how the Mexican portion of the
project would be implemented. In fact, I
recently met with Sr. Jorge Licon, head of the
rail division of the Mexico’s Secretary of
Communications and Transportation
(‘‘SCT’’), to discuss various rail bridge
options at Laredo/Nuevo Laredo.
We believe that the validity of the
justifications for the New Bridge outlined in
our application for the Permit will return in
the foreseeable future. Continuation of the
Permit would allow for construction to begin
immediately when, as we expect, the level of
rail traffic crossing between the U.S. and
Mexico at Laredo/Nuevo Laredo increases
and renews the need for the New Bridge.
In 1994, when UP filed its application for
the Permit, the existing bridge between
Laredo and Nuevo Laredo (the ‘‘Existing
Bridge’’) was approaching the limit of its
capacity. Now, however, with the
implementation of various operating and
process efficiencies and the recent economic
downturn, the traffic of the Existing Bridge’s
three users consumes only about 50% of its
capacity. (There are three users of the
Existing Bridge: UP, with about 65% of the
traffic traversing it, Kansas City Southern de
Mexico (‘‘KCSM’’), which was part of the
Mexican national railway system before it
was privatized in the mid to late 1990s, and
the Texas Mexican Railway Company
(‘‘TexMex’’)). KCSM and TexMex are both
wholly-owned by Kansas City Southern
Industries (‘‘KCS’’), which also owns 100%
of The Kansas City Southern Railroad
Company.) Shortly after UP’s application for
the Permit, the Mexican railroad with which
UP and TexMex connect at the Existing
Bridge was privatized. This privatized entity
has proven much readier than its predecessor
to make capital investments and process
improvements that have increased the
Existing Bridge’s capacity.
Over time, a number of improvements have
been made to the infrastructure at the
E:\FR\FM\11DEN1.SGM
11DEN1
jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 237 / Friday, December 11, 2009 / Notices
Existing Bridge and in the way traffic is
processed for interchange at that border
crossing. UP and KCSM have made
significant capital investments to increase
capacity—UP at its Port Laredo yard
approximately eight miles north of Laredo
and KCSM at its Sanchez Yard in Nuevo
Laredo. Both KCSM and UP have added the
Centralized Traffic Control (‘‘CTC’’) system
and additional sidings on their main lines on
their respective sides of the border. This
addition of yard capacity, CTC, and sidings
allows our trains to more quickly proceed to
and from the border crossing, thereby
reducing congestion at the crossing and
increasing the Existing Bridge’s capacity.
Process improvements made include the
implementation of the dispacho previo
system (a system providing for a more fluid
and faster operation by clearing cars to cross
from the U.S. into Mexico prior to their
arrival at the border) and the Automated
Manifest System with US Customs, the
installation of VACIS machines on both sides
of the border, the increased use of ‘‘runthrough’’ trains (including locomotives), and
improved customs processes. These
improvements have expedited movements
over the Existing Bridge and substantially
increased its capacity.
The diminished current need for the New
Bridge, or for any other bridge that would
replace the Existing Bridge, has also resulted
from declining traffic levels caused by the
recent downturn in the general economy and
by the rerouting by customers of certain
trains from the Laredo/Nuevo Laredo
crossing to the crossing at Eagle Pass, Texas/
Piedras Negras, Coahuila. In addition, the
failure of anticipated movements originating
from the Port of Lazaro Cardenas, Mexico, to
materialize has reduced projected traffic
volumes.
The result is that current traffic over the
Existing Bridge consumes approximately
50% of its capacity. For this reason, we do
not believe that the New Bridge, nor any
other new rail bridge at the Laredo/Nuevo
Laredo crossing, is required at this time. But
we are confident that traffic levels will
increase and that a new bridge will be
required in the future. Operating and other
considerations dictate that any such new rail
bridge should take the form of the Flecha
Lane project, including the New Bridge.
Continuation of the Permit would allow
construction of the New Bridge to begin
quickly when increases in traffic levels tax
the capacity of the Existing Bridge.
We are aware of two other proposals for
international railroad bridges at Laredo/
Nuevo Laredo. Unfortunately, neither of
these proposals, as presently planned, would
meet UP’s needs. We understand that KCS
intends to apply for a Presidential Permit to
construct and operate a new international
bridge at Laredo/Nuevo Laredo
approximately 12 miles southeast of the
Existing Bridge (the ‘‘East Loop By-Pass
Project’’). The East Loop By-Pass Project
would involve the construction of
approximately 51 miles of trackage in an
eastern loop around Laredo/Nuevo Laredo.
UP opposes the East Loop By-Pass Project
because it would present significant
operating problems and expense to UP and
VerDate Nov<24>2008
17:33 Dec 10, 2009
Jkt 220001
would add approximately 24 miles of
circuity to UP movements interchanged with
KCSM. At a minimum, any Presidential
Permit for the East Loop Project should be
made contingent upon agreement between
KCS and UP for UP’s use of the bridge and
access trackage, including compensation
terms. To date, KCS has declined UP’s
requests to discuss this important matter.
The other proposed project would involve
the construction of a new railroad bridge
approximately 19 miles west of the Existing
Bridge (the ‘‘Columbia River Project’’) which
would connect with trackage on the U.S. side
constructed alongside the existing toll road at
approximately mile post 27. The Columbia
River Project is supported more by the
governmental entities that have proposed it
than by the railroads that would actually use
it. UP opposes the Columbia River Project
since it would, if implemented, present
significant operational problems for UP. We
doubt the project will ever be undertaken due
to its high cost and the opposition of various
affected parties, including KCS.
I would very much appreciate the
opportunity to speak with you further about
UP’s position on this very important matter.
Sincerely, Robert Naro, Vice President for
Mexico Operations, Union Pacific Railroad
Company
End Text
Dated: December 4, 2009.
Alex Lee,
Director, Office of Mexican Affairs,
Department of State.
[FR Doc. E9–29335 Filed 12–10–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710–29–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Surface Transportation Board
[STB Finance Docket No. 35329]
A&R Terminal Railroad Company—
Acquisition and Operation
Exemption—A&R Logistics, Inc.
A&R Terminal Railroad Company
(ARTR), a noncarrier, has filed a verified
notice of exemption under 49 CFR
1150.31 to acquire, by lease, and to
operate A&R Logistics, Inc.’s (A&R)
Morris Transload Facility and
approximately 6.25 miles of right-ofway and trackage located in the
transload facility, in Morris, IL.1
ARTR states that the rail line to be
acquired and operated by ARTR
constitutes a line of railroad for which
an exemption from the Board is required
because it is ARTR’s initial rail
acquisition and operation,
notwithstanding that it might otherwise
be considered to be spur, industrial,
and/or switching track exempt from the
1 The Morris Transload Facility trackage is not
described by milepost numbers.
PO 00000
Frm 00100
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
65831
Board’s acquisition and operation
authority under 49 U.S.C. 10906.2
The earliest this transaction may be
consummated is December 25, 2009, the
effective date of the exemption (30 days
after the verified notice of exemption
was filed).
ARTR certifies that its projected
revenues as a result of the transaction
will not exceed those that would qualify
it as a Class III rail carrier.
Pursuant to the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2008, Public Law
110–161, § 193, 121 Stat. 1844 (2007),
nothing in this decision authorizes the
following activities at any solid waste
rail transfer facility: Collecting, storing,
or transferring solid waste outside of its
original shipping container; or
separating or processing solid waste
(including baling, crushing, compacting,
and shredding). The term ‘‘solid waste’’
is defined in section 1004 of the Solid
Waste Disposal Act, 42 U.S.C. 6903.
If ARTR’s verified notice contains
false or misleading information, the
exemption is void ab initio. Petitions to
revoke the exemption under 49 U.S.C.
10502(d) may be filed at any time. The
filing of a petition to revoke will not
automatically stay the effectiveness of
the exemption. Stay petitions must be
filed no later than December 18, 2009 (at
least 7 days before the exemption
becomes effective).
An original and 10 copies of all
pleadings, referring to STB Finance
Docket No. 35329, must be filed with
the Surface Transportation Board, 395 E
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20423–
0001. In addition, one copy of each
pleading must be served on David C.
Dillon, Dillon & Nash, Ltd., 111 West
Washington Street, Suite 719, Chicago,
IL 60602.
Board decisions and notices are
available on our Web site at https://
www.stb.dot.gov.
Decided: December 7, 2009.
By the Board, Rachel D. Campbell,
Director, Office of Proceedings.
Kulunie L. Cannon,
Clearance Clerk.
[FR Doc. E9–29495 Filed 12–10–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915–01–P
2 See Effingham RR Co.—Pet. for Declaratory
Order, 2 S.T.B. 606 (1997), aff’d sub nom. United
Transp. Union—Ill. Legislative Bd. v. Surface
Transp. Bd., 183 F.3d 606 (7th Cir. 1999); see also
Bulkmatic RR.—Acquire and Operate—Bulkmatic
Transport, 6 S.T.B. 481 (2002).
E:\FR\FM\11DEN1.SGM
11DEN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 237 (Friday, December 11, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65830-65831]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-29335]
[[Page 65830]]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF STATE
[Public Notice 6835]
Review of Unused Presidential Permit: Laredo, Texas International
Railroad Bridge
SUMMARY: More than 14 years ago, the Department of State issued to the
Union Pacific Railroad/Missouri Pacific Railroad Company, a
Presidential permit for an international rail bridge at Laredo, Texas.
To date, the permit remains unused. The Department and other Federal
agencies are currently evaluating whether to revoke, modify, or retain
as written this long-unused permit given the change of circumstances in
the project area, development of nearby projects, inaction by the
permittee, and apparent lack of interest in pursuing the corresponding
projects in Mexico. The review is not a judgment regarding either the
need for a new bridge or the merits of Union Pacific Railroad/Missouri
Pacific Railroad Company's (UP) plan, but rather represents a
recognition that the project for which this permit was issued has gone
unimplemented longer than similar projects and, due to the passage of
time, may no longer be viable. UP provided a project status update,
which is included in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below.
DATES: Interested members of the public are invited to submit written
comments regarding this permit review on or before February 9, 2010.
ADDRESSES: Submit comments to Mr. Stewart Tuttle, U.S.-Mexico Border
Affairs Coordinator, via e-mail at WHA-BorderAffairs@state.gov, or by
mail at WHA/MEX--Room 3909, Department of State, 2201 C St., NW.,
Washington, DC 20520.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Stewart Tuttle, U.S.-Mexico Border
Affairs Coordinator, via e-mail at WHA-BorderAffairs@state.gov; by
phone at 202-647-9894; or by mail at Office of Mexican Affairs--Room
3909, Department of State, 2201 C St., NW., Washington, DC 20520.
Information about Presidential permits is available at https://www.state.gov/p/wha/rt/permit/.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Executive Order 11423 of August 16, 1968, as
amended, authorizes the Secretary of State to issue Presidential
permits for the construction, connection, operation, and maintenance of
facilities crossing the international borders of the United States,
including, but not limited to, bridges and pipelines connecting the
United States with Canada or Mexico. In order to issue a Presidential
permit, the Secretary or her delegate must find that a border crossing
is in the U.S. national interest. Within the context of appropriate
border security, safety, health, and environmental requirements, it is
in the U.S. national interest to facilitate the efficient movement of
legitimate goods and travelers across U.S. borders.
Since 1968, the Department has issued 21 Presidential permits for
non-pipeline border crossings on the U.S.-Mexico border and one for the
U.S.-Canada border. Of the 21 U.S.-Mexican border projects that have
received permits, most began construction within two to five years. The
Presidential permit process, which emphasizes interagency and
binational coordination, is designed to ensure that border crossings
are built if, and only if, there is clear local, binational, and
interagency support for the project and construction is in the U.S.
national interest. It is not in the U.S. national interest to commit
scarce government resources (e.g., Customs and Border Protection
inspectors, highway improvement funds, etc.) as well as private
resources (e.g., land, capital, etc.) for border crossing projects that
cannot be successfully implemented within a reasonable time period.
While the Department may find a project to be in the U.S. national
interest under a certain set of circumstances, those circumstances may
change over time so that, five or ten years later, the Department may
conclude that the project is no longer in the national interest or the
relevant agencies may reconsider their recommendations on the
Department's initial grant of the permit. The border region is dynamic
and fast-changing and it is important that an outdated permit not be
used to build a border crossing on a site that is no longer appropriate
due to the passage of time (e.g., due to changes in transportation
patterns, development patterns, etc.). At the same time, the Department
recognizes that, by their nature, border crossing projects are complex,
time consuming, and subject to political, financial, regulatory, and
logistical setbacks.
In this review, the Department of State seeks public input on
whether to revoke, modify, or retain as written the Presidential permit
that it issued in 1995 to the Union Pacific Railroad/Missouri Pacific
Railroad Company (UP) for an international rail bridge at Laredo,
Texas. Interested members of the public are invited to submit written
comments, as set forth above.
The following is the text of a letter that UP submitted on
September 3, 2009, to the Department, providing its initial input to
this review process.
Begin text
I am responding on behalf of Union Pacific Railroad Company
(``UP'') to Mr. Daniel D. Darrach's August 7, 2009 letter concerning
the Presidential Permit UP received in May 1995 (the ``Permit''), to
construct, operate, and maintain a new international railroad bridge
between Laredo, Texas, and Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas (the ``New
Bridge''). In his letter Mr. Darrach correctly noted that
construction has not yet begun on the New Bridge, and he invited UP
to provide a brief, written statement outlining its interest in
maintaining the Permit, current and planned activities to implement
the project, and coordination with government agencies on both sides
of the border.
UP is very interested in maintaining the Permit. Though
construction of the New Bridge (which would be a part of a total
project known as the Flecha Lane project) has not commenced and no
start date has been established for the capacity-related reasons
described below, UP has purchased all right-of-way in the U.S.
required for the Flecha Lane project and has planned (e.g.,
engineering) extensively for it. We are also considering how the
Mexican portion of the project would be implemented. In fact, I
recently met with Sr. Jorge Licon, head of the rail division of the
Mexico's Secretary of Communications and Transportation (``SCT''),
to discuss various rail bridge options at Laredo/Nuevo Laredo.
We believe that the validity of the justifications for the New
Bridge outlined in our application for the Permit will return in the
foreseeable future. Continuation of the Permit would allow for
construction to begin immediately when, as we expect, the level of
rail traffic crossing between the U.S. and Mexico at Laredo/Nuevo
Laredo increases and renews the need for the New Bridge.
In 1994, when UP filed its application for the Permit, the
existing bridge between Laredo and Nuevo Laredo (the ``Existing
Bridge'') was approaching the limit of its capacity. Now, however,
with the implementation of various operating and process
efficiencies and the recent economic downturn, the traffic of the
Existing Bridge's three users consumes only about 50% of its
capacity. (There are three users of the Existing Bridge: UP, with
about 65% of the traffic traversing it, Kansas City Southern de
Mexico (``KCSM''), which was part of the Mexican national railway
system before it was privatized in the mid to late 1990s, and the
Texas Mexican Railway Company (``TexMex'')). KCSM and TexMex are
both wholly-owned by Kansas City Southern Industries (``KCS''),
which also owns 100% of The Kansas City Southern Railroad Company.)
Shortly after UP's application for the Permit, the Mexican railroad
with which UP and TexMex connect at the Existing Bridge was
privatized. This privatized entity has proven much readier than its
predecessor to make capital investments and process improvements
that have increased the Existing Bridge's capacity.
Over time, a number of improvements have been made to the
infrastructure at the
[[Page 65831]]
Existing Bridge and in the way traffic is processed for interchange
at that border crossing. UP and KCSM have made significant capital
investments to increase capacity--UP at its Port Laredo yard
approximately eight miles north of Laredo and KCSM at its Sanchez
Yard in Nuevo Laredo. Both KCSM and UP have added the Centralized
Traffic Control (``CTC'') system and additional sidings on their
main lines on their respective sides of the border. This addition of
yard capacity, CTC, and sidings allows our trains to more quickly
proceed to and from the border crossing, thereby reducing congestion
at the crossing and increasing the Existing Bridge's capacity.
Process improvements made include the implementation of the
dispacho previo system (a system providing for a more fluid and
faster operation by clearing cars to cross from the U.S. into Mexico
prior to their arrival at the border) and the Automated Manifest
System with US Customs, the installation of VACIS machines on both
sides of the border, the increased use of ``run-through'' trains
(including locomotives), and improved customs processes. These
improvements have expedited movements over the Existing Bridge and
substantially increased its capacity.
The diminished current need for the New Bridge, or for any other
bridge that would replace the Existing Bridge, has also resulted
from declining traffic levels caused by the recent downturn in the
general economy and by the rerouting by customers of certain trains
from the Laredo/Nuevo Laredo crossing to the crossing at Eagle Pass,
Texas/Piedras Negras, Coahuila. In addition, the failure of
anticipated movements originating from the Port of Lazaro Cardenas,
Mexico, to materialize has reduced projected traffic volumes.
The result is that current traffic over the Existing Bridge
consumes approximately 50% of its capacity. For this reason, we do
not believe that the New Bridge, nor any other new rail bridge at
the Laredo/Nuevo Laredo crossing, is required at this time. But we
are confident that traffic levels will increase and that a new
bridge will be required in the future. Operating and other
considerations dictate that any such new rail bridge should take the
form of the Flecha Lane project, including the New Bridge.
Continuation of the Permit would allow construction of the New
Bridge to begin quickly when increases in traffic levels tax the
capacity of the Existing Bridge.
We are aware of two other proposals for international railroad
bridges at Laredo/Nuevo Laredo. Unfortunately, neither of these
proposals, as presently planned, would meet UP's needs. We
understand that KCS intends to apply for a Presidential Permit to
construct and operate a new international bridge at Laredo/Nuevo
Laredo approximately 12 miles southeast of the Existing Bridge (the
``East Loop By-Pass Project''). The East Loop By-Pass Project would
involve the construction of approximately 51 miles of trackage in an
eastern loop around Laredo/Nuevo Laredo. UP opposes the East Loop
By-Pass Project because it would present significant operating
problems and expense to UP and would add approximately 24 miles of
circuity to UP movements interchanged with KCSM. At a minimum, any
Presidential Permit for the East Loop Project should be made
contingent upon agreement between KCS and UP for UP's use of the
bridge and access trackage, including compensation terms. To date,
KCS has declined UP's requests to discuss this important matter.
The other proposed project would involve the construction of a
new railroad bridge approximately 19 miles west of the Existing
Bridge (the ``Columbia River Project'') which would connect with
trackage on the U.S. side constructed alongside the existing toll
road at approximately mile post 27. The Columbia River Project is
supported more by the governmental entities that have proposed it
than by the railroads that would actually use it. UP opposes the
Columbia River Project since it would, if implemented, present
significant operational problems for UP. We doubt the project will
ever be undertaken due to its high cost and the opposition of
various affected parties, including KCS.
I would very much appreciate the opportunity to speak with you
further about UP's position on this very important matter.
Sincerely, Robert Naro, Vice President for Mexico Operations,
Union Pacific Railroad Company
End Text
Dated: December 4, 2009.
Alex Lee,
Director, Office of Mexican Affairs, Department of State.
[FR Doc. E9-29335 Filed 12-10-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-29-P