41462 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 168 / Thursday, August 31, 2017 / Notices 

1 In a concurrently filed joint verified notice of 

exemption, CLC seeks to discontinue service over, 

and Patriot Woods Railroad, LLC, seeks to abandon, 

approximately 21.50-miles of connecting rail line 

between milepost 8.5 at Ostrander Junction and the 

end of the line at milepost 30, in Cowlitz County, 

Wash. See Columbia & Cowlitz Ry.— 

Discontinuance of Serv. Exemption—in Cowlitz 

Cty., Wash., Docket No. AB 1244 (Sub-No. 1X) and 

Patriot Woods R.R.—Aban. Exemption—in Cowlitz 

Cty., Wash., Docket No. AB 1243X. 

2The Board will grant a stay if an informed 

decision on environmental issues (whether raised 

by a party or by the Board’s Office of Environmental 

Analysis (OEA) in its independent investigation) 

cannot be made before the exemption’s effective 

date. See Exemption of Out-of-Serv. 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 OFA must be accompanied by the filing 

fee, which is currently set at $1,700. See 49 CFR 

1002.2(f)(25). Effective September 1, 2017, the fee 

will become $1,800. See Regulations Governing 

Fees for Servs. Performed in Connection with 

Licensing & Related Servs.—2017 Update, EP 542 

(Sub-No. 25), slip op. App. C at 20 (STB served July 

28, 2017). 

1 In a concurrently filed verified notice of 

exemption, CLC seeks to abandon approximately 7 

miles of connecting rail line between milepost 1.5 

at Longview and milepost 8.5 at Ostrander Junction, 

in Cowlitz County, Wash. See Columbia & Cowlitz 

Ry.—Aban. Exemption—in Cowlitz Cty., Wash., 

Docket No. AB 1244X. 

in Cowlitz County, Wash. (the Line).1

The Line traverses United States Postal 

Service Zip Codes 98632 and 98636 and 

includes the Milco station at milepost 

4.25 and the Rocky Point station at 

milepost 6.0. 

CLC has certified that: (1) No local 

traffic has moved over the Line for at 

least two years; (2) any overhead traffic 

can be rerouted over other lines; (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 a complainant 

within the two-year period; and (4) the 

requirements at 49 CFR 1105.7(c) 

(environmental report), 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 Railroad— 

Abandonment Portion Goshen Branch 

Between Firth & Ammon, in Bingham & 

Bonneville Counties, Idaho, 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 

September 30, 2017, unless stayed 

pending reconsideration. 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 interim trail use/rail 

banking requests under 49 CFR 1152.29 

must be filed by September 8, 2017. 

Petitions to reopen or requests for 

public use conditions under 49 CFR 

1152.28 must be filed by September 20, 

2017, with the Surface Transportation 

Board, 395 E Street SW., Washington, 

DC 20423–0001. 

A copy of any petition filed with the 

Board should be sent to Melanie B. 

Yasbin, Law Offices of Louis E. Gitomer, 

LLC, 600 Baltimore Avenue, Suite 301, 

Towson, MD 21204. 

If the verified notice contains false or 

misleading information, the exemption 

is void ab initio. 

CLC has filed a combined 

environmental and historic report that 

addresses the effects, if any, of the 

abandonment on the environment and 

historic resources. OEA will issue an 

environmental assessment (EA) by 

September 5, 2017. Interested persons 

may obtain a copy of the EA by writing 

to OEA (Room 1100, Surface 

Transportation Board, Washington, DC 

20423–0001) or by calling OEA at (202) 

245–0305. Assistance for the hearing 

impaired is available through the 

Federal Information Relay Service at 

(800) 877–8339. 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), CLC 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 

CLC’s filing of a notice of 

consummation by August 31, 2018, and 

there are no legal or regulatory barriers 

to consummation, the authority to 

abandon will automatically expire. 

Board decisions and notices are 

available on our Web site at 

WW.STB.GOV. 

Decided: August 28, 2017. 

By the Board, Rachel D. Campbell, 

Director, Office of Proceedings. 

Marline Simeon, 

Clearance Clerk. 

[FR Doc. 2017–18484 Filed 8–30–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4915–01–P 

SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD 

[Docket No. AB 1243X; Docket No. AB 1244 

(Sub-No. 1X] 

Patriot Woods Railroad, LLC— 

Abandonment Exemption—in Cowlitz 

County, Wash.; Columbia & Cowlitz 

Railway, LLC—Discontinuance of 

Service Exemption—in Cowlitz County, 

Wash 

Patriot Woods Railroad, LLC (PW) and 

Columbia & Cowlitz Railway, LLC (CLC) 

(collectively, Applicants), have jointly 

filed a verified notice of exemption 

under 49 CFR pt. 1152 subpart F— 

Exempt Abandonments and 

Discontinuances of Service for PW to 

abandon, and for CLC to discontinue 

service over, an approximately 21.50- 

mile rail line between milepost 8.5 at 

Ostrander Junction and the end of the 

line at milepost 30 in Cowlitz County, 

Wash. (the Line).1 The Line traverses 

United States Postal Service Zip Codes 

98611, 98626, and 98649 and includes 

the Headquarters station at milepost 

14.2 and the Landfill station at milepost 

16.2. 

Applicants have certified that: (1) No 

local or overhead traffic has moved over 

the Line for at least two years; (2) there 

is no overhead traffic to 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 two-year period; 

and (4) the requirements at 49 CFR 

1105.7(c) (environmental report), 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. 

Where, as here, the carrier is 

abandoning its entire line, the Board 

does not normally impose labor 

protection under 49 U.S.C. 10502(g), 

unless the evidence indicates the 

existence of: (1) A corporate affiliate 

that will continue substantially similar 

rail operations; or (2) A corporate parent 

that will realize substantial financial 

benefits over and above relief from the 

burden of deficit operations by its 

subsidiary railroad. See Honey Creek 

R.R.—Aban. Exemption—in Henry Cty., 

Ind., AB 865X (STB served Aug. 20, 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 168 / Thursday, August 31, 2017 / Notices 41463 

2The Board will grant a stay if an informed 

decision on environmental issues (whether raised 

by a party or by the Board’s Office of Environmental 

Analysis (OEA) in its independent investigation) 

cannot be made before the exemptions’ effective 

date. See Exemption of Out-of-Serv. 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 exemptions’ 

effective date. 

3Each OFA must be accompanied by the filing 

fee, which is currently set at $1,700. See 49 CFR 

1002.2(f)(25). Effective September 1, 2017, the fee 

will become $1,800. See Regulations Governing 

Fees for Servs. Performed in Connection with 

Licensing & Related Servs.—2017 Update, EP 542 

(Sub-No. 25), slip op. App. C at 20 (STB served July 

28, 2017). 

2004); Wellsville, Addison & Galeton 

R.R.—Aban., 354 I.C.C. 744 (1978); and 

Northampton & Bath R.R.—Aban., 354 

I.C.C. 784 (1978). According to PW, after 

abandonment PW’s parent company and 

corporate affiliate will not continue 

similar operations, nor will PW’s parent 

company realize substantial financial 

benefits over and above relief from the 

burden of its subsidiary railroad. 

Therefore, employee protection 

conditions will not be imposed. 

Any employee of CLC adversely 

affected by the discontinuance shall be 

protected under Oregon Short Line 

Railroad—Abandonment Portion 

Goshen Branch Between Firth & 

Ammon, in Bingham & Bonneville 

Counties, Idaho, 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, 

these exemptions will be effective on 

September 30, 2017, unless stayed 

pending reconsideration. 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 September 8, 2017. Petitions to 

reopen or requests for public use 

conditions under 49 CFR 1152.28 must 

be filed by September 20, 2017, with the 

Surface Transportation Board, 395 E 

Street SW., Washington, DC 20423– 

0001. 

A copy of any petition filed with the 

Board should be sent to Melanie B. 

Yasbin, Law Offices of Louis E. Gitomer, 

LLC, 600 Baltimore Avenue, Suite 301, 

Towson, MD 21204. 

If the verified notice contains false or 

misleading information, the exemptions 

are void ab initio. 

Applicants have filed a combined 

environmental and historic report that 

addresses the effects, if any, of the 

abandonment on the environment and 

historic resources. OEA will issue an 

environmental assessment (EA) by 

September 5, 2017. Interested persons 

may obtain a copy of the EA by writing 

to OEA (Room 1100, Surface 

Transportation Board, Washington, DC 

20423–0001) or by calling OEA at (202) 

245–0305. Assistance for the hearing 

impaired is available through the 

Federal Information Relay Service 

(FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339. 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), PW 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 

PW’s filing of a notice of consummation 

by August 31, 2018, and there are no 

legal or regulatory barriers to 

consummation, the authority to 

abandon will automatically expire. 

Board decisions and notices are 

available on our Web site at 

WWW.STB.GOV. 

Decided: August 28, 2017. 

By the Board, Rachel D. Campbell, 

Director, Office of Proceedings. 

Marline Simeon, 

Clearance Clerk. 

[FR Doc. 2017–18494 Filed 8–30–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4915–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities: Requests for Comments; 

Clearance of Reinstatement Approval 

of Information Collection: Notice of 

Proposed Outdoor Laser Operations 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, FAA 

invites public comments about our 

intention to request the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) 

approval to reinstate a previously 

approved information collection. In 

order for the FAA to ensure safety it 

proposes to collect information from 

potential outdoor laser operators. The 

FAA will review the proposed laser 

activity against air traffic operations and 

verify that the laser operation will not 

interfere with air traffic operations. 

DATES: Written comments should be 

submitted by October 30, 2017. 

ADDRESSES: Send comments to the FAA 

at the following address: Barbara Hall, 

Federal Aviation Administration, ASP– 

110, 10101 Hillwood Parkway, Fort 

Worth, TX 76177. 

Public Comments Invited: You are 

asked to comment on any aspect of this 

information collection, including (a) 

Whether the proposed collection of 

information is necessary for FAA’s 

performance; (b) the accuracy of the 

estimated burden; (c) ways for FAA to 

enhance the quality, utility and clarity 

of the information collection; and (d) 

ways that the burden could be 

minimized without reducing the quality 

of the collected information. The agency 

will summarize and/or include your 

comments in the request for OMB’s 

clearance of this information collection. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Barbara Hall by email at: 

Barbara.L.Hall@faa.gov; phone 940– 

594–5913. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

OMB Control Number: 2120–0662. 

Title: Notice of Proposed Outdoor 

Laser Operations. 

Form Numbers: FAA Form AC 7140– 

1. 

Type of Review: Reinstatement of an 

information collection. 

Background: The FAA will use the 

information gathered from laser 

operators planning to conduct outdoor 

laser operations to evaluate potential 

hazards to aircraft operating in the 

National Airspace System (NAS). 

Ultimately, the goal is to prevent an 

aircraft from being hit by the laser 

operation. The information will be 

reviewed by one of the three FAAs 

service centers and sent to the facility, 

which can be a Tower, TRACON or 

Center, that is being impacted by the 

operation. The faculty will review the 

proposed operation and state no 

objection or list an objection to the 

operation. If the facility lists an 

objection, then the service center will 

contact the proponent and see if 

adjustments can be made to the 

proposed operation. 

Respondents: Approximately 405 

laser operations. 

Frequency: One time per laser 

operation. 

Estimated Average Burden per 

Response: Approximately 4 hours per 

form. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden: An 

estimated 1,620 hours. 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES