[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 135 (Thursday, July 15, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Page 41277]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-17206]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

[Docket No. AB 290 (Sub-No. 319X); Docket No. AB 1060X]


Central of Georgia Railroad Company--Discontinuance of Service 
Exemption--Newton County, GA; Great Walton Railroad Company--
Discontinuance of Operations Exemption--Newton County, GA

    Central of Georgia Railroad Company (CGA) \1\ and Great Walton 
Railroad Company (GRWR) (collectively, applicants) have jointly filed a 
verified notice of exemption under 49 CFR part 1152 Subpart F--Exempt 
Abandonments and Discontinuances of Service for CGA to discontinue 
service, and for GRWR to discontinue operating rights under a lease, 
over a 14.90-mile line of railroad between milepost E 65.80 at Newton, 
Ga., and the end of the line at milepost E 80.70 at Covington, Ga., in 
Newton County, Ga. The line traverses United States Postal Service Zip 
Codes 30014, 30055 and 30056.
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    \1\ CGA is a wholly owned subsidiary of Norfolk Southern Railway 
Company.
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    Applicants have certified that: (1) No local traffic has moved over 
the line for at least 2 years; (2) all overhead traffic has been 
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 or with 
any U.S. District Court or has been decided in favor of complainant 
within the 2-year period; and (4) the requirements of 49 CFR 1105.12 
(newspaper publication) and 49 CFR 1152.50(d)(1) (notice to 
governmental agencies) have been met.
    As a condition to these exemptions, any employee adversely affected 
by the discontinuance of service 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 August 14, 2010, unless stayed pending reconsideration. 
Petitions to stay that do not involve environmental issues and formal 
expressions of intent to file an OFA under 49 CFR 1152.27(c)(2) \2\ 
must be filed by July 26, 2010.\3\ Petitions to reopen must be filed by 
August 4, 2010, with the Surface Transportation Board, 395 E Street, 
SW., Washington, DC 20423-0001.
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    \2\ Each OFA must be accompanied by the filing fee, which is 
currently set at $1,500. See 49 CFR 1002.2 (f)(25).
    \3\ Because this is a discontinuance proceeding and not an 
abandonment, trail use/rail banking and public use conditions are 
not appropriate. Likewise, no environmental or historic 
documentation is required here under 49 CFR 1105.6(c) and 49 CFR 
1105.8(b), respectively.
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    A copy of any petition filed with the Board should be sent to 
applicants' representatives: For CGA, Daniel G. Kruger, Norfolk 
Southern Railway Company, Three Commercial Place, Norfolk, VA 23510; 
and for GRWR, Richard H. Streeter, Barnes & Thornburg, LLP, 750 17th 
Street, NW., Suite 900, Washington, DC 20006.
    If the verified notice contains false or misleading information, 
the exemptions are void ab initio.
    Board decisions and notices are available on our Web site at http://www.stb.dot.gov.

     Decided: July 8, 2010.

    By the Board, Rachel D. Campbell, Director, Office of 
Proceedings.
Jeffrey Herzig,
Clearance Clerk.
[FR Doc. 2010-17206 Filed 7-14-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915-01-P