(a) Exemption proceedings are informal, and public comments are generally not sought during consideration of exemption petition proposals, except as provided in § 1121.4(c). However, the Board may consider during its deliberation any public comments filed in response to a petition for exemption.

(b) If the Board determines that the criteria in 49 U.S.C. 10502 are met for the proposed exemption, it will issue the exemption and publish a notice of exemption in the Federal Register.

(c)(1) If the impact of the proposed individual exemption cannot be ascertained from the information contained in the petition or accompanying submissions, or significant adverse impacts might occur if the proposed exemption were granted, the Board may, in its discretion:

(i) Direct that additional information be filed; or

(ii) Publish a notice in the Federal Register requesting public comments.

(2) If a petition for a new class exemption is filed, the Board will publish a notice in the Federal Register requesting public comments before granting the class exemption. This requirement does not pertain to individual notices of exemption filed under existing class exemptions. The Board may deny a request for a class exemption without seeking public comments.

(d) Exemption petitions containing proposals that are directly related to and concurrently filed with a primary application will be considered along with that primary application.

(e) Unless otherwise specified in the decision, an exemption generally will be effective 30 days from the service date of the decision granting the exemption. Unless otherwise provided in the decision, petitions to stay must be filed within 10 days of the service date, and petitions for reconsideration or petitions to reopen under 49 CFR part 1115 or 49 CFR 1152.25(e) must be filed within 20 days of the service date.

(f) Petitions to revoke an exemption or the notice of exemption may be filed at any time. The person seeking revocation has the burden of showing that the revocation criteria of 49 U.S.C. 10502(d) have been met.

(g) In abandonment exemptions, petitions to revoke in part to impose public use conditions under 49 CFR 1152.28, or to invoke the Trails Act, 16 U.S.C. 1247(d), may be filed at any time prior to the consummation of the abandonment, except that public use conditions may not prohibit disposal of the properties for any more than the statutory limit of 180 days after the effective date of the decision granting the exemption.

(h) In transactions for the acquisition or operation of rail lines by Class II rail carriers under 49 U.S.C. 10902,the,setting,the,and.