FOR RELEASE
Contact: Janie Sheng (202) 245-0221
08/15/2008 (Friday)
No. 08-26


FedRelay 1 (800) 877-8339
www.stb.gov



PUBLIC & MEDIA ADVISORY: SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD PROVIDES SCHEDULE OF SPEAKERS' APPEARANCES FOR AUGUST 21 PUBLIC HEARING IN EUGENE, OREGON, ON COOS BAY RAIL LINE


The Surface Transportation Board today provided a schedule of speakers' appearances and their time allocations for the Board's August 21, 2008 public hearing, in Eugene, Oregon, in two railroad proceedings currently before the Board. One proceeding involves an application by the Central Oregon & Pacific Railroad, Inc. (CORP) to abandon and discontinue railroad service over portions of a railroad line known as the Coos Bay Subdivision. The other proceeding concerns a separate application by the Oregon International Port of Coos Bay that instead would force CORP to sell those same portions of the line, as well as an additional line segment, to the Port.


The Thursday, August 21, 2008, public hearing will take place beginning at 9:30 a.m. in Room 2200 (the Jury Assembly Room) of the Wayne L. Morse U.S. Courthouse, 405 East Eighth Avenue, Eugene, Oregon.


The 9:30 a.m. hearing will follow an 8:15-9:15 a.m. public-information session, conducted by Board staff, during which the staff will discuss, and answer questions regarding, procedures used by the Board in processing abandonment cases and forced-sale cases. The public information session will be held in Room 1702 (the GSA Conference Room) of the Wayne L. Morse U.S. Courthouse from 8:15–9:15 a.m. The Board most recently announced details of the public hearing in a decision in the abandonment proceeding, entitled Central Oregon & Pacific Railroad, Inc.—Abandonment and Discontinuance of Service—in Coos, Douglas, and Lane Counties, OR, STB Docket No. AB-515 (Sub-No. 2), and in a decision in the forced-sale proceeding, entitled Oregon International Port of Coos Bay—Feeder Line Application—Coos Bay Line of the Central Oregon & Pacific Railroad, Inc., STB Finance Docket No. 35160, on August 1, 2008.


The schedule of speakers' appearances and time allocations was provided in a decision issued today, August 15, 2008, in STB Docket No. AB-515 (Sub-No. 2) and STB Finance Docket No. 35160. The schedule also is available for viewing and downloading via the agency's Web site at http://www.stb.dot.gov, and as an Attachment to this news release.


The Board will videotape the hearing and soon afterward make it available digitally via the STB's Web site, at http://www.stb.dot.gov, under "Information Center"/"Webcast"/"Past Meetings" on the agency's home page.


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ATTACHMENT (speakers' list)
______________________
Attachment

Surface Transportation Board Public Hearing
STB Docket No. AB-515 (Sub-No. 2) and STB Finance Docket No. 35160

August 21, 2008


SCHEDULE OF APPEARANCES

Party / Time Allotted (minutes)

Panel I(A): Government
The Honorable Theodore R. Kulongoski
Governor, State of Oregon / 15

The Honorable Peter A. DeFazio
U.S. House of Representatives / 15


Panel I(B): Government
The Honorable Floyd Prozanski
Oregon State Senate / 5

The Honorable Joanne Verger
Oregon State Senate / 5

The Honorable Jeff Kruse
Oregon State Senate / 5

The Honorable Susan Morgan
Oregon House of Representatives / 5

The Honorable Bruce Hanna
Oregon House of Representatives / 5

The Honorable Arnold Roblan
Oregon House of Representatives / 5


Panel I(C): Government
Coquille Indian Tribe
Tom Younker / 5

Oregon Department of State Lands
Louise Solliday, Director / 3

Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
Keith N. Anderson / 5


Panel I(D): Government
Faye Stewart
Board Chairman, Lane County / 5

Bill Fleenor
Commissioner, Lane County / 5

Doug Robertson
Commissioner, Douglas County / 5

Charles Freeman
City Manager, City of Coos Bay / 5

John S. Griffith
Chair, Coos County Board of Commissioners / 5


Panel II: Carrier
Central Oregon & Pacific Railroad
Paul Lundberg, Terence M. Hynes / 15


Panel III: Feeder Line Applicant
Oregon International Port of Coos Bay
David Kronsteiner, Catherine McKeown, Jeffrey Bishop / 15



Panel IV (A): Shippers and Other Businesses
Coos Siskiyou Shippers Coalition/Roseburg Forest Products
Allyn Ford and Andy Jeffers / 5

Southport Forest Products / 5
Jason Smith / 5

Oregon Western Lumber
Paul Dailey / 5

Menasha Forest Products Corporation
Scott Starkey / 5

Plum Creek Timber
Joel A. Nelson / 5


Panel IV (B): Shippers and Other Businesses
American Bridge Manufacturing
Fred Jacquot / 5

Chambers Plumbing & Heating
John S. Chambers / 5

Danish Dairy
Carl Foster, Dennie Wheeler / 5

H & S Construction Railroad and Salvage
John Gomes, III / 5


Panel IV (C): Shippers and Other Businesses
Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce
Dave Hauser, Terry Connolly / 5

Bay Area Chamber of Commerce
Timm Slater / 4

Port of Umpqua
Charmaine Vitek / 3

Abel Insurance Agency
Harry Abel Jr. / 2

Southwestern Oregon Community College
Dr. Judith Hansen / 5


Panel V(A): Citizens & Community Groups
Oregon Chapter of Sierra Club
Robin Hartmann / 5

Friends of New and Sustainable Industry
Jon A. Barton / 5

Citizens Against LNG
Jody McCaffree, Timothy Singler, Mhaire Merryman / 5

O.C.E.A.N. of Oregon
Steve D. Jones / 5


Panel V(B): Citizens & Community Groups
North Bend School District
BJ Hollensteiner / 5

State Rail Planner (Retired)
Edward Immel / 5

Nancy Nichols / 2

Timothy A. Larkins / 3


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