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 Alternative—Local 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.—Construction and Operation Exemption—In Clearfield County, PA, Docket No. FD 35116. 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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