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>From the Surface Transportation Board, Washington, D.C.
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The Surface Transportation Board announced today that its Section of
Environmental Analysis (SEA) has issued the Draft Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) for the R. J. Corman Railroad Company/Pennsylvania Lines
Inc. (RJCP) proposed construction, operation, and reactivation of a 20-mile
railroad line between Wallaceton and Gorton, in Clearfield and Centre
Counties, Pennsylvania.
The Draft EIS analyzes
environmental impacts that might
occur if RJCP were to construct
and operate the line, sets forth
various alternatives to RJCP's
proposal, and recommends
mitigation measures that include
RJCP's proposed, voluntary
mitigation and SEA-developed
mitigation. Two cooperating
agencies, the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers—Baltimore District and
the Federal Highway
Administration—Pennsylvania
Division assisted SEA in the
preparation of the Draft EIS.
SEA and the cooperating agencies
invite written comment from the
public on all aspects of the Draft
EIS and are providing a 60-day
public comment period. Comments
on the Draft EIS must be
postmarked by September 28, 2010.
Instructions on how to submit
comments, and the date, time, and
location of a forthcoming public
meeting are attached in a separate
Fact Sheet.
After the close of the public
comment period on the Draft EIS,
SEA and the cooperating agencies
will prepare a Final EIS in
response to comments received on
the Draft EIS. The Board will
then issue a final decision based
on the entire public record,
including the record on the
transportation merits of the
proposal, the Draft EIS, the Final
EIS, and all public and agency
comments received. The Board will
decide whether to approve the
proposal, deny it, or approve it
with mitigating conditions,
including environmental
conditions. The cooperating
agencies also may issue separate
decisions related to the proposal.
The Draft EIS was issued today in
the proceeding titled R. J. Corman
Railroad Company/Pennsylvania
Lines Inc.—Construction and
Operation Exemption—In Clearfield
County, PA, Docket No. FD 35116
( http://www.stb.dot.gov/decisions/readingroom.nsf/WebDecisionID/40943?OpenDocument )
. The Draft EIS is available for
viewing and downloading via the
Board's Website, at
http://www.stb.dot.gov, under "
E-LIBRARY" on the home page, then
under "Decisions & Notices,"
beneath the date "07/23/10." The
Draft EIS also is available under
"ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS" on the
home page, then under "Key Cases."
A Fact Sheet is attached.
###
__________________
FACT SHEET
R. J. Corman Railroad
Company/Pennsylvania Lines
Inc.—Construction and Operation
Exemption—In Clearfield County, PA
, Docket No. FD 35116
The Surface Transportation Board's
Section of Environmental Analysis
(SEA) is implementing a public and
agency outreach effort to ensure
that the public, governmental
agencies, and communities have the
opportunity to actively
participate and comment on the
Draft Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) and the Board's
environmental review process in
Docket No. FD 35116. Comments on
the Draft EIS must be received or
postmarked by September 28, 2010.
On September 14, 2010, SEA and the
cooperating agencies will host a
public meeting in the proposed
project area to receive public
comments on the Draft EIS. At the
beginning of the meeting, SEA will
give a brief overview of the
environmental review process,
invite interested parties to make
oral comments in an orderly
fashion, and provide a court
reporter to record the comments.
Written comments can also be
submitted during the meeting.
Specific meeting location, date,
and time information is as
follows:
Philipsburg-Osceola Area Senior
High School
502 Philips Street
Philipsburg, PA 16866
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
6-9 P.M.
Written comments: Comment forms
will be provided at the public
meeting and will be accepted
there, or the forms can be
submitted later by mail. Comment
forms or written letters must be
mailed to:
Danielle Gosselin
Section of Environmental Analysis
Environmental Filing FD 35116
Surface Transportation Board
395 E Street S.W.
Washington, DC 20423-0001
Recorded comments: A court
reporter will be at the public
meetings to transcribe the oral
comments.
Electronic comments: Comments may
be filed electronically via the
Board's Web site, at
www.stb.dot.gov, by clicking "
E-FILING" on the home page. When
the "Welcome" page appears, click
the "Environmental Comments" link
at the center-right of the page (a
Login Account is not required).
Please refer to "Docket No. FD
35116" when filing.
Library distribution: SEA also
has distributed the Draft EIS to
the libraries listed below and
requested that the entire Draft
EIS be made publicly available in
the libraries' reference section.
Clearfield County Public Library
601 Beech Street
Curwensville, PA 16833
Osceola Mills Public Library
600 Lingle Street
Osceola Mills, PA 16666
Shaw Public Library
100 South Front Street
Clearfield, PA 16830
Centre County Public Library
200 North Allegheny Street
Bellefonte, PA 16823
Holt Memorial Library
9 West Pine Street
Philipsburg, PA 16866
Deadline: All electronic and
written comments must be received
or postmarked September 28, 2010.
All comments received—written,
e-filed, or transcribed—will carry
equal weight in helping SEA
complete the EIS process and aid
the Board in its decisionmaking on
this matter.
###
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