79332 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 188 / Friday, September 27, 2024 / Notices 

1The verified notice states that OKRL 

understands that BNGR does not object to the 

proposed change in operator. 

notice of exemption under 49 CFR 

1150.31 to lease and operate 

approximately 37.26 miles of rail line 

owned by Oklahoma Department of 

Transportation (OKDOT) and Blackwell 

Industrial Authority (BIA) extending 

from milepost 0.09 at Wellington, Kan., 

to milepost 35.35 at Blackwell, Okla., 

and from milepost 127.0 at Blackwell to 

milepost 125.0 also at Blackwell (the 

Line). OKRL states that OKDOT owns 

the portions of the Line extending from 

milepost 18.32 at Hunnewell, Kan., to 

milepost 35.35, and from milepost 127.0 

to milepost 126.45. OKRL further states 

that BIA owns the portions of the Line 

extending from milepost 0.09 to 

milepost 18.32 and from milepost 

126.45 to milepost 125.0. The verified 

notice states that under the proposed 

transaction OKRL will replace 

Blackwell Northern Gateway Railroad 

Company (BNGR), the current common 

carrier service provider on the Line. See 

State of Okla.—Alt. Rail Serv.—Line of 

Blackwell N. Gateway R.R., FD 36762 

(STB served July 26, 2024). 

According to the verified notice, the 

transaction involves OKRL’s proposed 

lease of, and commencement of 

common carrier service over, the Line. 

OKRL further states that once the 

proposed lease transaction is 

effectuated, OKRL will assume a 

common carrier status over the Line in 

place of BNGR.1

This transaction is related to a 

concurrently filed verified notice of 

exemption in Chicago Rock Island & 

Pacific Railroad—Continuance in 

Control Exemption—Oklahoma & 

Kansas Railroad, Docket No. FD 36812, 

in which Chicago Rock Island & Pacific 

Railroad LLC seeks to continue in 

control of OKRL upon OKRL’s becoming 

a Class III rail carrier. 

OKRL certifies that the agreement 

governing the transaction does not 

include any provision that may limit 

future interchange with a third-party 

connecting carrier. OKRL also certifies 

that its projected annual revenues as a 

result of this transaction will not result 

in its becoming a Class II or Class I rail 

carrier and that its projected annual 

revenue will not exceed $5 million. 

Under 49 CFR 1150.32(b), a change in 

operator requires that notice be given to 

shippers. OKRL certifies that it has 

provided a copy of its verified notice of 

exemption to all customers on the Line 

in accordance with the Board’s change 

of operator rules. 

The transaction may be consummated 

on or after October 13, 2024, the 

effective date of the exemption (30 days 

after the verified notice was filed). 

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 for stay must 

be filed no later than October 4, 2024 (at 

least seven days before the exemption 

becomes effective). 

All pleadings, referring to Docket No. 

FD 36811, must be filed with the 

Surface Transportation Board either via 

e-filing on the Board’s website or in 

writing addressed to 395 E Street SW, 

Washington, DC 20423–0001. In 

addition, a copy of each pleading must 

be served on OKRL’s representative, 

Robert A. Wimbish, Fletcher & Sippel 

LLC, 29 North Wacker Drive, Suite 800, 

Chicago, IL 60606. 

According to OKRL, this action is 

categorically excluded from 

environmental review under 49 CFR 

1105.6(c) and from historic preservation 

reporting requirements under 49 CFR 

1105.8(b). 

Board decisions and notices are 

available at www.stb.gov. 

Decided: September 24, 2024. 

By the Board, Scott M. Zimmerman, Acting 

Director, Office of Proceedings. 

Aretha Laws-Byrum, 

Clearance Clerk. 

[FR Doc. 2024–22216 Filed 9–26–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4915–01–P 

SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD 

[Docket No. FD 36812] 

Chicago Rock Island & Pacific Railroad 

LLC—Continuance in Control 

Exemption—Oklahoma & Kansas 

Railroad, LLC 

Chicago Rock Island & Pacific 

Railroad LLC (Rock Island), a Class III 

rail carrier, has filed a verified notice of 

exemption under 49 CFR 1180.2(d)(2) to 

continue in control of Oklahoma & 

Kansas Railroad, LLC (OKRL), upon 

OKRL’s becoming a Class III rail carrier. 

Rock Island currently controls the Gulf 

& Ship Island Railroad LLC (G&SI) and 

Ottawa Northern Railroad LLC (ONR), 

both Class III rail carriers. Rock Island 

operates in Mississippi; G&SI operates 

in Mississippi; ONR operates in Kansas; 

and OKRL intends to operate in 

Oklahoma and Kansas. 

This transaction is related to a 

concurrently filed verified notice of 

exemption in Oklahoma & Kansas 

Railroad—Change of Operator 

Exemption—Oklahoma Department of 

Transportation, Docket No. FD 36811, 

in which OKRL seeks Board approval to 

lease and operate approximately 37.26 

miles of rail line owned by the 

Oklahoma Department of Transportation 

and Blackwell Industrial Authority 

extending from milepost 0.09 at 

Wellington, Kan., to milepost 35.35 at 

Blackwell, Okla., and from milepost 

127.0 at Blackwell to milepost 125.0 

also at Blackwell. 

Rock Island represents that: (1) none 

of Rock Island’s railroad lines, G&SI’s 

lines, or ONR’s lines will connect with 

OKRL’s; (2) the transaction is not part of 

a series of anticipated transactions that 

would result in such interconnection; 

and (3) the transaction does not involve 

a Class I rail carrier. Therefore, the 

transaction is exempt from the prior 

approval requirements of 49 U.S.C. 

11323. See 49 CFR 1180.2(d)(2). 

Under 49 U.S.C. 10502(g), the Board 

may not use its exemption authority to 

relieve a rail carrier of its statutory 

obligation to protect the interests of its 

employees. However, 49 U.S.C. 11326(c) 

does not provide for labor protection for 

transactions under 49 U.S.C. 11324 and 

11325 that involve only Class III rail 

carriers. Accordingly, because this 

transaction involves Class III rail 

carriers only, the Board may not impose 

labor protective conditions here. 

The earliest this transaction may be 

consummated is October 13, 2024, the 

effective date of the exemption (30 days 

after the verified notice was filed). 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(g) 

may be filed at any time. The filing of 

a petition to revoke will not 

automatically stay the effectiveness of 

the exemption. Petitions for stay must 

be filed by October 4, 2024 (at least 

seven days before the exemption 

becomes effective). 

All pleadings, referring to Docket No. 

FD 36812, must be filed with the 

Surface Transportation Board either via 

e-filing on the Board’s website or in 

writing addressed to 395 E Street SW, 

Washington, DC 20423–0001. In 

addition, a copy of each pleading must 

be served on Rock Island’s 

representative, Robert A. Wimbish, 

Fletcher & Sippel LLC, 29 North Wacker 

Drive, Suite 800, Chicago, IL 60606. 

Board decisions and notices are 

available at www.stb.gov. 

Decided: September 24, 2024. 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 188 / Friday, September 27, 2024 / Notices 79333 

By the Board, Scott M. Zimmerman, Acting 

Director, Office of Proceedings. 

Aretha Laws-Byrum, 

Clearance Clerk. 

[FR Doc. 2024–22219 Filed 9–26–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4915–01–P 

OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES 

TRADE REPRESENTATIVE 

[Docket Number USTR–2024–0011] 

Cancellation of Public Hearing 

Concerning Russia’s Implementation 

of Its WTO Commitments 

AGENCY: Office of the United States 

Trade Representative (USTR). 

ACTION: Notice; cancellation of public 

hearing. 

SUMMARY: The interagency Trade Policy 

Staff Committee (TPSC) sought public 

comments to assist USTR in the 

preparation of its annual report to 

Congress on Russia’s compliance with 

its obligations as a Member of the World 

Trade Organization (WTO). Because 

USTR received no requests to testify, 

USTR is canceling the public hearing 

that was scheduled to take place on 

October 10, 2024. 

DATES: The public hearing scheduled for 

October 10, 2024 is cancelled. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Silvia Savich, Deputy Assistant U.S. 

Trade Representative for Russia and 

Eurasia at Silvia.Savich@ustr.eop.gov or 

202.395.2256. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On August 

5, 2024, the TPSC sought public 

comments to assist USTR in the 

preparation of its annual report to 

Congress on Russia’s compliance with 

its obligations as a Member of the WTO. 

See 89 FR 63463 (Aug 5, 2024). The 

notice included a September 18, 2024 

deadline for the submission of written 

comments and requests to testify at a 

public hearing that was scheduled to 

take place on October 10, 2024. In 

response to the notice, USTR received 

two submissions and no requests to 

testify. Therefore, USTR is canceling the 

October 10, 2024 public hearing. 

Laura Buffo, 

Chair of the Trade Policy Staff Committee, 

Office of the United States Trade 

Representative. 

[FR Doc. 2024–22165 Filed 9–26–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3390–F4–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Highway Administration 

[Docket No. FHWA–2024–0066] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities: Request for Comments for a 

New Information Collection 

AGENCY: Federal Highway 

Administration (FHWA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: The FHWA invites public 

comments about our intention to request 

the Office of Management and Budget’s 

(OMB) approval for a new information 

collection, which is summarized below 

under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. We 

are required to publish this notice in the 

Federal Register by the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995. 

DATES: Please submit comments by 

November 26, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

identified by DOT Docket ID Number 

0066 by any of the following methods: 

Website: For access to the docket to 

read background documents or 

comments received go to the Federal 

eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://

www.regulations.gov. Follow the online 

instructions for submitting comments. 

Fax: 1–202–493–2251. 

Mail: Docket Management Facility, 

U.S. Department of Transportation, 

West Building Ground Floor, Room 

W12–140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, 

Washington, DC 20590–0001. 

Hand Delivery or Courier: U.S. 

Department of Transportation, West 

Building Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 

1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, 

Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. 

and 5 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, 

except Federal holidays. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Melissa Corder, 202–366–5853, Office of 

Real Estate Services, Federal Highway 

Administration, Department of 

Transportation, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590. 

Office hours are from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., 

Monday through Friday, except Federal 

holidays. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title: Relocation Assistance Personal 

Interviews for FHWA Federal and 

Federally Assisted Programs under the 

Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real 

Property Acquisition Polies Act of 1970, 

as amended (Uniform Act). 

Background: This program 

implements 42 U.S.C. 4602, concerning 

acquisition of real property and 

relocation assistance for persons 

displaced by FHWA Federal and 

federally assisted programs. It requires 

the provision of relocation assistance 

and payments to U.S. citizens and 

persons legally present in the United 

States. The information collected 

consists of a personal interview of 

affected persons to establish eligibility 

for relocation assistance and payments. 

Displacing agencies will request each 

person who is to be displaced by a 

FHWA Federal or federally assisted 

project to voluntarily assist the agency 

in determining the benefits that their 

household, business, farm, or non-profit 

organization may be eligible to receive 

through the personal interview to 

determine their needs and preferences 

related to the move. This information is 

not required from the displaced person 

for the agency to proceed. 

Respondents: Any of the 56 State 

Departments of Transportations (52, 

including the District of Columbia, 

Puerto Rico), and the United States 

territories of American Samoa, Guam, N. 

Mariana Is., and the Virgin Islands of 

the United States (4 territories), local 

government agencies, persons 

administering projects or programs 

receiving financial assistance for 

expenditures of Federal funds on 

acquisition and relocation payments 

and required services to displaced 

persons that are subject to the 

Relocation Assistance and Real Property 

Acquisition Policies Act of 1970, as 

amended, (Uniform Act) for 

determination of Uniform Act relocation 

program benefit amounts, and file 

maintenance. 

Frequency: The information will be 

collected once per displacement of a 

household, business, farm, or non-profit 

organization. 

Estimated Average Burden per 

Response: 1.5 hours per respondent per 

personal interview. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours: It is expected that the 

respondents will complete 

approximately 4,800 personal 

interviews for an estimated total of 

6,900 annual burden hours. 

Public Comments Invited: You are 

asked to comment on any aspect of this 

information collection, including: (1) 

Whether the proposed collection is 

necessary for the FHWA’s performance; 

(2) the accuracy of the estimated 

burdens; (3) ways for the FHWA to 

enhance the quality, usefulness, and 

clarity of the collected information; and 

(4) ways that the burden could be 

minimized, including the use of 

electronic technology, without reducing 

the quality of the collected information. 

The agency will summarize and/or 

include your comments in the request 


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