Idaho Public
Utilities Commission
Case No. UPR-R-08-01,
Order No. 30691
December 5, 2008
Contact: Gene Fadness
(208) 334-0339, 890-2712
Website: www.puc.idaho.gov
PUC to conduct
telephonic hearing on proposed rail abandonment
Union Pacific Railroad is asking the federal Surface Transportation Board for permission to abandon 1.29 miles of railway from Gibbs to Coeur d’Alene. The line served the Stimson Lumber Company’s DeArmond Stud Mill, which ceased production in May 2008. Union Pacific states the property, which runs along Northwest Boulevard, is being converted for other non-industrial uses.
In
order to receive a waiver from a much longer abandonment process, the railroad
must certify that no rail traffic has moved on the line for the past two years
and there are no outstanding complaints about the lack of rail service on the
line.
The
Idaho Public Utilities Commission is required to conduct a public hearing
before the proposed abandonment is considered. The commission’s role is to
determine if the abandonment 1) adversely affects the area being served, 2)
impairs the access of Idaho shippers to vital goods and markets, and 3) whether
the rail line has the potential for profitability. If the commission determines
the proposed abandonment is not in the public interest, it files comments and
represents the state before the Surface Transportation Board. If there are no
objections, the commission will not file comments.
The
commission will conduct a telephonic hearing from its headquarters in Boise on
Thursday, Dec. 11, at 9:30 a.m. The railroad, any shipper, local government
leaders and any other interested parties are welcome to participate either in
person in the hearing room at 472 W. Washington St. in Boise or telephonically
by dialing 1-866-680-0146. Please enter participant code 295999. This is a
toll-free call.
Under
the exemption procedure, the Surface Transportation Board will publish a notice
in the Federal Register within 20 days after the petition for exemption is
field. Thirty days after the notice is published, the railroad is permitted to
abandon the rail line unless the STB stays the abandonment.
A
copy of Union Pacific’s application is available on the commission’s Web site
at www.puc.idaho.gov. Click on the rail
icon, then on “Open Rail Cases,” and select Case No. UPR-R-08-01.