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Docket ID: [STB Docket No. AB-268 (Sub-No. 16X) and STB Docket No. AB-355 (Sub-No. 34X)]

NOTICE: NOTICES

ACTION: Railroad services abandonment:

SUBJECT CATEGORY: Portland Terminal Company--Abandonment Exemption--in Cumberland County, ME; and Springfield Terminal Railway Company--Discontinuance of Service Exemption--in Cumberland County, ME

DOCUMENT SUMMARY:

Portland Terminal Company (PT) and Springfield Terminal Railway Company (ST) (collectively, applicants) have jointly filed a notice of exemption under 49 CFR 1152 Subpart FExempt Abandonments and Discontinuances of Service for PT to abandon, and for ST to discontinue service over, approximately 1.3 miles of railroad known as the Mountain Branch in Westbrook, ME, extending from milepost 6.0 to milepost 7.3 in Cumberland County, ME. The line traverses United States Postal Service [[Page 64704]]

Zip Code 04092, and includes no stations.

PT and ST have certified that: (1) No local traffic has moved over the line for at least 2 years; (2) there is no overhead traffic on the line; (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 2year period; and (4) the requirements of 49 CFR 1105.7 (environmental report), 49 CFR 1105.8 (historic 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 these exemptions, any employee adversely affected by the abandonment or discontinuance shall be protected under Oregon Short Line R. Co.AbandonmentGoshen, 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 December 18, 2007, 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 November 26, 2007. Petitions to reopen or requests for public use conditions under 49 CFR 1152.28 must be filed by December 6, 2007, with: Surface Transportation Board, 395 E Street, SW., Washington, DC 204230001.
\1\ The 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 exemptions' effective date. See Exemption of OutofService 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.
\2\ Each OFA must be accompanied by the filing fee, which currently is set at $1,300. See 49 CFR 1002.2(f)(25).

A copy of any petition filed with the Board should be sent to applicants' representative: Michael Q. Geary, Iron Horse Park, North Billerica, MA 01862.

If the verified notice contains false or misleading information, the exemptions are void ab initio.

PT and ST have filed an environmental and historic report which addresses the effects, if any, of the abandonment and discontinuance on the environment and historic resources. SEA will issue an environmental assessment (EA) by November 23, 2007. Interested persons may obtain a copy of the EA by writing to SEA (Room 1100, Surface Transportation Board, Washington, DC 204230001) or by calling SEA, at (202) 2450305. [Assistance for the hearing impaired is available through the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 18008778339.] 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), PT 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 PT's filing of a notice of consummation by November 16, 2008, 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 http://www.stb.dot.gov .

Decided: November 7, 2007.

By the Board, David M. Konschnik, Director, Office of Proceedings.
Vernon A. Williams,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E722153 Filed 111507; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 491501P

SUMMARY: Portland Terminal Co. et al,

DOCUMENT BODY 2:

Portland Terminal Company (PT) and Springfield Terminal Railway Company (ST) (collectively, applicants) have jointly filed a notice of exemption under 49 CFR 1152 Subpart FExempt Abandonments and Discontinuances of Service for PT to abandon, and for ST to discontinue service over, approximately 1.3 miles of railroad known as the Mountain Branch in Westbrook, ME, extending from milepost 6.0 to milepost 7.3 in Cumberland County, ME. The line traverses United States Postal Service [[Page 64704]]

Zip Code 04092, and includes no stations.

PT and ST have certified that: (1) No local traffic has moved over the line for at least 2 years; (2) there is no overhead traffic on the line; (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 2year period; and (4) the requirements of 49 CFR 1105.7 (environmental report), 49 CFR 1105.8 (historic 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 these exemptions, any employee adversely affected by the abandonment or discontinuance shall be protected under Oregon Short Line R. Co.AbandonmentGoshen, 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 December 18, 2007, 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 November 26, 2007. Petitions to reopen or requests for public use conditions under 49 CFR 1152.28 must be filed by December 6, 2007, with: Surface Transportation Board, 395 E Street, SW., Washington, DC 204230001.
\1\ The 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 exemptions' effective date. See Exemption of OutofService 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.
\2\ Each OFA must be accompanied by the filing fee, which currently is set at $1,300. See 49 CFR 1002.2(f)(25).

A copy of any petition filed with the Board should be sent to applicants' representative: Michael Q. Geary, Iron Horse Park, North Billerica, MA 01862.

If the verified notice contains false or misleading information, the exemptions are void ab initio.

PT and ST have filed an environmental and historic report which addresses the effects, if any, of the abandonment and discontinuance on the environment and historic resources. SEA will issue an environmental assessment (EA) by November 23, 2007. Interested persons may obtain a copy of the EA by writing to SEA (Room 1100, Surface Transportation Board, Washington, DC 204230001) or by calling SEA, at (202) 2450305. [Assistance for the hearing impaired is available through the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 18008778339.] 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), PT 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 PT's filing of a notice of consummation by November 16, 2008, 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 http://www.stb.dot.gov .

Decided: November 7, 2007.

By the Board, David M. Konschnik, Director, Office of Proceedings.
Vernon A. Williams,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E722153 Filed 111507; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 491501P