47870 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 176 / Thursday, September 11, 1997 / Notices

1 The Centralia-Hoquiam Line, the Horn Spur

Track, and the Elma-Shelton Line are collectively

referred to as the Subject Lines.

2 The notice of exemption states that should the

assignment by BNSF to ARZC of incidental trackage

rights over UP’s rail line require UP’s consent, such

consent will be obtained.

3 On August 21, 1997, Simpson Timber Company

(Simpson) filed a petition to stay or revoke the

exemption in this proceeding. ARZC replied in

opposition to Simpson’s petition. BNSF also sought

leave to intervene in the proceeding and submitted

a reply in opposition to Simpson’s petition.

Simpson subsequently requested permission to

withdraw its petition. BNSF is granted permission

to intervene and Simpson is granted permission to

withdraw its petition.

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration

Environmental Impact Statement:

Richmond County, NC

AGENCY: Federal Highway

Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

SUMMARY: The FHWA is issuing this

notice to advise the public that an

environmental impact statement will be

prepared for a proposed highway project

in Richmond County, North Carolina.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Roy

C. Shelton, Operations Engineer,

Federal Highway Administration, 310

New Bern Avenue, Suite 410, Raleigh,

North Carolina 27601, Telephone: (919)

856–4350.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

FHWA, in cooperation with the North

Carolina Department of Transportation

(NCDOT), will prepare an

environmental impact statement (EIS)

on a proposal to improve and/or

relocate US 1 in Richmond County from

Sandhill Road (SR 1971) south of

Rockingham to Indian Lake Road (SR

1479) north of Marston, a distance of

approximately 35.4 kilometers (22

miles).

Improvements to the corridor are

deemed necessary to improve travel in

Richmond County by reducing overall

travel time, reducing through and truck

traffic congestion in downtown

Rockingham, and improving traffic

safety along existing US 1. The

proposed project is also considered to

be a key element in the state’s effort to

provide a multi-lane US 1 facility from

the South Carolina state line to the

Virginia state line.

The range of alternatives under

consideration include the ‘‘no-action’’

or No-Build Alternative, alternates using

various other transportation modes,

widening the existing two-lane highway

to a four-lane or multi-lane facility, and

constructing a multi-lane controlled

access highway on new location.

Incorporated into the study of various

build alternatives will be various grade

and alignment designs.

Letters describing the proposed action

and soliciting comments will be sent to

appropriate Federal, State and local

agencies, and to private organizations

and citizens who have expressed or are

known to have interest in this proposal.

Small group informational meetings and

citizens information workshops have

been established for this project. In

addition, a corridor public hearing will

be held. The public will be notified in

advance of the workshops and public

hearing through the use of newspaper

advertisements and a direct mailing to

persons on the project mailing list. The

draft EIS will be circulated for public

and agency review and comment prior

to the public hearing. No formal scoping

meeting is planned at this time.

To ensure that the full range of issues

related to this proposed action are

addressed and all significant issues

identified, comments and suggestions

are invited from all interested parties.

Comments or questions concerning this

proposed action and the EIS should be

directed to the FHWA at the address

provided above.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Program Number 20.205, Highway Planning

and Construction. The regulations

implementing Executive Order 12372

regarding intergovernmental consultation on

Federal programs and activities apply to this

program)

Issued on: August 29, 1997.

Roy C. Shelton,

Operations Engineer, Raleigh.

[FR Doc. 97–24150 Filed 9–10–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–22–M

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

[STB Finance Docket No. 33448]

Arizona & California Railroad Company

Limited Partnership—Acquisition and

Operation Exemption—The Burlington

Northern and Santa Fe Railway

Company

Arizona & California Railroad

Company Limited Partnership (ARZC), a

Class III rail common carrier, has filed

a notice of exemption under 49 CFR

1150.41 to acquire and operate

approximately 83.5 mainline route

miles of rail line over two connecting

branch lines and a connecting spur track

from The Burlington Northern and

Santa Fe Railway Company (BNSF), as

follows: (i) The Centralia-Hoquiam Line,

which extends from milepost 0.6, at or

near Centralia, WA, to the western end

of the line at about milepost 74.1, at or

near Hoquiam, WA, including the Horn

Spur Track, which connects to the

Centralia-Hoquiam Line at milepost 72.5

and extends northward to the end of the

track at approximately milepost 2.0; and

(ii) the Elma-Shelton Line, which

extends from milepost 0.0, at Elma, WA,

(connecting to the Centralia-Hoquiam

Line at about milepost 46.7) northward

to the end of BNSF-owned track at

milepost 25.1, at or near Shelton, WA.1

In connection with ARZC’s

acquisition of the Subject Lines, ARZC

will also acquire incidental trackage

rights as follows: (i) BNSF will assign its

trackage rights to operate over Union

Pacific Railroad Company (UP) 2 from

(a) milepost 68.9 to milepost 69.4 and

(b) milepost 70.3 to 72.0, at and near

Aberdeen, WA; (ii) BNSF will grant to

ARZC incidental trackage rights. for the

sole purpose of operating overhead rail

freight service, that extend from BNSF

milepost 0.6 to BNSF milepost 0.4, at or

near Centralia, WA; and (iii) BNSF will

assign its rights under a December 11,

1994 agreement between its

predecessor, Northern Pacific Railway

Company, and the United States of

America, pursuant to which BNSF

provides service on a governmentowned line from its connection with the

Elma-Shelton Line to Bangor, a distance

of approximately 44 miles, and a branch

line to Bremerton Navy Yard, a distance

of approximately 4.6 miles.3

The transaction was expected to be

consummated on or after August 29,

1997. The Subject Lines and the

incidental trackage rights will be

operated by an operating division of

ARZC, d/b/a Puget Sound & Pacific.

If the 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 does not

automatically stay the transaction.

An original and 10 copies of all

pleadings, referring to STB Finance

Docket No. 33448, must be filed with

the Surface Transportation Board, Office

of the Secretary, Case Control Unit, 1925

K Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20423–

0001. In addition, a copy of each

pleading must be served on Jo A.

DeRoche, Esq., Weiner, Brodsky,

Sidman & Kider, P.C., 1350 New York

Avenue, N.W., Suite 800, Washington,

DC 20005–4797.

Decided: September 4, 1997.