The South Carolina Department of Commerce, Division of Public Railways (doing business as Palmetto Railways) is proposing to construct and operate the Camp Hall Industrial Corridor Project (Project). The Project includes construction of a 22.7-mile freight rail corridor from the Camp Hall Commerce Park in Berkeley County, South Carolina, traveling north and east to a connection with the CSX Transportation, Inc. (CSXT) rail network near the Santee Cooper Cross Generating Station in Pineville, South Carolina. 

The purpose of the Project is to construct and operate an industrial rail line that will connect an existing Class I rail line with the Camp Hall Commerce Park. The need for the rail line derives from development in the Camp Hall Commerce Park increasing the demand for rail service connecting the park with an existing Class I rail network in a manner that is logistically feasible. The rail line will better serve the needs of future park tenants and industry for transportation, distribution, and logistics. In addition, the rail line will support infrastructure needs in South Carolina and, specifically, Berkeley County, and will help alleviate highway congestion involving large commercial trucks.

Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI)

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) and the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) acting as joint lead agencies prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Camp Hall Rail Line proposed by Palmetto Railways. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) acted as a cooperating agency. FRA anticipated that Palmetto Railways would apply for a grant to fund construction of the proposed rail line so, on July 12, 2018, FRA accepted STB’s invitation to be a cooperating agency. As noted in the Final EA, FRA used the Draft and Final EAs to fulfill its National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) responsibilities related to the Project and issued a separate FONSI. STB’s Office of Environmental Analysis (OEA) and USACE jointly issued a Draft EA on November 30, 2018. A Final EA, containing responses to public comment, was issued on April 30, 2019. 

On March 18, 2021, Palmetto Railways requested federal funding through the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant program administered by FRA to construct the Project. FRA must comply with the NEPA (42 U.S.C. § 4321 et seq.) requirements prior to authorizing Palmetto Railways to use federal funds. Since the EA conformed to FRA NEPA guidance at 64 Federal Register (FR) 28545 (May 26, 1999), and the Project for which Palmetto Railways is requesting funding is substantially the same as detailed in the previous EA, FRA used the EA to prepare the FONSI in support of obligating funds for the INFRA grant awarded for the Project. FRA prepared the FONSI to comply with NEPA, as amended, 42 U.S.C. §§ 4321 et seq. and its implementing regulations, 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR Parts 1500–1508; FRA regulations implementing NEPA (23 CFR Part 771); Section 4(f) of the United States Department of Transportation Act (49 U.S.C. § 303) (Section 4(f)) and FRA implementing regulations (23 CFR Part 774); and related laws.

Environmental Documentation

• Camp Hall Industrial Corridor Project Finding of No Significant Impact

FRA Points of Contact

FRA NEPA Contact:
Matthew Mielke, Project Manager
Office of Regional Outreach & Project Delivery
Federal Railroad Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
West Building, Mail Stop 20
Washington, DC 20590
matthew.mielke@dot.gov 

Media Queries Contact:
Phone: 202-493-6024
Email: FRAPA@dot.gov