# 2026-12291: Small Railroad Lease Approved in Washington State

2026-12291, BLPIRR LLC-Lease and Operation-Washington State Department of Transportation, is a Federal Register notice from Surface Transportation Board published 2026-06-18, effective 2026-07-04; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-06-25).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-12291
- As of: 2026-06-25
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Document number: 2026-12291
- Title: BLPIRR LLC-Lease and Operation-Washington State Department of Transportation
- Type: Notice
- Agencies: Surface Transportation Board
- Citation: 91 FR 36929
- Published: 2026-06-18
- Effective: 2026-07-04
- Comments close: not stated
- Significant: no
- Touches household money: yes
- Regulation identifier numbers: none
- Last updated: 2026-06-25

## In one line

Small Railroad Lease Approved in Washington State

## Summary

BLPIRR LLC is set to lease and operate about 3.5 miles of rail lines in Whitman County, Washington, from the State Department of Transportation starting July 4, 2026. This move won’t limit other rail companies from connecting, and BLPI expects to make under $5 million a year, keeping it a small rail operator. It’s a smooth switch that keeps local rail service rolling without big changes or costs.

## Effects PRIA read

- Local rail service continues in Whitman County: benefit, low. If you ship goods by rail in Whitman County, Washington, BLPI will lease and operate the rail Line starting July 4, 2026. The Line includes about 3.27 miles of the WIM Industrial Lead, a 950-foot Peterson Crossover, and a 2,075-foot Peterson House Track, and BLPI says this change will keep local ra…
- Interchange access remains open to third parties: benefit, low. BLPI's lease agreement does not include any commitments that would limit future interchange with a third-party connecting carrier. This means third-party rail companies can still connect with the Line after BLPI begins operations.
- BLPI stays a small Class III carrier (under $5M): benefit, low. BLPI certifies that its projected annual revenue from this lease will not exceed $5,000,000 and that the transaction will not create a Class I or II rail carrier. BLPI is therefore a Class III rail carrier under this arrangement.

## Related documents

- [2026-22811](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-22811): Policy Statement on Jurisdiction and Preemption Under the ICC Termination Act, 2026-11-09
- [2026-22666](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-22666): Wilkes-Barre Terminal Railway Company-Acquisition, Operation and Change of Operator Exemption-Luzerne County Redevelopment Authority and Lu…, 2026-11-06
- [2026-22451](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-22451): Kanawha River Railroad, L.L.C.-Lease Renewal and Operation Exemption With Interchange Commitment-Norfolk Southern Railway Company, 2026-11-04
- [2026-22256](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-22256): Norfolk Southern Railway Company-Abandonment Exemption-in Madison County, Ohio, 2026-11-02
- [2026-22232](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-22232): Release of Waybill Data, 2026-10-30
- [2026-22035](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-22035): TBL Group, Inc.-Acquisition of Control-Horizon Motor Coach, Inc., 2026-10-29

## Sources
- [2026-12291 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/06/18/2026-12291/blpirr-llc-lease-and-operation-washington-state-department-of-transportation)
- [2026-12291 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-06-18/pdf/2026-12291.pdf)

## Related
- [Previous: 2026-12290, Washington, Idaho & Montana Railway LLC-Lease and Operation-BLPIRR LLC](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-12290)
- [Next: 2026-12292, Procurement List; Proposed Additions and Deletions](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-12292)
- [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-12291 (as of 2026-06-25).