# § 1208. Future rights-of-way
**(a)** **Access across Federal lands; application approval** January 14, 1983
After , the State or State-owned railroad may request the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture, as appropriate under law, to expeditiously approve an application for a right-of-way in order that the Alaska Railroad or State-owned railroad may have access across Federal lands for transportation and related purposes. The State or State-owned railroad may also apply for a lease, permit, or conveyance of any necessary or convenient terminal and station grounds and material sites in the vicinity of the right-of-way for which an application has been submitted.
**1** **Consultative requirements prior to approval of application; conformance of rights-of-way, etc.** March 12, 191443 U.S.C. 975section 1202(6) of this titlesection 615 of this title[^1]
Before approving a right-of-way application described in subsection (a) of this section, the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture, as appropriate, shall consult with the Secretary. Approval of an application for a right-of-way, permit, lease, or conveyance described in subsection (a) of this section shall be pursuant to applicable law. Rights-of-way, grounds, and sites granted pursuant to this section and other applicable law shall conform, to the extent possible, to the standards provided in the Act of ( et seq.) and . Such conformance shall not be affected by the repeal of such Act under .
See References in Text note below.
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**Source Credit**: (Pub. L. 97–468, title VI, § 609, Jan. 14, 1983, 96 Stat. 2574; Pub. L. 108–7, div. I, title III, § 345(5), Feb. 20, 2003, 117 Stat. 418.)
## Editorial Notes
### References in Text
Act of ( et seq.), referred to in subsec. (b), is , , popularly known as the Alaska Railroad Act, which enacted , Conservation, and sections 975 to 975g of Title 43, Public Lands, and which was repealed by effective on the date of transfer of Alaska Railroad to the State [], pursuant to .
, referred to in subsec. (b), means , , . Title VI of is known as the Alaska Railroad Transfer Act of 1982 and is classified principally to this chapter. Under section 615, the repeal is effective on the date of transfer to the State of Alaska (pursuant to ) or other disposition (pursuant to ), whichever first occurs.
### Amendments
2003—Subsec. (c). struck out subsec. (c) which read as follows: “Reversion to the United States of any portion of any right-of-way or exclusive-use easement granted to the State or State-owned railroad shall occur only as provided in . For purposes of such section, the date of the approval of any such right-of-way shall be deemed the ‘date of transfer’.”