Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 95.djvu/706

 95 STAT. 680

Publication in R^fffJt^r Register.

45 USC 771. Ante, p. 643.

PUBLIC LAW 97-35—AUG. 13, 1981 "(2) At any time after the 90-day period beginning with the filing of a notice of insufficient revenues for a line, the Corporation may file an application for abandonment for such line. An application for abandonment that is filed by the Corporation under this subsection for a line for which a notice of insufficient revenues was filed under paragraph (1) shall be granted by the Commission within 90 days after the date such application is filed unless, within such 90-day period, an offer of financial assistance is made in accordance with subsection (d) of this section with respect to such line. "(d) OFFERS OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.—(1) The provisions of section 10905(d)-(f) of title 49, United States Code (including the timing requirements of subsection (d) thereof), shall apply to any offer of financial assistance under subsection (b) or (c) of this section. "(2) The Corporation shall provide any person that intends to make an offer of financial assistance under subsection (b) or (c) of this section with such information as the Commission may require. "(e) LIQUIDATION.—(1) If any application for abandonment is granted under subsection (b) of this section, the Commission shall, as soon as practicable, appraise the net liquidation value of the line to be abandoned, and shall publish notice of such appraisal in the Federal Register. "(2) Appraisals made under paragraph (1) shall not be appealable. "(3)(A) If, within 120 days after the date on which an appraisal is published in the Federal Register under paragraph (1), the Corporation receives a bona fide offer for the sale, for 75 percent of the amount at which the liquidation value of such line was appraised by the Commission, of the line to be abandoned, the Corporation shall sell such line and the Commission shall, unless the parties otherwise agree, establish an equitable division of joint rates for through routes over such lines. "(B) If the Corporation receives no bona fide offer under subparagraph (A), within such 120-day period, the Corporation may abandon or dispose of the line as it chooses, except that the Corporation may not dismantle bridges, or other structures (not including rail, signals, and other rail facilities) for 120 days thereafter. The Secretary may require that bridges or other structures (not including rail, signals, and other rail facilities), not be dismantled for an additional 8 months if he assumes all liability of any sort related to such property. "(4) If the purchaser under paragraph (3)(A) of this subsection of any line of the Corporation abandons such line within five years after such purchase, the proceeds of any track liquidations shall be paid into the general fund of the Treasury of the United States. "(f) EMPLOYEE PROTECTION.—The provisions of section 10903(b)(2) of title 49, United States Code, shall not apply to any abandonment granted under this section. Any employee who was protected by the compensatory provisions of title V of this Act immediately prior to the effective date of the Northeast Rail Service Act of 1981, who is deprived of employment by such an abandonment shall be eligible for employee protection under section 701 of this Act.". (b) The table of contents of the Regional Rail Reorganization Act of 1973, as amended by this subtitle, is further amended by inserting immediately after the item relating to section 307 the following new item: "Sec. 308. Abandonments."

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