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>From the Surface Transportation Board, Washington, D.C.
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The Surface Transportation Board announced today that its Office of
Environmental Analysis (OEA) has issued a Supplemental Draft Environmental
Impact Statement (SDEIS) for the R. J. Corman Railroad Company/Pennsylvania
Lines Inc.'s (RJCP) proposed construction, operation, and reactivation of a
20-mile railroad line between Wallaceton and Gorton, in Clearfield and
Centre Counties, Pennsylvania.
OEA is issuing the SDEIS to address
changes in the project that have
developed since the preparation of
the Draft Environmental Impact
Statement (DEIS). Specifically,
the SDEIS addresses the following
issues: (1) the potential
environmental impacts associated
with RJCP's proposed transport of
ethanol over the rail line, (2) the
change in the preliminary plan
approval status of the No-Build
AlternativeâLocal Road System
Upgrade (Black Rock Road), and (3)
the results of the 2010 summer
field survey for Branching Bur-reed
(Sparganium androcladum), a
Pennsylvania Endangered Species.
OEA invites written comment from
the public on all aspects of the
SDEIS and is providing a 45-day
public comment period.
Written comments on the SDEIS
should be addressed to:
Danielle Gosselin
Office of Environmental Analysis
Environmental Filing FD 35116
Surface Transportation Board
395 E Street S.W.
Washington, DC 20423-0001
Deadline: All comments on the
SDEIS must be received or
postmarked by
April 25, 2011.
Written comments also may be filed
electronically on the Board's
website, www.stb.dot.gov, by
clicking the "E-FILING" link.
Because a number of public meetings
have already been held in the
project area, and because of the
limited nature of the SDEIS, OEA
requests written comments only, and
it will not hold a public meeting
to solicit oral comments on the
SDEIS. All comments received will
carry equal weight in helping OEA
complete the EIS process and aid
the Board in its decisionmaking on
this matter. Once received, all
comments will be posted to the
Board's website.
After the close of the public
comment period on the SDEIS, OEA
will prepare a Final Environmental
Impact Statement (FEIS) in response
to comments received on the DEIS
and the SDEIS. The Board then will
issue a final decision based on the
entire public record developed in
this proceeding, including the
record on the transportation merits
of the proposal, the DEIS, the
SDEIS, the FEIS, and OEA's final
recommendations on environmental
mitigation. The Board will decide
whether to approve the proposal,
deny it, or approve it with
mitigating conditions, including
environmental conditions.
The SDEIS was issued today in the
proceeding entitled R. J. Corman
Railroad Company/Pennsylvania Lines
Inc.âConstruction and Operation
ExemptionâIn Clearfield County, PA,
Docket No. FD 35116
( http://www.stb.dot.gov/decisions/readingroom.nsf/WebDecisionID/41420?OpenDocument )
. The SDEIS is available for
viewing and downloading via the
Board's Website, at
http://www.stb.dot.gov, under "
E-LIBRARY"/"Decisions & Notices"/"
03/4/11." The SDEIS also is
available under "ENVIRONMENTAL
MATTERS"/"Key Cases."
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