[Federal Register: March 16, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 49)]
[Notices]
[Page 11172-11174]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr16mr09-116]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
Environmental Impact Statement for the California High Speed
Train Project From Merced to Bakersfield, CA
AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.
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SUMMARY: This notice is to advise the public that FRA and the
California High Speed Rail Authority (Authority) will jointly prepare a
project Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and project Environmental
Impact Report (EIR) for the Merced-to-Bakersfield section of the
Authority's proposed California High-Speed Train (HST) System in
compliance with relevant State and Federal laws, in particular the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
In 2001, the Authority and FRA started a tiered environmental
review process for the HST system and in 2005, completed the first tier
California High Speed Train Program EIR/EIS and approved the statewide
HST system for intercity travel in California between the major
metropolitan centers of Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area in
the north, through the Central Valley, to Los Angeles and San Diego in
the south. The approved HST system would be about 800-miles long, with
electric propulsion and steel-wheel-on-steel-rail trains capable of
operating speeds of 220 miles per hour (mph) on a dedicated system of
fully grade-separated, access-controlled steel tracks and with state-
of-the-art safety, signaling, communication, and automated train
control systems. In approving the HST system, the Authority and FRA
also selected preferred corridor alignments and station location
options throughout most of the system. In 2008, the Authority and FRA
completed a second program EIR/EIS to evaluate alignments and station
locations within the broad corridor between and including the Altamont
Pass and the Pacheco Pass to connect the Bay Area and Central Valley
portions of the HST system. The Authority and FRA selected the Pacheco
Pass with San Francisco and San Jose termini network alternative, as
well as preferred corridor alignments and station location options. The
selected alignment uses the Union Pacific (UPRR) railroad corridor
through the portion of the Central Valley from just north of Madera to
just south of Stockton and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF)
alignment from Madera to Bakersfield, as selected with the Statewide
Program EIR/EIS.
The preparation of the Merced to Bakersfield HST Project EIR/EIS
will involve development of preliminary engineering designs and
assessment of environmental effects associated with the construction,
operation, and maintenance of the HST system, including track,
ancillary facilities and stations, along the preferred alternative
corridors from Merced to Bakersfield.
DATES: Written comments on the scope of the Merced to Bakersfield HST
Project EIR/EIS should be provided to the Authority by April 10, 2009.
Public scoping meetings are scheduled from March 18, 2009 to March 26,
2009, as noted below in the cities of Merced, Madera, Fresno, Visalia,
and Bakersfield.
ADDRESSES: Written comments on the scope should be sent to Ms. Carrie
Pourvahidi, Deputy Director, ATTN. Merced to Bakersfield, California
High-Speed Rail Authority, 925 L Street, Suite 1425, Sacramento, CA
95814, or via e-mail with subject line ``Merced to Bakersfield HST''
to: comments@hsr.ca.gov. Comments may also be provided orally or in
writing at the scoping meetings scheduled as follows:
March 18, 2009: Merced Community Senior Center, from 3
p.m. to 7 p.m.
March 19, 2009: Madera County Fairgrounds, 1850 West
Cleveland Avenue, Madera, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
March 24, 2009: Visalia Convention Center, 303 E. Acequia
Avenue, Visalia, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
March 25, 2009: Fresno Convention Center (Exhibit Hall),
848 M Street, Fresno, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
March 26, 2009: Rabobank Theater, 1001 Truxtun Avenue,
Bakersfield, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. David Valenstein, Environmental
Program Manager, Office of Railroad Development, Federal Railroad
Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE. (Mail Stop 20), Washington,
DC 20590; Telephone: (202) 493-6368, or Ms. Carrie Pourvahidi,
Telephone: (916) 324-1541 at the above noted address.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Authority was established in 1996 and is
authorized and directed by statute to undertake the planning and
development of a proposed statewide HST network that is fully
coordinated with other public transportation
[[Page 11173]]
services. The Authority adopted a Final Business Plan in June 2000,
which reviewed the economic feasibility of an 800-mile-long HST capable
of operating speeds in excess of 200 miles per hour on a dedicated,
fully grade-separated state-of-the-art track. The Authority released an
updated Business Plan in November 2008.
The FRA has responsibility for oversight of the safety of railroad
operations, including the safety of any proposed high-speed ground
transportation system. For the proposed HST, it is anticipated that FRA
would need to take certain regulatory actions prior to operation.
In 2005, the Authority and FRA completed a Final Program EIR/EIS
for the Proposed California High Speed Train System (Statewide Program
EIR/EIS), as the first phase of a tiered environmental review process.
The Authority certified the Final Program EIR under CEQA and approved
the proposed HST System, and FRA issued a Record of Decision under NEPA
on the Final Program EIS. This statewide program EIR/EIS established
the purpose and need for the HST system, analyzed an HST system, and
compared it with a No Project/No Action Alternative and a Modal
Alternative. In approving the statewide program EIR/EIS, the Authority
and FRA selected the HST Alternative, selected certain corridors/
general alignments and general station locations for further study,
incorporated mitigation strategies and design practices, and specified
further measures to guide the development of the HST system at the
site-specific project level of environmental review to avoid and
minimize potential adverse environmental impacts. In the subsequent Bay
Area to Central Valley HST Final Program EIR/EIS, the Authority and FRA
selected the Pacheco Pass alternative, via Henry Miller Road, as the
preferred alternative to connect the Bay Area to the Central Valley.
The Merced to Bakersfield HST Project EIR/EIS will tier from the
Final Statewide Program EIR/EIS and the Final Bay Area to Central
Valley HST Program EIR/EIS in accordance with Council on Environmental
Quality (CEQ) regulations, (40 CFR 1508.28) and State CEQA Guidelines
(14 C.C.R. 15168[b]). Tiering will ensure that the Merced to
Bakersfield HST Project EIR/EIS builds upon all previous work prepared
for and incorporated in the Statewide Program EIR/EIS and the Bay Area
to Central Valley HST Program EIR/EIS.
This Project EIR/EIS will describe site-specific environmental
impacts, will identify specific mitigation measures to address those
impacts and will incorporate design practices to avoid and minimize
potential adverse environmental impacts. The FRA and the Authority will
assess the site characteristics, size, nature, and timing of proposed
site-specific projects to determine whether the impacts are potentially
significant and whether impacts can be avoided or mitigated. This
project EIR/EIS will identify and evaluate reasonable and feasible
site-specific alignment alternatives, and evaluate the impacts from
construction, operation, and maintenance of the HST system. Information
and documents regarding this HST environmental review process will be
made available through the Authority's Internet site: http://
www.cahighspeedrail.gov/.
Purpose and Need: The purpose of the proposed HST system is to
provide a new mode of high-speed intercity travel that would link major
metropolitan areas of the State; interface with international airports,
mass transit, and highways; and provide added capacity to meet
increases in intercity travel demand in California in a manner
sensitive to and protective of California's unique natural resources.
The need for a HST system is directly related to the expected growth in
population, and increases in intercity travel demand in California over
the next twenty years and beyond. With the growth in travel demand,
there will be an increase in travel delays arising from the growing
congestion on California's highways and at airports. In addition, there
will be negative effects on the economy, quality of life, and air
quality in and around California's metropolitan areas from a
transportation system that will become less reliable as travel demand
increases. The intercity highway system, commercial airports, and
conventional passenger rail serving the intercity travel market are
currently operating at or near capacity, and will require large public
investments for maintenance and expansion to meet existing demand and
future growth.
Alternatives: The Merced to Bakersfield HST Project EIR/EIS will
consider a No Action or No Project Alternative and an HST Alternative
for the Merced to Bakersfield section.
No Action Alternative: The No Action Alternative (No Project or No
Build) represents the conditions in the corridor as it existed in 2007,
and as it would exist based on programmed and funded improvements to
the intercity transportation system and other reasonably foreseeable
projects through 2035, taking into account the following sources of
information: State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP), Regional
Transportation Plans (RTPs) for all modes of travel, airport plans,
intercity passenger rail plans, city and county plans.
HST Alternative: The Authority proposes to construct, operate and
maintain an electric-powered steel-wheel-on-steel-rail HST system,
about 800 miles long, capable of operating speeds of 220 mph on
dedicated, fully graded-separated tracks, with state-of-the-art safety,
signaling, and automated train control systems. As part of the Bay Area
to Central Valley HST Program EIR/EIS, the Authority and FRA selected
the Union Pacific (UPRR) railroad alignment through the portion of the
Central Valley from just north of Madera to just south of Stockton as
the preferred alternative. This Project EIR/EIS will also evaluate the
BNSF railroad alignment in this part of the Central Valley because of
the uncertainty of negotiating with the UPRR for some of their right-
of-way and will continue investigation of alignments/linkages to a
potential maintenance facility at Castle AFB. The BNSF alignment from
Madera to Bakersfield was selected as the preferred alignment for this
portion of the Central Valley in the Statewide Program EIR/EIS. As
defined in the Statewide Program EIR/EIS, this alignment would utilize
the UPRR corridor through the urban area of Fresno, and would require a
new high-speed alignment around the city of Hanford. Alignment
alternatives will also be evaluated to serve a potential station in the
Visalia/Hanford/Tulare area. The HST would operate in this area at
speeds up to 220 mph on tracks separate from the existing BNSF and UP
tracks. Further engineering studies to be undertaken as part of this
EIR/EIS process will examine and refine alignments in the BNSF and UP
corridors. The entire alignment would be grade separated from existing
roadways. In addition, alternative sites for right-of-way maintenance,
train storage facilities and a heavy maintenance and repair facility
will be evaluated in the Merced to Bakersfield HST project area.
The three preferred station locations selected by the Authority and
FRA through the Bay Area to Central Valley HST Final Program-Level EIR/
EIS will be evaluated in the Merced to Bakersfield HST Project EIR/EIS.
These stations are downtown Merced, downtown Fresno, and downtown
Bakersfield. Alternative station sites at or near the selected station
locations may be identified and evaluated. A potential HST station to
serve the
[[Page 11174]]
Visalia/Hanford/Tulare area will also be evaluated in this Project EIR/
EIS.
Probable Effects: The purpose of the EIR/EIS process is to explore
in a public setting the effects of the proposed project on the
physical, human, and natural environment. The FRA and the Authority
will continue the tiered evaluation of all significant environmental,
social, and economic impacts of the construction and operation of the
HST system. Impact areas to be addressed include transportation
impacts; safety and security; land use and zoning; land acquisition,
displacements, and relocations; agricultural land impacts; cumulative
and secondary impacts; cultural resource impacts, including impacts on
historical and archaeological resources and parklands/recreation areas;
neighborhood compatibility and environmental justice; and natural
resource impacts including air quality, wetlands, water resources,
noise, vibration, energy, wildlife and ecosystems, including endangered
species. Measures to avoid, minimize, and mitigate adverse impacts will
be identified and evaluated.
The Merced to Bakersfield HST Project EIR/EIS will be prepared in
accordance with FRA's Procedures for Considering Environmental Impacts
(64 FR 28545 [May 26, 1999]) and will address not only NEPA and CEQA
but will also address as necessary other applicable statutes,
regulations, and executive orders, including the Clean Air Act, Section
404 of the Clean Water Act, Section 106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act of 1966, Section 4(f) of the Department of
Transportation Act, the Endangered Species Act, and Executive Order
12898 on Environmental Justice.
This EIR/EIS process will also continue the NEPA/Clean Water Act
Section 404 integration process established through the Statewide
Program EIR/EIS process. The EIR/EIS will evaluate project alignment
alternatives, and station and maintenance facility locations to support
a determination of the Least Environmentally Damaging Practicable
Alternative (``LEDPA'') by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Scoping and Comments: FRA encourages broad participation in the EIS
process during scoping and review of the resulting environmental
documents. Comments are invited from all interested agencies and the
public to ensure the full range of issues related to the proposed
action and reasonable alternatives are addressed and all significant
issues are identified. In particular, FRA is interested in determining
whether there are areas of environmental concern where there might be a
potential for significant site-specific impacts. Public agencies with
jurisdiction are requested to advise FRA and the Authority of the
applicable permit and environmental review requirements of each agency,
and the scope and content of the environmental information that is
germane to the agency's statutory responsibilities in connection with
the proposed project. Public agencies are requested to advise FRA if
they anticipate taking a major action in connection with the proposed
project and if they wish to cooperate in the preparation of the Project
EIR/EIS. Public scoping meetings have been scheduled as an important
component of the scoping process for both the State and Federal
environmental review. The scoping meetings described in this Notice
will also be the subject of additional public notification.
FRA is seeking participation and input of all interested Federal,
State, and local agencies, Native American groups, and other concerned
private organizations or individuals on the scope of the EIR/EIS.
Implementation of the Merced to Bakersfield section of the HST system
is a Federal undertaking with the potential to affect historic
properties. As such, it is subject to the requirements of section 106
of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (16 U.S.C. 470f). In
accordance with regulations issued by the Advisory Council on Historic
Preservation, 36 CFR part 800, FRA intends to coordinate compliance
with section 106 of this Act with the preparation of the EIR/EIS,
beginning with the identification of consulting parties through the
scoping process, in a manner consistent with the standards set out in
36 CFR 800.8.
Issued in Washington, DC, on March 9, 2009.
Ray LaHood,
Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation.
[FR Doc. E9-5579 Filed 3-13-09; 8:45 am]
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