Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 225 / Friday, November 21, 1997 / Notices 62401

1RLI will enter into an agency agreement with

Red River Valley & Western Railroad (RRVW)

whereby RRVW will perform operations in RLI’s

name and for RLI’s account on the subject line.

However, RLI will retain the obligation to provide

common carrier service on the subject line.

2This abbreviation refers to joint BNSF/Soo Line

Railroad Company track.

1WCL has stated that it will not consummate the

proposed abandonment until the pending petition

to revoke in Sault Ste. Marie Bridge Company—

Acquisition and Operation Exemption—Lines of

Union Pacific Railroad Company, STB Finance

Docket No. 33290, has been resolved, but that in no

event will it consummate the abandonment before

January 5, 1998.

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 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 offer of financial assistance must be

accompanied by the filing fee, which currently is

set at $900. See 49 CFR 1002.2(f)(25).

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

[STB Finance Docket No. 33500]

Rutland Line, Inc.—Acquisition and

Operation Exemption—The Burlington

Northern and Santa Fe Railway

Company

Rutland Line, Inc. (RLI), a noncarrier,

has filed a verified notice of exemption

under 49 CFR 1150.31 to acquire

approximately 23 miles of rail line from

The Burlington Northern and Santa Fe

Railway Company (BNSF) from

milepost 42.67, at Geneseo Junction,

ND, to milepost 65.60, at the North

Dakota/South Dakota border (subject

line).1 RLI will also acquire BNSF’s

interest in certain spur trackage and real

estate at Hankinson and Lidgerwood,

ND. In addition, RLI will obtain

incidental operating rights to operate

overhead rail freight services on BNSF’s

lines from milepost 212.32, at

Breckenridge, MN, to milepost 195.6, at

Aberdeen Line Junction, MN, and from

milepost 0.00, at Aberdeen Line

Junction, to milepost 0.60, at BN

Junction, MN. Further, BNSF will also

assign to RLI its operating rights under

a July 5, 1955 agreement from BNSF

milepost 0.60, at BN Junction, to CPRS 2

milepost 205.6, at Hankinson, and its

operating rights under a September 18,

1959 agreement from CPRS milepost

205.6, at Hankinson, to BNSF milepost

42.67, at Geneseo Junction.

The transaction was scheduled to be

consummated on or after October 30,

1997. Because the exemption was filed

on October 24, 1997, the transaction

could not have been consummated

sooner than October 31, 1997.

This transaction is related to STB

Finance Docket No. 33501, Douglas M.

Head, Kent P. Shoemaker and Charles

H. Clay—Continuance in Control

Exemption—Rutland Line, Inc., wherein

the named individuals have

concurrently filed a petition for

exemption to continue in control of RTI,

upon its becoming a Class III rail carrier.

If the verified notice contains false or

misleading information, the exemption

is void ab initio. Petitions to reopen the

proceeding 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

transaction.

An original and 10 copies of all

pleadings, referring to STB Finance

Docket No. 33500, 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: November 14, 1997.

By the Board, Beryl Gordon, Acting

Director, Office of Proceedings.

Vernon A. Williams,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 97–30669 Filed 11–20–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4915–00–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

[STB Docket No. AB–303 (Sub–No. 17X)]

Wisconsin Central Ltd.—Abandonment

Exemption—in Marquette and Alger

Counties, MI

Wisconsin Central Ltd. (WCL) has

filed a notice of exemption under 49

CFR 1152 Subpart F—Exempt

Abandonments abandon approximately

37.3-mile line of railroad on the

Marquette-Munising Line, between

milepost 154, at a point east of

Marquette, and milepost 116.7 in

Munising Junction, in Marquette and

Alger Counties, MI. The line traverses

United States Postal Service Zip Codes

49806, 49822, 49855 and 49862.

WCL has certified that: (1) no local

traffic has moved over the line for at

least 2 years; (2) any overhead traffic on

the line can 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 reports), 49 CFR 1105.8

(historic reports), 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 December 21, 1997, unless

stayed pending reconsideration.1

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 December 1,

1997. Petitions to reopen or requests for

public use conditions under 49 CFR

1152.28 must be filed by December 11,

1997, with: Surface Transportation

Board, Office of the Secretary, Case

Control Unit, 1925 K Street, N.W.,

Washington, DC 20423.

A copy of any petition filed with the

Board should be sent to applicant’s

representative: Michael J. Barron, Jr.,

Wisconsin Central Ltd., P.O. Box 5062,

Rosemont, IL 60017–5062.

If the verified notice contains false or

misleading information, the exemption

is void ab initio.

WCL has filed an environmental

report which addresses the

abandonment’s effects, if any, on the

environment and historic resources. The

Section of Environmental Analysis

(SEA) will issue an environmental

assessment (EA) by November 26, 1997.

Interested persons may obtain a copy of

the EA by writing to SEA (Room 500,

Surface Transportation Board,

Washington, DC 20423) or by calling

SEA, at (202) 565–1545. 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
62402 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 225 / Friday, November 21, 1997 / Notices

conditions will be imposed, where

appropriate, in a subsequent decision.

Pursuant to the provisions of 49 CFR

1152.29(e)(2), WCL 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

WCL’s filing of a notice of

consummation by November 21, 1998,

and there are no legal or regulatory

barriers to consummation, the authority

to abandon will automatically expire.

Decided: November 17, 1997.

By the Board, David M. Konschnik,

Director, Office of Proceedings.

Vernon A. Williams,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 97–30667 Filed 11–20–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4915–00–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

Bureau of the Public Debt

Proposed Collection: Comment

Request

ACTION: Notice and request for

comments.

SUMMARY: The Department of the

Treasury, as part of its continuing effort

to reduce paperwork and respondent

burden, invites the general public and

other Federal agencies to take this

opportunity to comment on proposed

and/or continuing information

collections, as required by the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Pub.

L. 104–13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)).

Currently the Bureau of the Public Debt

within the Department of the Treasury

is soliciting comments concerning the

Special Bond Of Indemnity to the

United States of America.

DATES: Written comments should be

received on or before January 23, 1998,

to be assured of consideration.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments

to Bureau of the Public Debt, Vicki S.

Thorpe, 200 Third Street, Parkersburg,

WV 26106–1328.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Requests for additional information or

copies of the form and instructions

should be directed to Vicki S. Thorpe,

Bureau of the Public Debt, 200 Third

Street, Parkersburg, WV 26106–1328,

(304) 480–6553.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Special Bond of Indemnity to

the United States of America.

OMB Number: 1535–0062.

Form Number: PD F 2966.

Abstract: The information is

requested to support a request for

refund of the purchase price of savings

bonds purchased in a chain letter

scheme.

Current Actions: None.

Type of Review: Extension.

Affected Public: Individuals.

Estimated Number of Respondents:

5,000.

Estimated Time Per Respondent: 8

minutes.

Estimated Total Annual Burden

Hours: 665.

Request for Comments

Comments submitted in response to

this notice will be summarized and/or

included in the request for OMB

approval. All comments will become a

matter of public record. Comments are

invited on: (a) Whether the collection of

information is necessary for the proper

performance of the functions of the

agency, including whether the

information shall have practical utility;

(b) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate

of the burden of the collection of

information; (c) ways to enhance the

quality, utility, and clarity of the

information to be collected; (d) ways to

minimize the burden of the collection of

information on respondents, including

through the use of automated collection

techniques or other forms of information

technology; and (e) estimates of capital

or start-up costs and costs of operation,

maintenance, and purchase of services

to provide information.

Dated: November 17, 1997.

Vicki S. Thorpe,

Manager, Graphics, Printing and Records

Branch.

[FR Doc. 97–30606 Filed 11–20–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4810–39–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

Bureau of the Public Debt

Proposed Collection: Comment

Request

ACTION: Notice and request for

comments.

SUMMARY: The Department of the

Treasury, as part of its continuing effort

to reduce paperwork and respondent

burden, invites the general public and

other Federal agencies to take this

opportunity to comment on proposed

and/or continuing information

collections, as required by the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Pub.

L. 104–13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)).

Currently the Bureau of the Public Debt

within the Department of the Treasury

is soliciting comments concerning the

Authorization for purchase and request

for change of United States Series EE

Savings Bonds.

DATES: Written comments should be

received on or before January 23, 1998,

to be assured of consideration.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments

to Bureau of the Public Debt, Vicki S.

Thorpe, 200 Third Street, Parkersburg,

WV 26106–1328.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Requests for additional information or

copies of the form and instructions

should be directed to Vicki S. Thorpe,

Bureau of the Public Debt, 200 Third

Street, Parkersburg, WV 26106–1328,

(304) 480–6553.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Authorization For Purchase And

Request For Change United States

Savings Bonds.

OMB Number: 1535–0111.

Form Numbers: SB 2152 and SB 2153.

Abstract: The information is

requested to support a request by

employees to authorize employers to

allot funds from their pay for the

purchase of savings bonds.

Current Actions: None.

Type of Review: Extension.

Affected Public: Individuals.

Estimated Number of Respondents:

1,600,000.

Estimated Time Per Respondent: 1

minute.

Estimated Total Annual Burden

Hours: 33,333.

Request for Comments

Comments submitted in response to

this notice will be summarized and/or

included in the request for OMB

approval. All comments will become a

matter of public record. Comments are

invited on: (a) Whether the collection of

information is necessary for the proper

performance of the functions of the

agency, including whether the

information shall have practical utility;

(b) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate

of the burden of the collection of

information; (c) ways to enhance the

quality, utility, and clarity of the

information to be collected; (d) ways to

minimize the burden of the collection of

information on respondents, including

through the use of automated collection

techniques or other forms of information

technology; and (e) estimates of capital

or start-up costs and costs of operation,

maintenance, and purchase of services

to provide information.

Dated: November 17, 1997.

Vicki S. Thorpe,

Manager, Graphics, Printing and Records

Branch.

[FR Doc. 97–30607 Filed 11–20–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4810–39–P