Norfolk Southern Railway Company-Abandonment, Discontinuance of Trackage Rights and Discontinuance of Service-in Cleveland and Rutherford Counties, NC, and Cherokee County, SC, 38511-38512 [2015-16451]

Download as PDF Lhorne on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 128 / Monday, July 6, 2015 / Notices pipeline, transmission lines, recreation, etc.). Such requests are governed by 49 U.S.C. 10905 and 49 CFR 1152.28. Feeder Line Application. When a line has been identified on a railroad’s system diagram map as a potential candidate for abandonment (or discontinuance), but before abandonment (or discontinuance) authority has been sought, any financially responsible person (other than a Class I or II railroad) may, by filing a feeder line application under 49 U.S.C. 10907 and 49 CFR 1151, seek to acquire the line for continued rail service under the forced sale provisions of the feeder railroad development program. Trail-Use Request. The Trails Act provides a mechanism whereby any interested person may seek to ‘‘railbank’’ a rail right-of-way that has been approved for abandonment and use the property in the interim as a recreational trail. The Board has a ministerial role in this process; under 49 CFR 1152.29, interested persons may submit a request to the Board for a trailuse condition, and if the statutory conditions are met, the Board must authorize the parties to negotiate a trailuse agreement by issuing a CITU, or, in an exemption proceeding, a NITU. The CITU or NITU typically permit negotiations for 180 days, but the negotiations can be extended upon request to the Board. Under the Trails Act, trail-use agreements are consensual, not forced. The abandoning railroad is free to choose whether or not to enter into or continue negotiations to transfer (all or part of) the right-of-way to a trail sponsor. Under the PRA, a Federal agency conducting or sponsoring a collection of information must display a currently valid OMB control number. A collection of information, which is defined in 44 U.S.C. 3502(3) and 5 CFR 1320.3(c), includes agency requirements that persons submit reports, keep records, or provide information to the agency, third parties, or the public. Under § 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, Federal agencies are required to provide, prior to an agency’s submitting a collection to OMB for approval, a 60-day notice and comment period through publication in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information, including each proposed extension of an existing collection of information. Dated: June 29, 2015. Jeffrey Herzig, Clearance Clerk. [FR Doc. 2015–16420 Filed 7–2–15; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4915–01–P VerDate Sep<11>2014 14:37 Jul 02, 2015 Jkt 235001 DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. AB 290 (Sub-No. 327X)] Norfolk Southern Railway Company— Abandonment, Discontinuance of Trackage Rights and Discontinuance of Service—in Cleveland and Rutherford Counties, NC, and Cherokee County, SC Norfolk Southern Railway Company (NSR) has filed a verified notice of exemption under 49 CFR pt. 1152 subpart F—Exempt Abandonments and Discontinuance of Service for NSR to abandon and discontinue trackage rights and service as follows: (1) NSR will abandon approximately 11.85 miles of rail line, consisting of two line segments, one of which is located between milepost SB 144.55 and milepost SB 154.50 and the other between milepost SB 158.10 and milepost SB 160.00; (2) NSR will discontinue trackage rights granted to it by CSX Transportation, Inc. (CSXT) over approximately 22.8 miles of CSXT track, located between milepost SF 384.6 and milepost SF 407.4; 1 and (3) NSR will discontinue service over approximately 3.20 miles of rail line, extending between milepost SB 144.55 and milepost SB 141.35 (collectively, the Line).2 The Line traverses United States Postal Service Zip Codes 28073, 28152, 28150, 28089, 28114, 28040, 28018, 28043, and 29702. NSR has certified that: (1) No local traffic has moved over the Line for at least two years; (2) no overhead traffic has moved over the Line for at least two years and that overhead traffic, if there were any, could be rerouted over other lines; (3) no formal complaint has been 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, and no such complaint is either pending with the Surface Transportation Board (Board) or with any U.S. District Court or has been decided in favor of a complainant within the two-year period; and (4) the requirements at 49 CFR 1105.7(c) (environmental 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 1 The CSXT track over which NSR has trackage rights connects the two line segments that NSR seeks to abandon. 2 NSR states that, although there are different line segments involved, it operates over them as if they were a single line. PO 00000 Frm 00085 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 38511 abandonment or discontinuance shall be protected under Oregon Short Line Railroad—Abandonment Portion Goshen Branch Between Firth & Ammon, in Bingham & Bonneville Counties, Idaho, 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 August 5, 2015, 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 must be filed by July 16, 2015. Petitions to reopen or requests for public use conditions under 49 CFR 1152.28 must be filed by July 27, 2015, with the Surface Transportation Board, 395 E Street SW., Washington, DC 20423–0001.5 A copy of any petition filed with the Board should be sent to NSR’s representative: William A. Mullins, Baker & Miller PLLC, 2401 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Suite 300, Washington, DC 20037. If the verified notice contains false or misleading information, the exemption is void ab initio. NSR has filed a combined environmental and historic report that addresses the effects, if any, of the abandonment and discontinuance on the environment and historic resources. OEA will issue an environmental assessment (EA) by July 10, 2015. Interested persons may obtain a copy of the EA by writing to OEA (Room 1100, Surface Transportation Board, Washington, DC 20423–0001) or by calling OEA at (202) 245–0305. Assistance for the hearing impaired is available through the Federal Information Relay Service at (800) 877– 8339. Comments on environmental and historic preservation matters must be 3 The Board will grant a stay if an informed decision on environmental issues (whether raised by a party or by the Board’s Office of Environmental Analysis (OEA) in its independent investigation) cannot be made before the exemption’s effective date. See Exemption of Out-of-Serv. 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 Each OFA must be accompanied by the filing fee, which is currently set at $1,600. See 49 CFR 1002.2(f)(25). 5 NSR states that it may not have title to the entire right-of-way underlying the rail line segments proposed for abandonment, which could limit the availability of the corridor for other public purposes. E:\FR\FM\06JYN1.SGM 06JYN1 38512 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 128 / Monday, July 6, 2015 / Notices 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 consummation with the Board to signify that it has exercised authority granted and fully abandoned the Line. If consummation has not been effected by NSR’s filing of a notice of consummation by July 6, 2016, 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 WWW.STB.DOT.GOV. Decided: June 26, 2015. By the Board, Joseph H. Dettmar, Acting Director, Office of Proceedings. Brendetta S. Jones, Clearance Clerk. [FR Doc. 2015–16451 Filed 7–2–15; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4915–01–P DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Internal Revenue Service Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Treasury. ACTION: Notice and request for comments. AGENCY: 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)). SUMMARY: Written comments should be received on or before September 4, 2015 to be assured of consideration. ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Christie A. Preston, Internal Revenue Service, Room 6129, 1111 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20224. Please send separate comments for each specific information collection listed below. You must reference the information collection’s title, form number, reporting or record-keeping requirement number, and OMB number (if any) in your comment. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To obtain additional information, or copies Lhorne on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with NOTICES DATES: VerDate Sep<11>2014 14:37 Jul 02, 2015 Jkt 235001 of the information collection and instructions, or copies of any comments received, contact Elaine Christophe, at Internal Revenue Service, Room 6129, 1111 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20224, or through the Internet, at Elaine.H.Christophe@irs.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Request for Comments The Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service, as part of their continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invite the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the proposed or continuing information collections listed below in this notice, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). Request for Comments: Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized and/or included in our request for Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval of the relevant information collection. All comments will become a matter of public record. Please do not include any confidential or inappropriate material in your comments. We invite comments on: (a) Whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the agency’s functions, including whether the information has practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate of the burden of the collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology; and (e) estimates of capital or start-up costs and costs of operation, maintenance, and purchase of services to provide the requested information. Currently, the IRS is seeking comments concerning the following forms, and reporting and record-keeping requirements: Title: Reporting Requirements for Recipients of Points Paid on Residential Mortgages. OMB Number: 1545–1380. Regulation Project Number: IA–17–90 (TD 8571). Abstract: These regulations require the reporting of certain information relating to payments of mortgage interest. Taxpayers must separately state on Form 1098 the amount of points and the amount of interest (other than points) received during the taxable year on a single mortgage and must provide to the payer of the points a separate PO 00000 Frm 00086 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 statement setting forth the information being reported to the IRS. Current Actions: There is no change to this existing regulation. Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection. Affected Public: Business or other forprofit organizations. Estimated Number of Respondents: 37,644. Estimated Time per Respondent: 7 hrs., 31 minutes. Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 283,056. Title: Guidance on Passive Foreign (PFIC) Purging Elections. OMB Number: 1545–1965. Regulation Project Number: REG– 133446–03 (TD 9360). Abstract: The IRS needs the information to substantiate the taxpayer’s computation of the taxpayer’s share of the PFIC’s post-1986 earning and profits. Current Actions: There is no change to these existing regulations. Type of Review: Extension of currently approved collection. Affected Public: Individuals or households, business or other for-profit organizations. Estimated Number of Respondents: 250. Estimated Time per Respondent: 1 hour. Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 250. The following paragraph applies to all of the collections of information covered by this notice: An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless the collection of information displays a valid OMB control number. Books or records relating to a collection of information must be retained as long as their contents may become material in the administration of any internal revenue law. Generally, tax returns and tax return information are confidential, as required by 26 U.S.C. 6103. Approved: June 24, 2015. Christie A. Preston, IRS Reports Clearance Officer. [FR Doc. 2015–16483 Filed 7–2–15; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4830–01–P DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Internal Revenue Service Advisory Group to the Commissioner of Internal Revenue; Renewal of Charter Internal Revenue Service (IRS); Treasury. AGENCY: E:\FR\FM\06JYN1.SGM 06JYN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 128 (Monday, July 6, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38511-38512]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-16451]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

[Docket No. AB 290 (Sub-No. 327X)]


Norfolk Southern Railway Company--Abandonment, Discontinuance of 
Trackage Rights and Discontinuance of Service--in Cleveland and 
Rutherford Counties, NC, and Cherokee County, SC

    Norfolk Southern Railway Company (NSR) has filed a verified notice 
of exemption under 49 CFR pt. 1152 subpart F--Exempt Abandonments and 
Discontinuance of Service for NSR to abandon and discontinue trackage 
rights and service as follows: (1) NSR will abandon approximately 11.85 
miles of rail line, consisting of two line segments, one of which is 
located between milepost SB 144.55 and milepost SB 154.50 and the other 
between milepost SB 158.10 and milepost SB 160.00; (2) NSR will 
discontinue trackage rights granted to it by CSX Transportation, Inc. 
(CSXT) over approximately 22.8 miles of CSXT track, located between 
milepost SF 384.6 and milepost SF 407.4; \1\ and (3) NSR will 
discontinue service over approximately 3.20 miles of rail line, 
extending between milepost SB 144.55 and milepost SB 141.35 
(collectively, the Line).\2\ The Line traverses United States Postal 
Service Zip Codes 28073, 28152, 28150, 28089, 28114, 28040, 28018, 
28043, and 29702.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ The CSXT track over which NSR has trackage rights connects 
the two line segments that NSR seeks to abandon.
    \2\ NSR states that, although there are different line segments 
involved, it operates over them as if they were a single line.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    NSR has certified that: (1) No local traffic has moved over the 
Line for at least two years; (2) no overhead traffic has moved over the 
Line for at least two years and that overhead traffic, if there were 
any, could be rerouted over other lines; (3) no formal complaint has 
been 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, and no such complaint is either 
pending with the Surface Transportation Board (Board) or with any U.S. 
District Court or has been decided in favor of a complainant within the 
two-year period; and (4) the requirements at 49 CFR 1105.7(c) 
(environmental 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 or discontinuance shall be protected under Oregon 
Short Line Railroad--Abandonment Portion Goshen Branch Between Firth & 
Ammon, in Bingham & Bonneville Counties, Idaho, 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 August 5, 2015, 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 must be filed by 
July 16, 2015. Petitions to reopen or requests for public use 
conditions under 49 CFR 1152.28 must be filed by July 27, 2015, with 
the Surface Transportation Board, 395 E Street SW., Washington, DC 
20423-0001.\5\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \3\ The Board will grant a stay if an informed decision on 
environmental issues (whether raised by a party or by the Board's 
Office of Environmental Analysis (OEA) in its independent 
investigation) cannot be made before the exemption's effective date. 
See Exemption of Out-of-Serv. 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\ Each OFA must be accompanied by the filing fee, which is 
currently set at $1,600. See 49 CFR 1002.2(f)(25).
    \5\ NSR states that it may not have title to the entire right-
of-way underlying the rail line segments proposed for abandonment, 
which could limit the availability of the corridor for other public 
purposes.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    A copy of any petition filed with the Board should be sent to NSR's 
representative: William A. Mullins, Baker & Miller PLLC, 2401 
Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Suite 300, Washington, DC 20037.
    If the verified notice contains false or misleading information, 
the exemption is void ab initio.
    NSR has filed a combined environmental and historic report that 
addresses the effects, if any, of the abandonment and discontinuance on 
the environment and historic resources. OEA will issue an environmental 
assessment (EA) by July 10, 2015. Interested persons may obtain a copy 
of the EA by writing to OEA (Room 1100, Surface Transportation Board, 
Washington, DC 20423-0001) or by calling OEA at (202) 245-0305. 
Assistance for the hearing impaired is available through the Federal 
Information Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Comments on environmental 
and historic preservation matters must be

[[Page 38512]]

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 consummation with the Board to signify that it has 
exercised authority granted and fully abandoned the Line. If 
consummation has not been effected by NSR's filing of a notice of 
consummation by July 6, 2016, 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 
WWW.STB.DOT.GOV.

    Decided: June 26, 2015.

    By the Board, Joseph H. Dettmar, Acting Director, Office of 
Proceedings.
Brendetta S. Jones,
Clearance Clerk.
[FR Doc. 2015-16451 Filed 7-2-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4915-01-P

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