42966 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 165 / Friday, August 24, 2018 / Notices 

1 DEIR lists ‘‘Canadian National Railway’’ (CNR) 

as one of the third-party railroads that could 

physically interchange with the line sought to be 

acquired. The Board notes that the correct reference 

should be to Illinois Central Railroad Company 

(IC)—the CNR subsidiary over which DEIR will be 

assigned 3.6 miles of trackage rights (as described 

above) and the only CNR affiliate operating in the 

affected region. 

2The verified notice states that the transaction is 

expected to be consummated on or about September 

6, 2018, however, consummation of the transaction 

must await the effective date of the exemption. 

If the verified 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 will not 

automatically stay the effectiveness of 

the exemption. Petitions to stay must be 

filed by August 31, 2018 (at least seven 

days before the exemption becomes 

effective). 

An original and 10 copies of all 

pleadings, referring to Docket No. FD 

36209, must be filed with the Surface 

Transportation Board, 395 E Street SW, 

Washington, DC 20423–0001. In 

addition, one copy of each pleading 

must be served on Karl Morell, Karl 

Morell & Associates, Suite 440, 440 1st 

Street NW, Washington, DC 20001. 

Board decisions and notices are 

available on our website at www.stb.gov. 

Decided: August 17, 2018. 

By the Board. 

Scott M. Zimmerman, 

Acting Director, Office of Proceedings. 

Aretha Laws-Byrum, 

Clearance Clerk. 

[FR Doc. 2018–18125 Filed 8–23–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4915–01–P 

SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD 

[Docket No. FD 36206] 

Decatur & Eastern Illinois Railroad, 

L.L.C.—Acquisition Exemption 

Containing Interchange Commitment— 

CSX Transportation, Inc. 

Decatur & Eastern Illinois Railroad, 

L.L.C. (DEIR), a noncarrier, has filed a 

verified notice of exemption under 49 

CFR 1150.31 to acquire and operate 

approximately 126.7 miles of track (the 

Line) owned by CSX Transportation, 

Inc., (CSXT), consisting of: (1) CSXT’s 

Decatur Subdivision starting near 

Montezuma, Ind., at milepost BD 192.4 

and ending in Decatur, Ill., at milepost 

BD 277.2; (2) CSXT’s Danville 

Secondary Subdivision from near Terre 

Haute, Ind., at milepost QSD 72.2 to 

near Olivet, Ill., at milepost QSD 113.6; 

and (3) CSXT’s Paris Industrial Track 

located in Paris, Ill. As part of the 

transaction, CSXT will also assign its 

trackage rights over Illinois Central 

Railroad Company (IC) between the 

Decatur Street road crossing at or near 

milepost 77.7 and milepost 76.7 on IC’s 

Peoria Subdivision, including IC’s 

connection with CSXT between 

milepost 30.5 and milepost 28.6 on IC’s 

Peoria Subdivision, and between IC’s 

lead track from its connection to the 

Green Switch Spur to IC’s connection 

with the ADM Run-Around-Yard at 

Decatur, Ill., on IC’s Peoria Subdivision, 

a total distance of approximately 3.6 

miles. 

This transaction is related to a 

concurrently filed verified notice of 

exemption in Watco Holdings, Inc.— 

Continuance in Control Exemption— 

Decatur & Eastern Illinois Railroad, 

Docket No. FD 36209, in which Watco 

Holdings, Inc., seeks Board approval to 

continue in control of DEIR upon DEIR’s 

becoming a Class III rail carrier. 

The verified notice states that DEIR 

and CSXT will enter into a Purchase 

and Sale Agreement and a Freight 

Operating Agreement prior to closing, 

and that DEIR will be the operator of the 

acquired rail lines. As required by 49 

CFR 1150.33(h), DEIR has disclosed in 

its verified notice that the Freight 

Operating Agreement contains an 

interchange commitment that would 

require DEIR to pay additional 

compensation to CSXT if DEIR 

interchanges traffic with a third-party 

rail carrier and that the affected 

interchange points are Decatur, Metcalf, 

and Tuscola, Ill. DEIR has provided 

additional information pertaining to the 

interchange commitment as required by 

§ 1150.33(h).1

DEIR certifies that its projected 

annual revenues resulting from the 

transaction will not exceed those that 

would qualify it as a Class III rail 

carrier. However, DEIR states that its 

projected annual revenues will exceed 

$5 million. Accordingly, in compliance 

with 49 CFR 1150.32(e), on July 6, 2018, 

DEIR posted the required 60-day labor 

notice of this transaction at the 

workplaces of CSXT employees on the 

affected Line, served notice on the 

national offices of the labor unions for 

those employees, and filed a letter with 

the Board certifying its compliance with 

the advance notice requirements. 

The transaction may be consummated 

on or after September 8, 2018, the 

effective date of the exemption (30 days 

after the verified notice was filed).2

If the verified 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 will not 

automatically stay the effectiveness of 

the exemption. Petitions to stay must be 

filed no later than August 31, 2018 (at 

least seven days before the exemption 

becomes effective). 

An original and 10 copies of all 

pleadings, referring to Docket No. FD 

36206, must be filed with the Surface 

Transportation Board, 395 E Street SW, 

Washington, DC 20423–0001. In 

addition, a copy must be served on Karl 

Morell, Karl Morell & Associates, Suite 

440, 440 1st Street NW, Washington, DC 

20001. 

According to DEIR, this action is 

categorically excluded from 

environmental review under 49 CFR 

1105.6(c). 

Board decisions and notices are 

available on our website at www.stb.gov. 

Decided: August 17, 2018. 

By the Board. 

Scott M. Zimmerman, 

Acting Director, Office of Proceedings. 

Aretha Laws-Byrum, 

Clearance Clerk. 

[FR Doc. 2018–18119 Filed 8–23–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4915–01–P 

OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES 

TRADE REPRESENTATIVE 

[Docket Number USTR–2018–0029] 

Request for Comments To Compile the 

National Trade Estimate Report on 

Foreign Trade Barriers 

AGENCY: Office of the United States 

Trade Representative. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Office of the United 

States Trade Representative (USTR) 

publishes the National Trade Estimate 

Report on Foreign Trade Barriers (NTE 

Report) each year. The Trade Policy 

Staff Committee (TPSC) invites 

interested persons to submit written 

comments to assist the TPSC in 

identifying significant barriers to U.S. 

exports of goods and services, U.S. 

foreign direct investment, and the 

protection and enforcement of 

intellectual property rights for inclusion 

in the NTE Report. USTR also will 

consider responses to this notice as part 

of the annual review of the operation 

and effectiveness of all U.S. trade 

agreements regarding 

telecommunications products and 

services that are in force with respect to 

the United States. 

DATES: We must receive all written 

comments no later than 11:59 p.m. on 

October 30, 2018. 

ADDRESSES: USTR strongly prefers 

electronic submissions made through 


daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES