[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 236 (Thursday, December 9, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76778-76780]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-31013]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
Environmental Impact Statement for the Milwaukee, WI (Milwaukee
Intermodal Station) to Minneapolis, MN (Minneapolis Transportation
Interchange) Rail Corridor
AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration, Department of Transportation.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.
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SUMMARY: FRA is issuing this notice to advise the public that a Tier I
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be prepared for the
Milwaukee, WI to Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN (Milwaukee-Twin Cities) High-
Speed Rail Corridor Program. The project includes passenger stations,
maintenance facilities, and the construction of a high-speed rail line
between Milwaukee and the Twin Cities. This corridor is part of a
larger network of high-speed passenger rail corridors in the Midwest,
with a hub in Chicago, IL. The effort to develop these high-speed rail
corridors and expand the passenger rail system in the Midwest is known
as the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative (MWRRI). FRA is issuing this
notice to solicit public and agency input into the development of the
scope of the EIS and to advise the public that outreach activities
conducted by FRA will be considered in the preparation of the EIS.
Alternatives under consideration include taking no action (No Build),
as well as several build alternatives along a variety of corridors
between Milwaukee and the Twin Cities.
DATES: Locations, dates, and start and end times for public meetings
involving the EIS are listed in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section
of this notice.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Daniel Krom, Director, Passenger
Rail Office, Minnesota Department of Transportation, 395 John Ireland
Boulevard, MS 480, St. Paul, MN 55155, telephone (651)-366-3193; or Ms.
Colleen Vaughn, Office of Railroad Policy and Development, Federal
Railroad Administration (FRA), 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., MS-20/W38-
303, Washington, DC 20590, telephone (202) 493-6096.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: FRA, in cooperation with the Minnesota
Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT), and the Wisconsin Department of
Transportation (WisDOT), will prepare a Tier 1 EIS for the Milwaukee-
Twin Cities High-Speed Rail Corridor Program from the Milwaukee
Intermodal Station in Milwaukee, WI to the Minneapolis Transportation
Interchange in Minneapolis, MN. The objective of the tiered EIS is to
evaluate potential intercity passenger rail route alternatives at the
corridor level and will result in the creation of a Service Development
Plan for the corridor.
Objectives: The objectives of this MWRRI project are to meet
current and future regional travel needs through significant
improvements to the level and quality of passenger rail service and
provide a stimulus for joint development in communities served by the
system by:
Using existing rail rights-of-way to connect rural, small
urban, and major metropolitan areas;
Improving safety, reliability and on-time performance;
Providing a transportation choice for smaller communities
which do not have or are under-served by commercial air service;
Providing improved travel times that are competitive with
the automobile mode; and
Using modern train equipment operating at speeds up to 110
mph.
Environmental Review Process: The EIS will be developed in
accordance with Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations (40
CFR part 1500 et seq.) implementing the National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA), FRA's Procedures for Considering Environmental Impacts (64
FR 28545; May 26, 1999). FRA, with Mn/DOT and WisDOT, will use a tiered
process, as provided for in 40 CFR 1508.28 and in accordance with FRA
guidance, in the completion of the environmental review of the Project.
The Tier 1 EIS will address broad corridor-level issues and proposals.
Subsequent phases or tiers will analyze, at a greater level of detail,
narrower site-specific proposals based on the decisions made in Tier 1.
Tier 1: The Tier 1 EIS will result in a NEPA document with the
appropriate
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level of detail for corridor-level decisions and will address broad
overall issues of concern, including but not limited to:
Confirming the purpose and need for the proposed action.
Confirming the study area appropriate to assess reasonable
and feasible alternatives.
Identifying a comprehensive set of goals and objectives
for the corridor in conjunction with the project sponsors and other
stakeholders. These goals and objectives will be crafted to allow
comprehensive evaluation of all aspects of the project necessary to
achieve the goals, including train operations, vehicles and
infrastructure.
Identifying the reasonable and feasible alternatives to be
considered including a no action/no build alternative, consistent with
the current and planned use of the corridor and the existing services
within and adjacent to the study area.
Developing criteria and screen alternatives to eliminate
those alternatives that do not meet the purpose and need of the
proposed action.
Identifying the general alignment(s) of the reasonable and
feasible alternatives.
Identifying right-of-way requirements for the reasonable
and feasible alternatives.
Identifying the infrastructure and equipment investment
requirements for the reasonable and feasible alternatives.
Identifying the operational changes required for the
reasonable and feasible alternatives.
Describing the environmental impacts associated with
proposed changes in passenger rail train frequency, speed, and on-time
performance.
Characterizing the environmental consequences of the
reasonable and feasible alternatives.
Establishing the timing and sequencing of independent
actions to maintain a state of good repair and to implement the
proposed action.
Identifying a preferred alternative for route alignment.
Selecting component projects for Tier 2 NEPA
documentation.
Alternatives: A No-Build Alternative will be studied as the
baseline for comparison with the proposed project. The No-Build
Alternative represents other transportation modes such as auto, air
travel, intercity bus, and existing rail and the physical
characteristics and capacities as they exist at the time of the Tier 1
EIS, with planned and funded improvements that will be in place at the
time the project becomes operational. Several alternatives will be
evaluated in the Tier 1 EIS including:
Route A1: This alternative uses Canadian Pacific Railway
(CP) right-of-way from Milwaukee, WI to Watertown, WI; right-of-way
owned by the State of Wisconsin from Watertown to Junction A in
Madison; Union Pacific Railroad Company (UP) right-of-way under lease
to Wisconsin & Southern Railroad (WSOR) from Junction A to Johnson
Street Yard in Madison, WI; CP right-of-way from Johnson Street Yard in
Madison through Portage, WI and La Crosse, WI to Red Wing, MN and to
Hastings, MN; CP or BNSF Railway Co. (BNSF) right-of-way from Hastings,
MN to St. Paul, MN; and CP and BNSF rights-of-way from St. Paul, MN to
Minneapolis, MN.
Route A2: This alternative uses CP right-of-way from
Milwaukee, WI to Watertown, WI, through Portage, WI and La Crosse, WI
to Red Wing, MN and to Hastings, MN; CP or BNSF right-of-way from
Hastings, MN to St. Paul, MN; and CP and BNSF rights-of-way from St.
Paul, MN to Minneapolis, MN.
Route B1: This alternative uses CP right-of-way from
Milwaukee, WI to Watertown, WI; right-of-way owned by the State of
Wisconsin from Watertown to Junction A in Madison, WI; UP right-of-way
under lease to WSOR from Junction A to Johnson Street Yard in Madison;
CP right-of-way from Johnson Street Yard in Madison through Portage, WI
to Winona, MN; Dakota, Minnesota, & Eastern Railroad Co. (DM&E) right-
of-way through Rochester, MN to Owatonna, MN; UP right-of-way to
Northfield, MN; CP right-of-way to St. Paul, MN; and CP and BNSF
rights-of-way from St. Paul to Minneapolis, MN.
Route B2: This alternative uses CP right-of-way from
Milwaukee, WI to Watertown, WI, through Portage, WI to Winona, MN; DM&E
right-of-way through Rochester, MN to Owatonna, MN; UP right-of-way to
Northfield, MN; CP right-of way to St. Paul, MN; and CP and BNSF
rights-of-way from St. Paul to Minneapolis, MN.
Route C1: This alternative uses CP right-of-way from
Milwaukee, WI to Watertown, WI; right-of-way owned by the State of
Wisconsin from Watertown to Junction A in Madison, WI; UP right-of-way
under lease to WSOR from Junction A to Johnson Street Yard in Madison;
CP right-of-way from Johnson Street Yard in Madison through Portage, WI
to Camp Douglas, WI; UP right-of-way through Eau Claire, WI to St.
Paul, MN; and CP and BNSF rights-of-way to Minneapolis, MN.
Route C2: This alternative uses CP right-of-way from
Milwaukee, WI to Watertown, WI, through Portage, WI to Camp Douglas,
WI; UP right-of-way through Eau Claire, WI to St. Paul, MN; and CP and
BNSF rights-of-way to Minneapolis, MN.
Scoping and Comments: FRA encourages broad participation in the EIS
process during scoping and subsequent review of the resulting
environmental documents. Comments and suggestions are invited from all
interested agencies and the public at large to ensure the full range of
issues related to the proposed action and all 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 the potential for
significant impacts identifiable at a corridor level. Letters
describing the proposed project and soliciting comments will be sent to
appropriate Federal, State, and local agencies, and appropriate
railroads. Public agencies with jurisdiction are requested to advise
the FRA, Mn/DOT, and WisDOT 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 improvements.
Agency scoping meetings have been and will be held for this project
at the dates and times below. These meetings have been and will be
advertised locally and held at the following cities and dates:
1. St. Paul, MN on November 29, 2010 from 5 p.m.-7 p.m.
2. La Crosse, WI/La Crescent, MN on November 30, 2010 from 5 p.m.-7
p.m.
3. Eau Claire, WI on December 1, 2010 from 5 p.m.-7 p.m.
4. Fond du Lac, WI on December 2, 2010 from 5 p.m.-7 p.m.
5. Rochester, MN on December 6, 2010 from 5 p.m.-7 p.m.
6. Madison, WI on December 7, 2010 from 5 p.m.-7 p.m.
7. Milwaukee, WI at a date and location to be determined.
Scoping meetings will also take place after the publication of this
Notice in the Federal Register. Two additional rounds of public
meetings will be held in the same seven locations stated above during
February 2011 and February 2012.
Letters describing the proposed action alternatives and soliciting
comments will be sent to appropriate Federal, State, and local agencies
in Minnesota and Wisconsin. An iterative public involvement/information
program will support the process. The program will involve newsletters,
a project hotline,
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informational workshops, small group meetings, and other methods to
solicit and incorporate public input throughout the planning process.
To ensure that the full range of issues relating to the proposed action
is addressed, comments and suggestions are invited from all interested
parties. Comments and questions concerning the extension of the
proposed action should be directed to Mn/DOT or to the FRA at the
addresses provided above. Additional information can be obtained by
visiting the project Web site at http://www.dot.state.mn.us/passengerrail/mwrri/phase7.html or sending an email to
[email protected].
Issued in Washington, DC, on December 6, 2010.
Mark E. Yachmetz,
Associate Administrator for Railroad Policy and Development.
[FR Doc. 2010-31013 Filed 12-8-10; 8:45 am]
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