45890 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 171 / Friday, September 4, 2009 / Notices 

2The 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 Outof-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. 

3Each OFA must be accompanied by the filing 

fee, which currently is set at $1,500. See 49 CFR 

1002.2(f)(25). 

1The 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 Outof-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. 

2Each OFA must be accompanied by the filing 

fee, which currently is set at $1,500. See 49 CFR 

1002.2(f)(25). 

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 October 

7, 2009, unless stayed pending 

reconsideration. Petitions to stay that do 

not involve environmental issues,2

formal expressions of intent to file an 

OFA under 49 CFR 1152.27(c)(2),3 and 

trail use/rail banking requests under 49 

CFR 1152.29 must be filed by September 

14, 2009. Petitions to reopen or requests 

for public use conditions under 49 CFR 

1152.28 must be filed by September 24, 

2009, with the Surface Transportation 

Board, 395 E Street, SW., Washington, 

DC 20423–0001. 

A copy of any petition filed with the 

Board should be sent to NYS&W’s 

representative: Eric M. Hocky, One 

Commerce Square, 2005 Market Street, 

Suite 1000, Philadelphia, PA 19103. 

If the verified notice contains false or 

misleading information, the exemption 

is void ab initio. 

NYS&W has filed both an 

environmental report and a historic 

report that address the effects, if any, of 

the abandonment on the environment 

and historic resources. SEA will issue 

an environmental assessment (EA) by 

September 11, 2009. 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), NYS&W shall file a notice 

of consummation with the Board to 

signify that it has exercised the 

authority granted and fully abandoned 

the line. If consummation has not been 

effected by NYS&W’s filing of a notice 

of consummation by September 4, 2010, 

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: August 25, 2009. 

By the Board, Joseph H. Dettmar, Acting 

Director, Office of Proceedings. 

Kulunie L. Cannon, 

Clearance Clerk. 

[FR Doc. E9–20764 Filed 9–3–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4915–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Surface Transportation Board 

[STB Docket No. AB–290 (Sub-No. 314X)] 

Norfolk Southern Railway Company— 

Abandonment Exemption—in Latrobe, 

Westmoreland County, PA 

Norfolk Southern Railway Company 

(NSR) has filed a notice of exemption 

under 49 CFR 1152 Subpart F—Exempt 

Abandonments to abandon a 2.04-mile 

line of railroad between milepost XN– 

0.00, and milepost XN0–2.04, in 

Latrobe, Westmoreland County, PA. The 

line traverses United States Postal 

Service Zip Code 15650. 

NSR has certified that: (1) No local 

traffic has moved over the line for at 

least 2 years; (2) any overhead traffic 

can be rerouted over other lines; (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 

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 October 

7, 2009, unless stayed pending 

reconsideration. Petitions to stay that do 

not involve environmental issues,1

formal expressions of intent to file an 

OFA under 49 CFR 1152.27(c)(2),2 and 

trail use/rail banking requests under 49 

CFR 1152.29 must be filed by September 

14, 2009. Petitions to reopen or requests 

for public use conditions under 49 CFR 

1152.28 must be filed by September 24, 

2009, with: Surface Transportation 

Board, 395 E Street, SW., Washington, 

DC 20423–0001. 

A copy of any petition filed with the 

Board should be sent to NSR’s 

representative: James R. Paschall, Senior 

General Attorney, Norfolk Southern 

Corporation, Three Commercial Place, 

Norfolk, VA 23510. 

If the verified notice contains false or 

misleading information, the exemption 

is void ab initio. 

NSR has filed a combined 

environmental and historic report 

which addresses the effects, if any, of 

the abandonment on the environment 

and historic resources. SEA will issue 

an environmental assessment (EA) by 

September 11, 2009. 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), NSR shall file a notice of 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 171 / Friday, September 4, 2009 / Notices 45891 

consummation with the Board to signify 

that it has exercised the authority 

granted and fully abandoned the line. If 

consummation has not been effected by 

NSR’s filing of a notice of 

consummation by September 4, 2010, 

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: August 31, 2009. 

By the Board, Rachel D. Campbell, 

Director, Office of Proceedings. 

Jeffrey Herzig, 

Clearance Clerk. 

[FR Doc. E9–21359 Filed 9–3–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4915–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Railroad Administration 

Environmental Impact Statement for 

the California High Speed Train Project 

From Palmdale to Bakersfield, CA 

AGENCY: Federal Railroad 

Administration (FRA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement. 

SUMMARY: This notice is to advise the 

public that FRA and the California 

High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) 

will jointly prepare a project 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

and project Environmental Impact 

Report (EIR) for the Palmdale to 

Bakersfield section of the Authority’s 

proposed California High Speed Train 

(HST) System in compliance with 

relevant state and federal laws, in 

particular the National Environmental 

Policy Act (NEPA) and the California 

Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). 

In 2001, the Authority and FRA 

started a tiered environmental review 

process for the HST system and in 2005, 

completed the first tier California High 

Speed Train Program EIR/EIS 

(Statewide Program EIR/EIS) and 

approved the statewide HST system for 

intercity travel in California between the 

major metropolitan centers of 

Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay 

Area in the north, through the Central 

Valley, to Los Angeles and San Diego in 

the south. The approved HST system 

would be about 800-miles long, with 

electric propulsion and steel-wheel-onsteel-rail trains capable of maximum 

operating speeds of 220 miles per hour 

(mph) on a mostly dedicated system of 

fully grade-separated, access-controlled 

steel track and with state-of-the-art 

safety, signaling, communication, and 

automated train control systems. In 

approving the HST system, the 

Authority and FRA also selected 

preferred corridor alignments and 

station location options throughout 

most of the system. In 2008, the 

Authority and FRA completed a second 

program EIR/EIS to evaluate alignments 

and station locations within the broad 

corridor between and including the 

Altamont Pass and the Pacheco Pass to 

connect the Bay Area and Central Valley 

portions of the HST system. 

The preparation of the Palmdale to 

Bakersfield HST Project EIR/EIS will 

involve the development of preliminary 

engineering designs and the assessment 

of potential environmental effects 

associated with the construction, 

operation, and maintenance of the HST 

system, including track and ancillary 

facilities along the State Route 58/14 

corridor from Bakersfield to Palmdale. 

DATES: Written comments on the scope 

of the Palmdale to Bakersfield HST 

Project EIR/EIS should be provided to 

the Authority by 5 p.m., Monday, 

November 2, 2009. Public scoping 

meetings are scheduled from September 

15, 2009 to September 17, 2009, as 

noted below in the cities of Bakersfield, 

CA, Tehachapi, CA and Palmdale, CA. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the 

scope should be sent to Ms. Carrie 

Bowen, Regional Director, ATTN: 

Bakersfield to Palmdale, California High 

Speed Rail Authority, 925 L Street, 

Suite 1425, Sacramento, CA 95814, or 

via e-mail with subject line ‘‘Palmdale 

to Bakersfield HST’’ to: 

comments@hsr.ca.gov. Comments may 

also be provided orally or in writing at 

the scoping meetings scheduled at the 

following locations: 

• Red Lion Hotel, 2400 Camino Del 

Rio Court. Bakersfield, CA 93308, 3 p.m. 

to 7 p.m., September 15, 2009. 

• Stallion Springs Community Center, 

27850 Stallion Springs Drive, 

Tehachapi, CA 93561, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., 

September 16, 2009. 

• Chimbole Cultural Center, 38350 

Sierra Highway, Palmdale, CA 93550, 3 

p.m. to 7 p.m., September 17, 2009. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

David Valenstein, Environmental 

Program Manager, Office of Railroad 

Development, Federal Railroad 

Administration, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue, SE., (Mail Stop 20), 

Washington, DC 20590; Telephone: 

(202) 493–6368, or Ms. Carrie Bowen, 

Telephone: (559) 221–2636 at the above 

noted address. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Authority was established in 1996 and 

is authorized and directed by statue to 

undertake the planning and 

development of a proposed statewide 

HST network that is fully coordinated 

with other public transportation 

services. The Authority adopted a Final 

Business Plan in June 2000, which 

reviewed the economic feasibility of an 

800-mile-long HST capable of speeds in 

excess of 200 miles per hour on a mostly 

dedicated, fully grade-separated state-ofthe-art track. The Authority released an 

updated Business Plan in November 

2008. 

The FRA has responsibility for 

overseeing the safety of railroad 

operations, including the safety of any 

proposed high-speed ground 

transportation system. For the proposed 

HST, it is anticipated that FRA would 

need to take certain regulatory actions 

prior to operation. 

In 2005, the Authority and FRA 

completed the Statewide Program EIR/ 

EIS for the Proposed California High 

Speed Train System, as the first phase 

of a tiered environmental review 

process. The Authority certified the 

Statewide Program EIR under CEQA and 

approved the proposed HST System. 

FRA issued a Record of Decision on the 

Statewide Program EIR/EIS as required 

under NEPA. The Statewide Program 

EIR/EIS established the purpose and 

need for the HST system, analyzed an 

HST system, and compared the 

proposed HST system with a No Project/ 

No Action Alternative and a Modal 

Alternative. In approving the Statewide 

Program EIR/EIS, the Authority and 

FRA selected the HST Alternative, 

selected certain corridors/general 

alignments and general station locations 

for further study, incorporated 

mitigation strategies and design 

practices, and specified further 

measures to guide the development of 

the HST system during the site-specific, 

project level environmental review to 

avoid and minimize potential adverse 

environmental impacts. In the Statewide 

Program EIR/EIS, the Authority and 

FRA selected the State Route 58/14 

corridor for the Palmdale to Bakersfield 

section of the HST. 

The Palmdale to Bakersfield HST 

Project EIR/EIS will tier from the 

Statewide Program EIR/EIS and the 

Final Bay Area to Central Valley HST 

Program EIR/EIS in accordance with 

Council on Environmental Quality 

(CEQ) regulations, (40 CFR 1508.28) and 

State CEQA Guidelines (14 C.C.R. 

15168(b)). Tiering ensures that the 

Palmdale to Bakersfield HST Project 

EIR/EIS builds upon all previous work 

prepared for, and incorporated in, the 

Statewide Program EIR/EIS and the Bay 

Area to Central Valley HST Program 

EIR/EIS. 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES