Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 14 / Friday, January 21, 2022 / Notices 3377 

1Public and confidential versions of the 

Agreement were filed with the verified notice. The 

confidential version was submitted under seal 

concurrently with a motion for protective order, 

which is addressed in a separate decision. 

Lease and Operating Agreement 

(Agreement) pursuant to which VESO 

will lease and operate the Line as a 

common carrier.1

VESO certifies that its projected 

annual revenues from this transaction 

will not result in its becoming a Class 

I or Class II rail carrier and will not 

exceed $5 million. VESO also certifies 

that the Agreement does not include an 

interchange commitment. 

The earliest this transaction may be 

consummated is February 6, 2022, 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 January 28, 2022 

(at least seven days before the 

exemption becomes effective). 

All pleadings, referring to Docket No. 

FD 36571, should be filed with the 

Surface Transportation Board via efiling on the Board’s website. In 

addition, a copy of each pleading must 

be served on VESO’s representative, 

Bradon J. Smith, Fletcher & Sippel LLC, 

29 North Wacker Drive, Suite 800, 

Chicago, IL 60606. 

According to VESO, 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: January 14, 2022. 

By the Board, Scott M. Zimmerman, Acting 

Director, Office of Proceedings. 

Jeffrey Herzig, 

Clearance Clerk. 

[FR Doc. 2022–01152 Filed 1–20–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4915–01–P 

SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD 

[Docket No. FD 36572] 

Watco Holdings, Inc.—Continuance in 

Control Exemption—Verdigris 

Southern Railroad, L.L.C. 

Watco Holdings, Inc. (Watco), a 

noncarrier, has filed a verified notice of 

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

continue in control of Verdigris 

Southern Railroad, L.L.C. (VESO), a 

noncarrier controlled by Watco, upon 

VESO’s becoming a Class III rail carrier. 

This transaction is related to a 

verified notice of exemption filed 

concurrently in Verdigris Southern 

Railroad, L.L.C.—Lease and Operation 

Exemption—Track in Rogers County, 

Okla., Docket No. FD 36571, in which 

VESO seeks to lease from the City of 

Tulsa–Rogers County Port Authority 

(the Port), and to commence common 

carrier operations over, approximately 

13,883 feet of track owned by the Port 

in Rogers County, Okla. 

The transaction may be consummated 

on or after February 6, 2022, the 

effective date of the exemption (30 days 

after the verified notice was filed). 

According to the verified notice of 

exemption, Watco currently controls 

indirectly 40 Class III railroads and one 

Class II railroad, collectively operating 

in 28 states. For a complete list of these 

rail carriers and the states in which they 

operate, see the Appendix to Watco’s 

January 7, 2022 verified notice of 

exemption, available at www.stb.gov. 

Watco represents that: (1) The rail line 

to be operated by VESO does not 

connect with the rail lines of any of the 

rail carriers currently controlled by 

Watco; (2) this transaction is not part of 

a series of anticipated transactions that 

would connect VESO with any railroad 

in the Watco corporate family; and (3) 

the transaction does not involve a Class 

I rail carrier. The proposed transaction 

is therefore exempt from the prior 

approval requirements of 49 U.S.C. 

11323 pursuant to 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. Because the transaction 

involves the control of one Class II and 

one or more Class III rail carriers, the 

transaction is subject to the labor 

protection requirements of 49 U.S.C. 

11326(b) and Wisconsin Central Ltd.— 

Acquisition Exemption—Lines of Union 

Pacific Railroad, 2 S.T.B. 218 (1997). 

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 January 28, 2022 

(at least seven days before the 

exemption becomes effective). 

All pleadings, referring to Docket No. 

FD 36572, should be filed with the 

Surface Transportation Board via efiling on the Board’s website. In 

addition, one copy of each pleading 

must be served on Watco’s 

representative, Bradon J. Smith, Fletcher 

& Sippel LLC, 29 North Wacker Drive, 

Suite 800, Chicago, IL 60606. 

According to Watco, this action is 

categorically excluded from 

environmental review under 49 CFR 

1105.6(c) and from historic reporting 

requirements under 49 CFR 1105.8(b). 

Board decisions and notices are 

available at www.stb.gov. 

Decided: January 14, 2022. 

By the Board, Scott M. Zimmerman, Acting 

Director, Office of Proceedings. 

Brendetta Jones, 

Clearance Clerk. 

[FR Doc. 2022–01154 Filed 1–20–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4915–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

Notice of Request To Release Airport 

Property for Land Disposal 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of request to rule on 

release of airport property for land 

disposal at the Ottumwa Regional 

Airport (OTM), Ottumwa, Iowa. 

SUMMARY: The FAA proposes to rule and 

invites public comment on the release of 

land at the Ottumwa Regional Airport 

(OTM), Ottumwa, Iowa. 

DATES: Comments must be received on 

or before February 22, 2022. 

ADDRESSES: Comments on this 

application may be mailed or delivered 

to the FAA at the following address: 

Amy J. Walter, Airports Land Specialist, 

Federal Aviation Administration, 

Airports Division, ACE–620G, 901 

Locust, Room 364, Kansas City, MO 

64106. 

In addition, one copy of any 

comments submitted to the FAA must 

be mailed or delivered to: Zach 

Simonson, Community Development 

Director, City of Ottumwa, 105 East 

Third Street, Ottumwa, Iowa 52501, 

(641) 683–0694. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Amy J. Walter, Airports Land Specialist, 

Federal Aviation Administration, 

Airports Division, ACE–620G, 901 

Locust, Room 364, Kansas City, MO 

64106, (816) 329–2603, amy.walter@

faa.gov. The request to release property 

may be reviewed, by appointment, in 

person at this same location. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FAA 

invites public comment on the request 

to release two tracts of land: Parcel 64 

is 4.51 acres and parcel 67 is 2.06 acres 


jspears on DSK121TN23PROD with NOTICES1