STB calls for input on Georgia rail line's environmental impact

The Surface Transportation Board Office of Environmental Analysis last week issued a draft 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 draft assessment analyzes the environmental impact that could have resulted from the rail line's construction, where possible, and the potential impact from the line's continued operation, STB officials said in a press release. The office will accept comments on the document through May 12.

On Sept. 28, 2023, SIL petitioned the board for authorization for after-the-fact authority to construct the rail line, and SIT, an affiliate of SIL, filed for after-the-fact authority to lease and operate the line. Both entities are are holdings of OmniTRAX Inc.

Located in the Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub near Rincon, Georgia, the line provides the industrial park with with dual Class I access to Norfolk Southern Railway and CSX.

Construction and operation of new common carrier rail lines requires the STB's prior authorization. However, the line already exists because it was built and leased without the requisite board authority. OmniTRAX and SIL had previously built the line as a part of a larger project to construct the industrial park without seeking board authorization or undergoing environmental review under the federal National Environmental Policy Act and historic review under the National Historic Preservation Act, according to the environmental report.

Click here to read the draft environmental analysis.