Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 244 / Wednesday, December 19, 2001 / Notices 65529

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 offer of financial assistance must be

accompanied by the filing fee, which currently is

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

1The Board will grant a stay if an informed

decision on environmental issues (whether raised

by a party or by the Board’s Section of

Environmental Analysis (SEA) in its independent

investigation) cannot be made before the

exemption’s effective date. See Exemption of Outof-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).

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 December 31,

2001. Petitions to reopen or requests for

public use conditions under 49 CFR

1152.28 must be filed by January 8,

2002, with: Surface Transportation

Board, Office of the Secretary, Case

Control Unit, 1925 K Street, NW.,

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.

NSR has filed an environmental

report which addresses the

abandonment’s effects, if any, on the

environment and historic resources.

SEA will issue an environmental

assessment (EA) by December 21, 2001.

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) 565–1552. 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), NSR 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

NSR’s filing of a notice of

consummation by December 19, 2002,

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.dot.gov.

Decided: December 10, 2001.

By the Board, David M. Konschnik,

Director, Office of Proceedings.

Vernon A. Williams,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 01–30918 Filed 12–18–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4915–00–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

[STB Docket No. AB–290 (Sub–No. 234X)]

Norfolk Southern Railway Company—

Abandonment Exemption—in Mingo

County, WV

Norfolk Southern Railway Company

(NSR) has filed a notice of exemption

under 49 CFR 1152 Subpart F—Exempt

Abandonments to abandon a 2.3-mile

line of railroad between milepost TR–

0.0 at Thacker and milepost TR–2.3 at

Colonel, in Mingo County, WV. The line

traverses United States Postal Service

Zip Code 25694.

NSR has certified that: (1) No local

traffic has moved over the line for at

least 2 years; (2) any overhead traffic, if

there is any, 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 complainant within

the 2-year period; and (4) the

requirements at 49 CFR 1105.7

(environmental reports), 49 CFR 1105.8

(historic reports), 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 R. Co.—

Abandonment-Goshen, 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 January 18, 2002, unless

stayed pending reconsideration.

Petitions to stay that do not involve

environmental issues,1 formal

expressions of intent to 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 December 31,

2001. Petitions to reopen or requests for

public use conditions under 49 CFR

1152.28 must be filed by January 8,

2002, with: Surface Transportation

Board, Office of the Secretary, Case

Control Unit, 1925 K Street, NW.,

Washington, DC 20423.

A copy of any petition filed with the

Board should be sent to NSR’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.

NSR has filed an environmental

report which addresses the

abandonment’s effects, if any, on the

environment and historic resources.

SEA will issue an environmental

assessment (EA) by December 21, 2001.

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) 565–1552. 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), NSR shall file a notice of

consummation with the Board to signify

that it has exercised the authority

granted and fully abandoned its line. If

consummation has not been effected by

NSR’s filing of a notice of

consummation by December 19, 2002,

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 website at

www.stb.dot.gov.

Decided: December 11, 2001.

By the Board, David M. Konschnik,

Director, Office of Proceedings.

Vernon A. Williams,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 01–30992 Filed 12–18–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4915–00–P