[Federal Register: April 1, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 63)]
[Notices]
[Page 17416-17417]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr01ap08-101]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Surface Transportation Board
[STB Docket No. AB-325 (Sub-No. 4X)]
Florida Midland Railroad Company, Inc.--Abandonment Exemption--in
Sumter County, FL
Florida Midland Railroad Company, Inc. (FMID),\1\ has filed a
verified notice of exemption under 49 CFR part 1152 subpart F--Exempt
Abandonments to abandon a 4.0-mile line of railroad between milepost
ST-762.10 in Wildwood and milepost ST-766.10 (the end of the track)
near Orange Home, known as the Wildwood Branch, in Sumter County,
FL.\2\ The line traverses United States Postal Service Zip Code 34785.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ FMID is a wholly owned subsidiary of Pinsly Railroad
Company, a noncarrier holding company.
\2\ In STB Docket No. AB-325 (Sub-No. 2X), Florida Midland
Railroad Company--Abandonment Exemption--in Sumter and Lake
Counties, FL, FMID had filed a petition for exemption for
abandonment of a line of railroad that included the Wildwood Branch.
In a decision served on February 23, 2001, the Board granted the
exemption, but FMID chose not to consummate the abandonment, and the
authorization expired.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
FMID has certified that: (1) No local traffic has moved over the
line for at least 2 years; (2) there is no overhead traffic on the line
to be rerouted; (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 Surface Transportation Board (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 May 1, 2008, 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
April 11, 2008.\5\ Petitions to reopen or requests for public use
conditions under 49 CFR 1152.28 must be filed by April 21, 2008,\6\
with the Surface Transportation Board, 395 E Street, SW., Washington,
DC 20423-0001.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ 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.
\4\ Each OFA must be accompanied by the filing fee, which
currently is set at $1,300. See 49 CFR 1002.2(f)(25).
\5\ FMID notes in its verified notice of exemption that it is
committed to consummating the abandonment as part of a settlement
agreement with adjoining land owners.
\6\ FMID states that it does not own the realty underlying the
Wildwood Branch and that it believes that the public use condition
would be unavailable based on Board precedent, citing Florida
Central Railroad Company, Inc.--Abandonment Exemption--in Seminole
County, FL, Docket No. AB-319X (ICC served Dec. 20, 1989).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
A copy of any petition filed with the Board should be sent to
FMID's representative: Michael J. Barron, Jr., Fletcher & Sippel LLC,
29 North Wacker Drive, Suite 920, Chicago, IL 60606-2832.
If the verified notice contains false or misleading information,
the exemption is void ab initio.
FMID has filed a combined environmental and historic report
addressing the effects, if any, of the abandonment on the environment
and historic resources. SEA will issue an environmental assessment (EA)
by April 4, 2008. 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), FMID shall file
a notice of consummation with the Board to signify that it has
exercised the authority granted and fully abandoned the line. If
[[Page 17417]]
consummation has not been effected by FMID's filing of a notice of
consummation by April 1, 2009, 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
``http://www.stb.dot.gov.''
Decided: March 24, 2008.
By the Board, David M. Konschnik, Director, Office of
Proceedings.
Anne K. Quinlan,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. E8-6445 Filed 3-31-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915-01-P