STB environmental office issues final analysis of Georgia rail line

The Surface Transportation Board's Office of Environmental Analysis (OEA) last week issued a final environmental assessment for Savannah Industrial Logistics (SIL) and Savannah Industrial Transportation’s (SIT) construction and operation of an 11,404-foot rail line in Effingham County, Georgia.

The OEA received only one comment on the draft assessment during the public comment period, which ended May 12. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) commented that the project is not expected to impact the Endangered Species Act determinations in the draft assessment. The OEA's issuance of the final draft means the STB can now proceed with its decision on the application from SIL and SIT, which are holdings of OmniTRAX Inc.

In September 2023, SIT applied for after-the-fact authority to lease the line, which is located in the Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub, an industrial park, near the City of Rincon, provides dual access to two large Class I railroads, Norfolk Southern Railway and CSX. The industrial park is located 12 miles from the Port of Savannah, Georgia and five miles northwest of Interstate 95, the main north-south interstate on the East Coast.

The proceedings in the case began in May 2021, when SIT filed a petition for an exemption in to operate as a common carrier over track leased from SIL. OmniTRAX and SIL had previously constructed the line as a part of a larger project to construct the industrial park, without seeking STB authorization or undergoing environmental review under federal law.

On Aug. 1, 2023, the STB determined OmniTRAX, SIT and SIL should have sought the board's approval to construct and operate the line. The board ordered the SIL to file for after-the-fact construction authority, and ordered SIT to file for after-the-fact acquisition authority. The board also granted SIT a limited exemption to continue providing service to any shippers located on the track as of Aug. 1, 2023, during the pendency of the construction and acquisition proceedings.

On Sept. 28, 2023, SIL petitioned the STB for a construction exemption and SIT petitioned the board for a lease and operation exemption. Additionally, on Feb. 9, 2024, the SIL and SIT filed a petition for clarification or other relief seeking Board authority to serve additional shippers during the pending construction and lease and operation proceedings, which the board denied.

The OEA's decision can be found via this link.