The Surface Transportation Board (Board) today announced that it will hold a public field hearing on August 21, 2008, in Eugene, Oregon, to hear public testimony related to 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. Any person wishing to speak at the hearing must file with the Board, by August 11, 2008, a written notice of intent to participate, identifying the party represented, the proposed speaker, and the minutes of speaking time requested.
Immediately prior to the hearing on August 21, 2008, Board staff will conduct a public information session during which staff will discuss, and answer questions regarding, the procedures used by the Board in processing abandonment cases and forced-sale (or "feeder line") 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. No notice of intent to attend the public information session is necessary.
The Board previously announced that there would be a public hearing 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), in a decision issued to the public on July 29, 2008. Today's decision providing the hearing date, time and location and requiring the filing of written notice by those wishing to speak, was issued in both that proceeding and 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. Both decisions are available for viewing and downloading on the agency's Web site at, http://www.stb.dot.gov, under "E-Library," then under "Decisions & Notices," beneath the respective dates "7/29/08" and 8/1/08."
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