STB Issues Draft EA for Construction, Operation of Georgia Rail Line

The line, which is located in the Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub (SGIH), near the City of Rincon, provides SGIH with dual access to Norfolk Southern (NS) and CSX. According to the STB, the line has no mileposts and extends from a connection with NS to the west, near NSR milepost 16.6, to a connection with CSX to the east, near CSX milepost S484.0. SGIH is located 12 miles from the Port of Savannah, Ga., and five miles northwest of Interstate 95 (I-95), the main north-south interstate on the East Coast.

Construction and operation of new common carrier rail lines require prior authorization by the STB, either through an application under 49 U.S.C. § 10901 or an exemption from the formal application requirements of § 10901 under § 10502. However, the line already exists because it was constructed and leased without the requisite STB authority, the Board noted. OmniTRAX and SIL had previously constructed the line as a part of a larger project to construct the SGIH, without seeking STB authorization or undergoing environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), 42 U.S.C. §§ 4321-4370m-11, and historic review under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), 54 U.S.C. § 306108, by the STB.

Before deciding whether to authorize the after-the-fact construction and lease and operation of the line, the STB “must consider the impacts of that decision on the environment.” The after-the-fact environmental and historic review of the construction and operation of the line is provided in the Draft EA, which, STB says, “analyzes the environmental impacts that could have resulted from construction of the rail line, where possible, and the potential impacts from the continued operation of the rail line.”

OEA will be accepting comments on all aspects of the Draft EA until the close of the comment period on May 12, 2025.

The Draft EA, in Savannah Industrial Transportation, LLC—Operation Exemption—In Effingham County, Georgia Docket No. FD 36723 and Savannah Industrial Logistics, LLC—Construction Exemption—In Effingham County, Georgia Docket No. FD 36723 (Sub-No. 1) is available to download below.