New Orleans Public Belt Railroad Corporation-Lease and Operation Exemption-Line of Illinois Central Railroad Company, 68274 [2019-26917]

Download as PDF 68274 Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 240 / Friday, December 13, 2019 / Notices SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD [Docket No. FD 36362] New Orleans Public Belt Railroad Corporation—Lease and Operation Exemption—Line of Illinois Central Railroad Company jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES New Orleans Public Belt Railroad Corporation (NOPB Corp.), a Class III railroad,1 has filed a verified notice of exemption under 49 CFR 1150.41 to lease from Illinois Central Railroad Company (IC) and operate a line of railroad extending (1) between approximately IC milepost 906.1 at Central Avenue near East Bridge Junction in Shrewsbury, La., and the end of the track at approximately IC milepost 908.8 in Jefferson Parish, La., and (2) between approximately IC milepost 921.8 at Iris Avenue (approximately IC milepost 908.5 on the first segment) and approximately IC milepost 921.14 at Dakin Street near Lampert Junction in Jefferson Parish (the Line), a total distance of approximately 3.36 miles. Between East Bridge Junction and Iris Avenue the Line consists of parallel tracks known as the Main Track and the A2 Track. The verified notice states that NOPB Corp. and IC will shortly execute a Track Lease Agreement providing for NOPB Corp.’s lease and operation of the Line and that NOPB Corp.’s operations will include providing local service and conducting maintenance on the Line.2 According to NOPB Corp., existing trackage rights operations of Union Pacific Railroad Company and The Kansas City Southern Railway Company and operations of the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) on the Line will not be affected by the proposed transaction. IC will continue to perform dispatching on the Line and will retain rights to operate its own trains. NOPB Corp. certifies that the proposed transaction does not involve any provision or agreement that would 1 The verified notice states that NOPB Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans, is a switching and terminal railroad that provides services to local shippers and six Class I railroads in the New Orleans area. NOPB Corp. began operations in 2018 upon acquiring the railroad operating assets of the Public Belt Railroad Commission of the City of New Orleans. See New Orleans Pub. Belt R.R.—Acquis. & Operation Exemption—Pub. Belt R.R. Comm’n, FD 36149 (STB served Dec. 27, 2017). 2 NOPB Corp. currently conducts overhead operations on a portion of the Line pursuant to trackage rights previously granted by IC. See New Orleans Pub. Belt R.R.—Trackage Rights Exemption—Ill. Cent. R.R., FD 33182 (STB served Oct. 30, 1996). VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:42 Dec 12, 2019 Jkt 250001 limit future interchange with a thirdparty connecting carrier. NOPB Corp. further certifies that its projected annual revenues as a result of the proposed transaction will not result in the creation of a Class II or Class I rail carrier. Pursuant to 49 CFR 1150.42(e), which applies ‘‘[i]f the projected annual revenue of the rail lines to be acquired or operated, together with the acquiring carrier’s projected annual revenue, exceeds $5 million,’’ on October 31, 2019, NOPB Corp. posted the 60-day notice of the transaction required by § 1150.42(e) at the workplaces of current IC employees on the Line, served the notice on the national offices of the labor unions for those employees, and certified both actions to the Board. The earliest this transaction may be consummated is December 30, 2019 (60 days after the certification under 49 CFR 1150.42(e) was filed). If the 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. Petitions for stay must be filed no later than December 23, 2019 (at least seven days before the exemption becomes effective). All pleadings, referring to Docket No. FD 36362, must be filed with the Surface Transportation Board either via e-filing or in writing addressed to 395 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20423–0001. In addition, a copy of each pleading must be served on NOPB Corp.’s representative, Thomas J. Litwiler, Fletcher & Sippel LLC, 29 North Wacker Drive, Suite 800, Chicago, IL 60606. According to NOPB Corp., this action is categorically excluded from environmental review under 49 CFR 1105.7(e) and from historic preservation reporting requirements under 49 CFR 1105.8(b). Board decisions and notices are available at www.stb.gov. Decided: December 9, 2019. By the Board, Allison C. Davis, Director, Office of Proceedings. Brendetta Jones, Clearance Clerk. [FR Doc. 2019–26917 Filed 12–12–19; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4915–01–P PO 00000 Frm 00175 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD [Docket No. FD 36284] Seven County Infrastructure Coalition—Rail Construction & Operation—in Utah, Carbon, Duchesne, and Uintah Counties, Utah AGENCY: Lead: Surface Transportation Board (Board). Cooperating: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs; State of Utah Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office; Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM); U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service (U.S. Forest Service). ACTION: Notice of Availability of the Final Scope of Study for the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The Seven County Infrastructure Coalition (Coalition) intends to seek Board approval to construct and operate an approximately 85-mile rail line between the Uinta Basin in northeastern Utah and an existing rail line near Kyune, Utah. On June 19, 2019, the Board’s Office of Environmental Analysis (OEA) issued a Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS and a Notice of Availability of the Draft Scope of Study (Draft Scope), pursuant to National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). OEA requested comments on the Draft Scope from federal, state, and local agencies; tribes; other interested stakeholders; and the public during the public scoping period and held six public meetings in the project area. After review and consideration of all comments received, this notice sets forth the Final Scope of Study (Final Scope) of the EIS. The Final Scope reflects additions and changes to the Draft Scope as a result of comments received during the scoping comment period. The Final Scope also summarizes and addresses the principal environmental concerns raised by the comments on the Draft Scope and explains if and how these issues will be addressed in the EIS. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joshua Wayland, Office of Environmental Analysis, Surface Transportation Board, 395 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20423, or call the OEA’s toll-free number for the project at 1–855–826–7596. Assistance for the hearing impaired is available through the Federal Information Relay Service at 1–800–877–8339. The website for the Board is https://www.stb.gov. For further information about the Board’s SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\13DEN1.SGM 13DEN1

Agencies

Surface Transportation Board

[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 240 (Friday, December 13, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Page 68274]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-26917]



[[Page 68274]]

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SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD

[Docket No. FD 36362]


New Orleans Public Belt Railroad Corporation--Lease and Operation 
Exemption--Line of Illinois Central Railroad Company

    New Orleans Public Belt Railroad Corporation (NOPB Corp.), a Class 
III railroad,\1\ has filed a verified notice of exemption under 49 CFR 
1150.41 to lease from Illinois Central Railroad Company (IC) and 
operate a line of railroad extending (1) between approximately IC 
milepost 906.1 at Central Avenue near East Bridge Junction in 
Shrewsbury, La., and the end of the track at approximately IC milepost 
908.8 in Jefferson Parish, La., and (2) between approximately IC 
milepost 921.8 at Iris Avenue (approximately IC milepost 908.5 on the 
first segment) and approximately IC milepost 921.14 at Dakin Street 
near Lampert Junction in Jefferson Parish (the Line), a total distance 
of approximately 3.36 miles. Between East Bridge Junction and Iris 
Avenue the Line consists of parallel tracks known as the Main Track and 
the A2 Track.
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    \1\ The verified notice states that NOPB Corp., a wholly owned 
subsidiary of the Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans, 
is a switching and terminal railroad that provides services to local 
shippers and six Class I railroads in the New Orleans area. NOPB 
Corp. began operations in 2018 upon acquiring the railroad operating 
assets of the Public Belt Railroad Commission of the City of New 
Orleans. See New Orleans Pub. Belt R.R.--Acquis. & Operation 
Exemption--Pub. Belt R.R. Comm'n, FD 36149 (STB served Dec. 27, 
2017).
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    The verified notice states that NOPB Corp. and IC will shortly 
execute a Track Lease Agreement providing for NOPB Corp.'s lease and 
operation of the Line and that NOPB Corp.'s operations will include 
providing local service and conducting maintenance on the Line.\2\ 
According to NOPB Corp., existing trackage rights operations of Union 
Pacific Railroad Company and The Kansas City Southern Railway Company 
and operations of the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) 
on the Line will not be affected by the proposed transaction. IC will 
continue to perform dispatching on the Line and will retain rights to 
operate its own trains.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \2\ NOPB Corp. currently conducts overhead operations on a 
portion of the Line pursuant to trackage rights previously granted 
by IC. See New Orleans Pub. Belt R.R.--Trackage Rights Exemption--
Ill. Cent. R.R., FD 33182 (STB served Oct. 30, 1996).
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    NOPB Corp. certifies that the proposed transaction does not involve 
any provision or agreement that would limit future interchange with a 
third-party connecting carrier.
    NOPB Corp. further certifies that its projected annual revenues as 
a result of the proposed transaction will not result in the creation of 
a Class II or Class I rail carrier. Pursuant to 49 CFR 1150.42(e), 
which applies ``[i]f the projected annual revenue of the rail lines to 
be acquired or operated, together with the acquiring carrier's 
projected annual revenue, exceeds $5 million,'' on October 31, 2019, 
NOPB Corp. posted the 60-day notice of the transaction required by 
Sec.  1150.42(e) at the workplaces of current IC employees on the Line, 
served the notice on the national offices of the labor unions for those 
employees, and certified both actions to the Board.
    The earliest this transaction may be consummated is December 30, 
2019 (60 days after the certification under 49 CFR 1150.42(e) was 
filed).
    If the 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. Petitions for stay must be filed no later than December 23, 
2019 (at least seven days before the exemption becomes effective).
    All pleadings, referring to Docket No. FD 36362, must be filed with 
the Surface Transportation Board either via e-filing or in writing 
addressed to 395 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20423-0001. In addition, a 
copy of each pleading must be served on NOPB Corp.'s representative, 
Thomas J. Litwiler, Fletcher & Sippel LLC, 29 North Wacker Drive, Suite 
800, Chicago, IL 60606.
    According to NOPB Corp., this action is categorically excluded from 
environmental review under 49 CFR 1105.7(e) and from historic 
preservation reporting requirements under 49 CFR 1105.8(b).
    Board decisions and notices are available at www.stb.gov.

    Decided: December 9, 2019.

    By the Board, Allison C. Davis, Director, Office of Proceedings.
Brendetta Jones,
Clearance Clerk.
[FR Doc. 2019-26917 Filed 12-12-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4915-01-P

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