Northwest Tennessee Regional Port Authority-Construction and Operation Exemption-in Lake County, Tenn.

The Board is granting an exemption under 49 U.S.C. 10502 from the prior approval requirements of 49 U.S.C. 10901 for Northwest Tennessee Regional Port Authority (NWTRPA) to construct and operate approximately 5.5 miles of new rail line in Lake County, Tenn. (the Line). The Line would extend from a connection with an existing line of railroad near Tiptonville, Tenn., to the site of a newly constructed port on the Mississippi River at Cates Landing (Port). The Line would serve the Port as well as a new industrial park being developed by Lake County in conjunction with the Port. The purpose of the proposed construction is to attract industrial and commercial activity in Lake County and to provide rail service to an area that does not currently have it. This exemption is subject to environmental mitigation conditions and the requirement that NWTRPA build the environmentally preferable route (the route designated as Alternative A).