Somerset Railroad Corporation-Abandonment Exemption-in Niagara County, N.Y., 68115 [2020-23682]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 208 / Tuesday, October 27, 2020 / Notices
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
Number 59008)
Cynthia Pitts,
Acting Associate Administrator for Disaster
Assistance.
[FR Doc. 2020–23724 Filed 10–26–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8026–03–P
SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD
[Docket No. AB 1303X]
jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
Somerset Railroad Corporation—
Abandonment Exemption—in Niagara
County, N.Y.
On October 7, 2020, Somerset
Railroad Corporation (SRC) filed with
the Surface Transportation Board
(Board) a petition under 49 U.S.C. 10502
for exemption from the prior approval
requirements of 49 U.S.C. 10903 to
abandon approximately 13.39 miles of
rail line located in Niagara County, N.Y.
(the Line). The Line extends from
milepost 2.2 to a power plant located at
the end of the line and traverses U.S.
Postal Service Zip Codes 14012, 14008,
14108, and 14094. SRC states that there
are no stations on the Line. (Pet. 5.)
According to SRC, the Line was
constructed to provide rail service to the
Somerset power generation station,
which was decommissioned as of March
31, 2020, and had been the sole shipper
on the Line. (Pet. 1–2.) SRC states that
it last provided rail service to the power
plant in December 2019 and that the
Line cannot be used for overhead traffic
because it is stub-ended. (Id. at 2–3.) 1 In
a letter appended as Exhibit D to the
petition, Riesling Power LLC, which
owns both SRC and the
decommissioned power plant, states
that it no longer needs rail service and
that it supports the proposed
abandonment.
SRC states that, based on the
information in its possession, the Line
does not contain federally granted
rights-of-way. (Id. at 1.) Any
documentation in SRC’s possession will
be made available promptly to those
requesting it.
The interest of railroad employees
will be protected by the conditions set
forth in Oregon Short Line Railroad—
Abandonment Portion Goshen Branch
between Firth & Ammon, in Bingham &
Bonneville Counties, Idaho, 360 I.C.C.
91 (1979).
1 SRC states that it is currently using the Line to
move the power plant’s coal hopper cars to be
scrapped, and that SRC anticipates salvaging the
track, rail ties, and other track materials following
abandonment but intends to leave the bridges in
place. (Pet. 2.)
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:26 Oct 26, 2020
Jkt 253001
By issuing this notice, the Board is
instituting an exemption proceeding
pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 10502(b). A final
decision will be issued by January 25,
2021.
Any offer of financial assistance
(OFA) under 49 CFR 1152.27(b)(2) will
be due no later than 120 days after the
filing of the petition for exemption, or
10 days after service of a decision
granting the petition for exemption,
whichever occurs sooner. Persons
interested in submitting an OFA must
first file a formal expression of intent to
file an offer by November 6, 2020,
indicating the type of financial
assistance they wish to provide (i.e.,
subsidy or purchase) and demonstrating
that they are preliminarily financially
responsible. See 49 CFR 1152.27(c)(1)(i).
Following abandonment, the Line
may be suitable for other public use,
including interim trail use. Any request
for a public use condition under 49 CFR
1152.28 or for trail use/rail banking
under 49 CFR 1152.29 will be due no
later than November 16, 2020.2
All pleadings, referring to Docket No.
AB 1303X, should be filed with the
Surface Transportation Board via efiling on the Board’s website. In
addition, a copy of each pleading must
be served on SRC’s representative,
Justin J. Marks, Clark Hill PLC, 1001
Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 1300
South, Washington, DC 20004. Replies
to the petition are due on or before
November 16, 2020.
Persons seeking further information
concerning abandonment procedures
may contact the Board’s Office of Public
Assistance, Governmental Affairs, and
Compliance at (202) 245–0238 or refer
to the full abandonment regulations at
49 CFR part 1152. Questions concerning
environmental issues may be directed to
the Board’s Office of Environmental
Analysis (OEA) at (202) 245–0305.
Assistance for the hearing impaired is
available through the Federal Relay
Service at (800) 877–8339.
An environmental assessment (EA) (or
environmental impact statement (EIS), if
necessary) prepared by OEA will be
served upon all parties of record and
upon any other agencies or persons who
comment during its preparation. Other
interested persons may contact OEA to
obtain a copy of the EA (or EIS). EAs in
abandonment proceedings normally will
be made available within 60 days of the
filing of the petition. The deadline for
submission of comments on the EA
generally will be within 30 days of its
service.
2 Filing fees for OFAs and trail use requests can
be found at 49 CFR 1002.2(f)(25) and (27),
respectively.
PO 00000
Frm 00083
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
68115
Board decisions and notices are
available at www.stb.gov.
Decided: October 21, 2020.
By the Board, Allison C. Davis, Director,
Office of Proceedings.
Regena Smith-Bernard,
Clearance Clerk.
[FR Doc. 2020–23682 Filed 10–26–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Maritime Administration
[Docket No. MARAD–2020–0141]
Requested Administrative Waiver of
the Coastwise Trade Laws: Vessel
UBUNTU (Sailing Catamaran);
Invitation for Public Comments
Maritime Administration, DOT.
Notice.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The Secretary of
Transportation, as represented by the
Maritime Administration (MARAD), is
authorized to grant waivers of the U.S.build requirements of the coastwise
trade laws to allow the carriage of no
more than twelve passengers for hire on
vessels, which are three years old or
more. A request for such a waiver has
been received by MARAD. The vessel,
and a brief description of the proposed
service, is listed below.
DATES: Submit comments on or before
November 27, 2020.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
identified by DOT Docket Number
MARAD–2020–0141 by any one of the
following methods:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to
https://www.regulations.gov. Search
MARAD–2020–0141 and follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
• Mail or Hand Delivery: Docket
Management Facility is in the West
Building, Ground Floor of the U.S.
Department of Transportation. The
Docket Management Facility location
address is: U.S. Department of
Transportation, MARAD–2020–0141,
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West
Building, Room W12–140, Washington,
DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, except on
Federal holidays.
Note: If you mail or hand-deliver your
comments, we recommend that you
include your name and a mailing
address, an email address, or a
telephone number in the body of your
document so that we can contact you if
we have questions regarding your
submission.
Instructions: All submissions received
must include the agency name and
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\27OCN1.SGM
27OCN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 208 (Tuesday, October 27, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Page 68115]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-23682]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD
[Docket No. AB 1303X]
Somerset Railroad Corporation--Abandonment Exemption--in Niagara
County, N.Y.
On October 7, 2020, Somerset Railroad Corporation (SRC) filed with
the Surface Transportation Board (Board) a petition under 49 U.S.C.
10502 for exemption from the prior approval requirements of 49 U.S.C.
10903 to abandon approximately 13.39 miles of rail line located in
Niagara County, N.Y. (the Line). The Line extends from milepost 2.2 to
a power plant located at the end of the line and traverses U.S. Postal
Service Zip Codes 14012, 14008, 14108, and 14094. SRC states that there
are no stations on the Line. (Pet. 5.)
According to SRC, the Line was constructed to provide rail service
to the Somerset power generation station, which was decommissioned as
of March 31, 2020, and had been the sole shipper on the Line. (Pet. 1-
2.) SRC states that it last provided rail service to the power plant in
December 2019 and that the Line cannot be used for overhead traffic
because it is stub-ended. (Id. at 2-3.) \1\ In a letter appended as
Exhibit D to the petition, Riesling Power LLC, which owns both SRC and
the decommissioned power plant, states that it no longer needs rail
service and that it supports the proposed abandonment.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ SRC states that it is currently using the Line to move the
power plant's coal hopper cars to be scrapped, and that SRC
anticipates salvaging the track, rail ties, and other track
materials following abandonment but intends to leave the bridges in
place. (Pet. 2.)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
SRC states that, based on the information in its possession, the
Line does not contain federally granted rights-of-way. (Id. at 1.) Any
documentation in SRC's possession will be made available promptly to
those requesting it.
The interest of railroad employees will be protected by the
conditions set forth in Oregon Short Line Railroad--Abandonment Portion
Goshen Branch between Firth & Ammon, in Bingham & Bonneville Counties,
Idaho, 360 I.C.C. 91 (1979).
By issuing this notice, the Board is instituting an exemption
proceeding pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 10502(b). A final decision will be
issued by January 25, 2021.
Any offer of financial assistance (OFA) under 49 CFR 1152.27(b)(2)
will be due no later than 120 days after the filing of the petition for
exemption, or 10 days after service of a decision granting the petition
for exemption, whichever occurs sooner. Persons interested in
submitting an OFA must first file a formal expression of intent to file
an offer by November 6, 2020, indicating the type of financial
assistance they wish to provide (i.e., subsidy or purchase) and
demonstrating that they are preliminarily financially responsible. See
49 CFR 1152.27(c)(1)(i).
Following abandonment, the Line may be suitable for other public
use, including interim trail use. Any request for a public use
condition under 49 CFR 1152.28 or for trail use/rail banking under 49
CFR 1152.29 will be due no later than November 16, 2020.\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ Filing fees for OFAs and trail use requests can be found at
49 CFR 1002.2(f)(25) and (27), respectively.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
All pleadings, referring to Docket No. AB 1303X, should be filed
with the Surface Transportation Board via e-filing on the Board's
website. In addition, a copy of each pleading must be served on SRC's
representative, Justin J. Marks, Clark Hill PLC, 1001 Pennsylvania
Avenue NW, Suite 1300 South, Washington, DC 20004. Replies to the
petition are due on or before November 16, 2020.
Persons seeking further information concerning abandonment
procedures may contact the Board's Office of Public Assistance,
Governmental Affairs, and Compliance at (202) 245-0238 or refer to the
full abandonment regulations at 49 CFR part 1152. Questions concerning
environmental issues may be directed to the Board's Office of
Environmental Analysis (OEA) at (202) 245-0305. Assistance for the
hearing impaired is available through the Federal Relay Service at
(800) 877-8339.
An environmental assessment (EA) (or environmental impact statement
(EIS), if necessary) prepared by OEA will be served upon all parties of
record and upon any other agencies or persons who comment during its
preparation. Other interested persons may contact OEA to obtain a copy
of the EA (or EIS). EAs in abandonment proceedings normally will be
made available within 60 days of the filing of the petition. The
deadline for submission of comments on the EA generally will be within
30 days of its service.
Board decisions and notices are available at www.stb.gov.
Decided: October 21, 2020.
By the Board, Allison C. Davis, Director, Office of Proceedings.
Regena Smith-Bernard,
Clearance Clerk.
[FR Doc. 2020-23682 Filed 10-26-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915-01-P
