Executive Order 11423, as Amended; Notice of Receipt of Application for a Presidential Permit for an International Rail Bridge on the U.S.-Mexico Border near Laredo, Texas, and Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico

Résumé

The Department of State hereby gives notice that, on December 31, 2008, it received from Kansas City Southern (KCS) an application for a Presidential permit to authorize the construction, operation, and maintenance of a new international rail bridge called the East Loop Bypass on the U.S.-Mexico border near Laredo, Texas, and Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. According to the application, KCS is an international transportation company comprised of three railroads and owns and operates an existing railroad bridge in Laredo. The proposed railroad bridge would be about 12 miles south of the existing railroad bridge. According to the application, the East Loop Rail Bypass project would relocate rail traffic from the Laredo city center, provide for additional rail capacity, enhance corridor safety, and improve the efficiency of cross-border rail crossings. In addition to the international bridge itself, KCS proposes as part of the project to construct about 50 miles of track to connect the new bridge to existing rail lines. The Department's jurisdiction over this application is based upon Executive Order 11423 of August 16, 1968, as amended. As provided in E.O. 11423, the Department is