STB extends deadline on Tongue River Railroad Draft EIS

The Surface Transportation Board’s (STB) Office of Environmental Analysis (OEA) has issued a notice extending the deadline—for a second time—for filing comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Tongue River Railroad Co.’s (TRRC) planned construction and operation of nearly 42 miles of new common carrier line, between Colstrip, Mont., and the state’s Ashland/Otter Creek areas, to September 23, 2015.

If approved, TRRC’s rail line operator, BNSF, would be required to provide service to any shipper upon reasonable request. According to TRRC, the principal purpose of the proposed project is to transport low sulfur, subbituminous coal from mine sites in Rosebud and Powder River counties. TRRC added that the proposed rail line would provide the only rail service available to this resource and to other considerable coal resources in the Ashland area.

The Draft EIS, entitled Tongue River Railroad Company, Inc.—Rail Construction and Operation—in Custer, Powder River and Rosebud Counties, Docket No. FD 301856, was issued by the OEA on April 17 as part of the environmental review process under the National Environmental Policy Act and analyzes the potential environmental impacts that might occur if TRRC were to construct and operate the proposed rail line, and alternatives to TRRC’s proposal, including a “no-action” alternative.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency published the first notice in the Federal Register on April 24 initiating a 60-day public comment period. Comments were originally due by June 23 but in a response to a number of requests for an extension of the comment period, OEA issued the first notice to advise the public and all interested parties that the comment period would be extended an additional 60 days to August 24.

OEA has received additional requests for another extension of the comment period and has issued a new notice to advise the public and all interested parties that the comment period will be extended again an additional 30 days. No further extensions of time will be granted, STB says. 

After the close of the extended comment period, OEA will prepare a Final EIS that responds to comments received on the Draft EIS. When deciding whether to grant final approval of the proposed project, the Board will consider the Draft EIS, the Final EIS, and all environmental comments that are received. Any comments previously submitted on the Draft EIS need not be resubmitted.

Comments submitted by mail should be addressed: Ken Blodgett, Surface Transportation Board, 395 E Street, SW, Washington, D.C. 20423-0001, Attention: Environmental filing, Docket No. FD 30186.

Comments may also be filed electronically on the Board-sponsored project website, http://www.tonguerivereis.com.

Please refer to Docket No. FD 30186 in all correspondence, including comments filed electronically, addressed to the Board. For more information about the Board’s environmental review process and the EIS, please call OEA’s toll-free number for the project at 1-866-622-4355 or visit the Board-sponsored project website.