Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 86 /Tuesday, May 5, 1998 / Notices 24841

of-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.

2Each offer of financial assistance must be

accompanied by the filing fee, which currently is

set at $1000. See 49 CFR 1002.2(f)(25).

1Abandonment authority for the segments from

milepost 21.09 to milepost 21.26 (0.17 mile) and

from milepost 21.50 to milepost 22.09 (0.5 mile)

was previously granted to Burlington Northern

Railroad Company (BNSF) in Burlington Northern

Railroad Company—Abandonment Exemption—In

Washington County, OR, Docket No. AB–6 (Sub-No.

363X) (ICC served Dec. 5, 1994). Thereafter, P&W

filed a notice of exemption to acquire and operate

all three segments proposed here to be abandoned

in Portland & Western Railroad, Inc.—Acquisition

and Operation Exemption—The Burlington

Northern and Santa Fe Railway Company, STB

Finance Docket No. 33502 (STB served Nov. 24,

1997). In that proceeding, P&W acquired the rail,

track materials, and other personal property

necessary for rail service and an exclusive rail

easement over the underlying property; BNSF

retained the real property with the intent to donate

the property to the State of Oregon. P&W questions

the need to seek abandonment authority for the

segments previously abandoned by BNSF because

P&W states that it never exercised its authority

because of the absence of traffic.

file an OFA under 49 CFR

1152.27(c)(2),2 and trail use/rail banking

requests under 49 CFR 1152.29 must be

filed by May 15, 1998. Petitions to

reopen or requests for public use

conditions under 49 CFR 1152.28 must

be filed by May 26, 1998, 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: James R. Paschall,

General Attorney, Norfolk Southern

Corporation, Three Commercial Place,

Norfolk, VA 23510.

If the verified notice contains false or

misleading information, the exemption

is void ab initio.

NW 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 May 8, 1998. 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

conditions will be imposed, where

appropriate, in a subsequent decision.

Pursuant to the provisions of 49 CFR

1152.29(e)(2), NW 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

NW’s filing of a notice of consummation

by May 5, 1999, and there are no legal

or regulatory barriers to consummation,

the authority to abandon will

automatically expire.

Decided: April 23, 1998.

By the Board, David M. Konschnik,

Director, Office of Proceedings.

Vernon A. Williams,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 98–11518 Filed 5–4–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–00–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

[STB Docket No. AB–541X]

Portland & Western Railroad, Inc.—

Abandonment Exemption—In

Washington County, OR

On April 15, 1998, Portland &

Western Railroad, Inc. (P&W) filed with

the Surface Transportation Board

(Board) a petition under 49 U.S.C. 10502

for exemption from the provisions of 49

U.S.C. 10903 to abandon three segments

of its line of railroad extending: (1) from

milepost 20.05 to milepost 21.09, a

distance of 1.04 miles; (2) from milepost

21.09 to milepost 21.26, a distance of

0.17 mile; and (3) from milepost 21.50

to milepost 22.0, a distance of 0.5 mile,

all located at or near Hillsboro, in

Washington County, OR.1 The lines

traverse U.S. Postal Service Zip Code

97124 and include the stations of Merle

located near milepost 20.8 and Orenco

Junction located near milepost 21.5. The line does not contain federally

granted rights-of-way. Any

documentation in P&W’s possession

will be made available promptly to

those requesting it. The interest of railroad employees

will be protected by the conditions set

forth in Oregon Short Line R. Co.—

Abandonment—Goshen, 360 I.C.C. 91

(1979).

By issuance of this notice, the Board

is instituting an exemption proceeding

pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 10502(b). A final

decision will be issued by August 3,

1998.

Any offer of financial assistance

(OFA) under 49 CFR 1152.27(b)(2) will

be due no later than 10 days after

service of a decision granting the

petition for exemption. Each offer must

be accompanied by a $1,000 filing fee.

See 49 CFR 1002.2(f)(25).

All interested persons should be

aware that, following abandonment of

rail service and salvage of the line, the

line may be suitable for other public

use, including interim trail use. Any

request for a public use condition under

49 CFR 1152.28 or for trail use/rail

banking under 49 CFR 1152.29 will be

due no later than May 26, 1998. Each

trail use request must be accompanied

by a $150 filing fee. See 49 CFR

1002.2(f)(27).

All filings in response to this notice

must refer to STB Docket No. AB–541X

and must be sent to: (1) Surface

Transportation Board, Office of the

Secretary, Case Control Unit, 1925 K

Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20423–

0001, and (2) Sebastian Ferrer, Gollatz,

Griffin & Ewing, P.C., 213 West Miner

Street, P.O. Box 796, West Chester, PA

19381–0796. Replies to the P&W

petition are due on or before May 26,

1998.

Persons seeking further information

concerning abandonment procedures

may contact the Board’s Office of Public

Services at (202) 565–1592 or refer to

the full abandonment or discontinuance

regulations at 49 CFR part 1152.

Questions concerning environmental

issues may be directed to the Board’s

Section of Environmental Analysis

(SEA) at (202) 565–1545. [TDD for the

hearing impaired is available at (202)

565–1695.]

An environmental assessment (EA) (or

environmental impact statement (EIS), if

necessary) prepared by SEA will be

served upon all parties of record and

upon any agencies or other persons who

commented during its preparation.

Other interested persons may contact

SEA to obtain a copy of the EA (or EIS).

EAs in these abandonment proceedings

normally will be made available within

60 days of the filing of the petition. The

deadline for submission of comments on

the EA will generally be within 30 days

of its service.

Decided: April 27, 1998.

By the Board, David M. Konschnik,

Director, Office of Proceedings.

Vernon A. Williams,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 98–11872 Filed 5–4–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4915–00–P

UNITED STATES INFORMATION

AGENCY

AGENCY: United States Information

Agency.

ACTION: Notice of meeting of the

Cultural Property Advisory Committee.

In accordance with the provisions of

the Convention on Cultural Property
24842 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 86 /Tuesday, May 5, 1998 / Notices

Implementation Act (19 U.S.C. 2603 et

seq.) there will be a meeting of the

Cultural Property Advisory Committee

on May 19, 1998, from approximately

9:30 AM to approximately 3:30 PM, at

the United States Information Agency,

Washington, D.C. A portion of the

meeting, approximately 9:30 AM to

10:00 AM, will be closed pursuant to 5

U.S.C. 552b(c)(9)(B) and 19 U.S.C.

2605(h). The Committee will go into

open session at approximately 10:00

AM until approximately 12:30 PM

during which it will receive a briefing

on the Agreement Between the

Government of the United States of

America and the Government of Canada

concerning the Imposition of Import

Restrictions on Certain Categories of

Archaeological and Ethnological

Material. The Committee will also be

briefed by its Chairman on recent

interactions with representatives of the

antiquities dealer community. The

Committee will recess at approximately

12:30 PM and will reconvene in open

session at approximately 1:30 PM to

receive briefings from organizations

regarding their work in cultural heritage

preservation as it relates to Central

America and the furtherance of

provisions in bilateral cultural property

agreements having to do with long-term

strategies to protect curlural resources

for scientific, educational and cultural

purposes.

Seating is limited. Persons wishing to

attend open portions of the meeting

must notify Cultural Property staff at

(202) 619–6612 by 12:00 Noon (EST),

May 18, 1998, to arrange for admission.

Dated: April 30, 1998.

Penn Kemble,

Deputy Director, United States Information

Agency.

Determination to Close a Portion of the

Meeting of the Cultural Property Advisory

Committee

May 19, 1998.

In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(9)(B)

and 19 U.S.C. 2605(h), I hereby determine

that a portion of the Cultural Property

Advisory Committee meeting on May 19,

1998, during which there will be discussions

involving information the premature

disclosure of which would be likely to

significantly frustrate implementation of

proposed agency action, will be closed.

Dated: April 30, 1998.

Penn Kemble,

Deputy Director, United States Information

Agency.

[FR Doc. 98–11859 Filed 5–4–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8230–01–M