heffner_dh5.doc

June 10, 2000

VIA FED EX

John D. Heffner
Rea, Cross & Auchincloss
1707 L Street NW, Suite 570
Washington, DC 20036

RE: STB Docket No. AB-564, Camas Prairie Abandonment of the
Grangeville-Spalding Line

Dear John,

This letter is in response to your letter dated and received via facsimile June 9, 2000. In the letter you asked for a copy of the Commission Staff’s shipper survey referenced on page 3 of the Commission’s Request for Oral Hearing. Pursuant to your request, I have enclosed a copy of the shippers’ surveys.

I was surprised to learn from your letter that you asked the STB to strike the Commission’s Request for Oral Hearing. It was my understanding from our earlier conversation that you were not going to object to the hearing request but wanted to advise me of the appropriate service procedures.

You also requested that I furnish to you “in advance (by Friday, June 16, at the very latest) . . . any evidence you intend to submit on these [Railroad] expenses” at the PUC’s June 19 hearing. As I explained during our telephone conversations, I have only been in possession of your Application for nine days and my expert less than that. The Staff is currently reviewing and analyzing your Application and supporting documents. At the present, the Staff has not prepared any exhibits or testimony for the PUC hearing.

As I also mentioned to you, I will be out of the office and out of the state for the week of June 11-17 and will not return to the office until Sunday, June 18. Despite this absence, I have asked my consultant to furnish my office with any written report or notes that his testimony may be based upon. My office will then forward the material to me. After I have reviewed the requested material, if any, I will forward it to you during the week of June 12-16.

Turning to the issue of financial exhibits that may accompany my consultant’s testimony at the PUC hearing, I do not anticipate being able to review such exhibits with my consultant until the morning of June 19. Once I have reviewed them, I can hand-deliver or fax them to the Lewiston Camas Prairie office at 325 Mill Road. If you would prefer some other location, please advise.

I will be checking my voice messages periodically through the week so you may leave me a voice message and I will return your call.

Sincerely yours,

Donald L. Howell, II
Deputy Attorney General

Enclosures

bls/L:heffner_dh5
John Heffner
June 10, 2000
Page 2