(a) Filing and publication requirements. An applicant (i.e., a solid waste rail transfer facility, or the rail carrier that owns or operates the facility) shall give its Notice of Intent to file a land-use-exemption-permit application by complying with the following procedures:

(1) Filing. Applicant must serve its Notice of Intent on the Board in the format prescribed in Appendix A to this part. The Notice of Intent shall be filed in accordance with the time requirements of paragraph (b) of this section.

(2) Service. Applicant must serve, by first-class mail (unless otherwise specified), its Notice of Intent upon:

(i) The Governor of the state where the facility is located;

(ii) The municipality, the state, and any relevant political subdivision of a state or federal or state regional planning entity in the jurisdiction of which the solid waste rail transfer facility is located or proposed to be located; and

(iii) The appropriate managing government agencies responsible for the groups of land listed in 49 U.S.C. 10909(c)(2).

(3) Newspaper publication. Applicant must publish its Notice of Intent at least once during each of 3 consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in each county in which any part of the proposed or existing facility is located.

(b) Time limits. (1) The Notice of Intent must be served on the parties discussed above at least 15 days, but not more than 30 days, prior to the filing of the land-use-exemption-permit application;

(2) The three required newspaper Notices must be published within the 30-day period prior to the filing of the application; and

(3) The Notice of Intent must be filed with the Board either concurrently with service on the required parties or when the Notice is first published (whichever occurs first).

(c) Environmental and Historic Reports. Applicant must also submit an Environmental and/or Historic Report containing the information described at 49 CFR 1155.24(b), 1105.7, and 1105.8, to the extent applicable, at least 45 days prior to filing an application. OEA may reject any report that it deems inadequate. The environmental and historic reporting requirements that would otherwise apply are waived, however, if the applicant or the Board hires a third-party consultant, OEA approves the scope of the consultant's work, and the consultant works under OEA's supervision to prepare an EIS or other environmental documentation. In such a case, the consultant acts on behalf of the Board, working under OEA's direction to collect the needed environmental information and compile it into an EIS or other appropriate environmental documentation. See 49 U.S.C. 10909(h); 49 CFR 1155.24(c).