Bay Area To Central Valley High-Speed Train Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, 71370-71372 [E5-6526]
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71370
Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 227 / Monday, November 28, 2005 / Notices
Title: U.S. Locational Requirement for
Dispatching U.S. Rail Operations.
OMB Control Number: 2130–0556.
Type of Request: Extension of a
currently approved collection.
Affected Public: Railroads.
Abstract: Part 241 requires, in the
absence of a waiver, that all dispatching
of railroad operations that occurs in the
United States be performed in this
country, with a minor exception. A
railroad is allowed to conduct
extraterritorial dispatching from Mexico
or Canada in emergency situations, but
only for the duration of the emergency.
A railroad relying on the exception must
provide written notification of its action
to the FRA Regional Administrator of
each FRA region in which the railroad
operation occurs; such notification is
not required before addressing the
emergency situation. The information
collected under this rule will be used as
part of FRA’s oversight function to
ensure that extraterritorial dispatchers
comply with applicable safety
regulations.
Annual Estimated Burden Hours: 16
hours.
Addressee: Send comments regarding
this information collection to the Office
of Information and Regulatory Affairs,
Office of Management and Budget, 725
Seventeenth Street, NW., Washington,
DC 20503, Attention: FRA Desk Officer.
Comments are invited on the
following: Whether the proposed
collections of information are necessary
for the proper performance of the
functions of the Department, including
whether the information will have
practical utility; the accuracy of the
Department’s estimates of the burden of
the proposed information collections;
ways to enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and ways to minimize the
burden of the collections of information
on respondents, including the use of
automated collection techniques or
other forms of information technology.
A comment to OMB is best assured of
having its full effect if OMB receives it
within 30 days of publication of this
notice in the Federal Register.
Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3501–3520.
Issued in Washington, DC on November 16,
2005.
D.J. Stadtler,
Director, Office of Budget, Federal Railroad
Administration.
[FR Doc. E5–6527 Filed 11–25–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–06–P
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
Bay Area To Central Valley High-Speed
Train Programmatic Environmental
Impact Statement
Federal Railroad
Administration (FRA), U.S. Department
of Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an
environmental impact statement.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: FRA is issuing this notice to
advise the public that FRA with the
California High Speed Rail Authority
(Authority) will jointly prepare a
programmatic environmental impact
statement (EIS) and programmatic
(program) environmental impact report
(EIR) for the San Francisco Bay Area to
Central Valley portion of the California
High-Speed Train (HST) System in
compliance with state and Federal laws,
in particular the California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and
the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA). FRA is also issuing this notice
to solicit public and agency input into
the development of the scope of the Bay
Area to Central Valley HST Program
EIR/EIS and to advise the public that
outreach activities conducted by the
Authority and its representatives will be
considered in the preparation of the
EIR/EIS. The FRA and the Authority
recently completed a Program EIR/EIS
as the first-phase of a tiered
environmental review process for the
Proposed California HST system, and as
part of the selected HST Alternative
defined a broad corridor between the
Bay Area and Central Valley generally
bounded by (and including) the Pacheco
Pass (SR–152) to the South, the
Altamont Pass (I–580) to the North, the
BNSF Corridor to the East, and the
Caltrain Corridor to the West. The Bay
Area to Central Valley HST Program
EIR/EIS will further examine this broad
corridor as the next phase of the tiered
environmental review process.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
further information regarding the
programmatic environmental review,
please contact: Mr. Dan Leavitt, Deputy
Director of the California High-Speed
Rail Authority, 925 L Street, Suite 1425,
Sacramento, CA 95814, (telephone 916–
324–1541) or Mr. David Valenstein,
Environmental Program Manager, Office
of Passenger Programs, Federal Railroad
Administration, 1120 Vermont Avenue
(Mail Stop 20), Washington, DC 20590,
(telephone 202 493–6368).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The need
for a high-speed train (HST) system is
directly related to the expected growth
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in population and resulting increases in
intercity travel demand in California
over the next twenty years and beyond.
As a result of this growth in travel
demand, there will be more travel
delays from the growing congestion on
California’s highways and at airports. In
addition, there will be effects on the
economy and quality of life from a
transportation system that is less and
less reliable as travel demand increases
and from deteriorating air quality in and
around California’s metropolitan areas.
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 in order to meet existing
demand and future growth. The
proposed high HST system would
provide a new mode of high-speed
intercity travel that would link the
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.
Background
The California High-Speed Rail
Commission, established in 1993 to
investigate the feasibility of high-speed
rail in California, concluded that a HST
system is technically, environmentally,
and economically feasible and set forth
recommendations for the technology,
corridors, financing, and operations of a
proposed system. Following the
Commission’s work, a new ninemember California High-Speed Rail
Authority (Authority) was established in
1996 and is authorized and directed by
statute to undertake the planning for the
development of a proposed statewide
HST network that is fully coordinated
with other public transportation
services. The Legislature has granted the
Authority the powers necessary to
oversee the construction and operation
of a statewide HST network once
financing is secured. As part of the
Authority’s efforts to implement a HST
system, the Authority adopted a Final
Business Plan in June 2000, which
reviewed the economic feasibility of a
700-mile-long HST system capable of
speeds in excess of 200 miles per hour
on a dedicated, fully grade-separated
state-of-the-art track.
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 California
proposal, the FRA would need to take
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Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 227 / Monday, November 28, 2005 / Notices
certain regulatory actions before any
new high-speed train system could
operate.
Between 2001 and 2005, the
Authority and FRA completed a
Program EIR/EIS for the proposed
California HST System. The Authority
certified the Program EIR under CEQA
and approved the proposed HST
System, and the FRA issued a Record of
Decision under NEPA on the Program
EIS for the proposed California HST
system. The Program EIR/EIS
established the purpose and need for the
HST system, analyzed a proposed highspeed train alternative and compared it
with a No Project/No Action Alternative
and a Modal Alternative. In conjunction
with approving the Program EIR/EIS,
the Authority and the FRA selected the
High-Speed Train Alternative and
selected certain corridors/general
alignments, general station locations,
mitigation strategies, design practices
and further measures to guide
development of the HST system at the
site-specific project level to avoid and
minimize potential adverse
environmental impacts.
For the Bay Area to Central Valley
segment, the Authority and FRA
selected a broad corridor between the
Bay Area and the Central Valley
containing a number of feasible route
options and proposed further study in
this area to make programmatic
selections of alignments and stations.
The FRA consulted with the Council on
Environmental Quality (CEQ), and CEQ
concurred that the proposed tiering of
programmatic decisions for this segment
would be consistent with NEPA and
would support compliance with Section
404 of the Clean Water Act. The primary
purpose of the Bay Area to Central
Valley HST Program EIR/EIS
environmental process is to do further
studies to help identify a preferred
alignment between these two parts of
the state.
The preparation of this Program EIR/
EIS is being coordinated with the
concurrent preparation of a Bay Area
Regional Rail Plan by a coalition of the
San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit
District (BART), the Metropolitan
Transportation Commission (MTC), the
Peninsula Joint Powers Board (Caltrain)
and the Authority. Bay Area voters in
2004 passed Regional Measure 2, which
requires MTC to adopt a Regional Rail
Plan. As stipulated in the Streets and
Highways Code Section 30914.5 (f), the
Regional Rail Plan will define the future
passenger rail transportation network
for the nine-county San Francisco Bay
Area, including an evaluation of the
HST options. Information on the
Regional Rail Plan is available on the
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Internet at: https://
www.bayarearailplan.info.
Alternatives
An initial alternatives evaluation will
consider all reasonable HST alignment
and station options within the selected
broad corridor at a programmatic level
of analysis to identify the most practical
and feasible HST options for analysis in
the Bay Area to Central Valley HST
Program EIR/EIS. The alternatives will
include:
No-Action Alternative: The take no
action (No-Project) alternative is defined
to serve as the baseline for comparison
of HST alternatives. The No-Build
Alternative represents the state’s
transportation system (highway, air, and
conventional rail) as it exists in 2005,
and as it would exist after completion
of programs or projects currently
planned for funding and
implementation by 2020, according to
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
(Amtrak Five- and Twenty-year Plans)
High-Speed Train Alternatives: The
Authority and FRA have selected a
steel-wheel-on-steel-rail HST system for
advancement, over 700 miles long
(1,126-kilometer long) capable of speeds
in excess of 200 miles per hour (mph)
(320 kilometers per hour [km/h]) on
dedicated, fully grade-separated tracks,
with state-of-the-art safety, signaling,
and automated train control systems
that would serve the major metropolitan
centers of California, extending from
Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay
Area, through the Central Valley, to Los
Angeles, Orange County, the Inland
Empire, and San Diego. The Authority
and the FRA have also selected a broad
corridor for the HST between the Bay
Area and Merced generally bounded by
(and including) the Pacheco Pass (SR–
152) to the South, the Altamont Pass (I–
580) to the North, the BNSF Corridor to
the East, and the Caltrain Corridor to the
West. Within this corridor there are
several potential alignments and
potential station locations that will be
considered. In heavily constrained
urban areas, potential alignments that
assume sharing corridors and/or tracks
with other passenger rail services will
be considered. The Authority and FRA
will consider all reasonable and
practical HST alignment and station
alternatives and will focus the program
environmental analysis on the
alternatives that best meet the purpose
and need of the HST system. Within the
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71371
previously selected broad corridor, the
Authority would not pursue alignments
through Henry Coe State Park or a
station at Los Banos.
Station placement would be
determined on the basis of ridership
potential, system-wide needs, and local
planning constraints/conditions. Station
placement will be coordinated with
local and regional planning agencies,
and will provide for seamless
connectivity with other modes of travel.
Potential station locations to be
evaluated further include: Gilroy, San
Jose, Redwood City, San Francisco
International Airport (SFO), San
Francisco, Merced, Modesto, Tracy,
Pleasanton, Fremont/Union City,
Oakland International Airport (OAK),
and Oakland. The potential sites listed
represent general locations for planning
purposes.
Scoping and Comments
FRA encourages broad participation
in the EIS process during scoping and
review of the resulting environmental
documents. Comments and suggestions
are invited from all interested agencies
and the public at large to insure 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
programmatic level. Public agencies
with jurisdiction are requested to advise
the FRA and the Authority of the
applicable 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 ‘‘scoping’’ meetings have been
scheduled together with regional rail
plan workshops as an important
component of the scoping process for
both the State and Federal
environmental review. Scoping
meetings will be advertised locally and
additional public notice will be
provided separately with the dates,
times, and locations of these scoping
meetings. Scoping meetings are
scheduled for the following major cities:
• Oakland on November 29, 2005—
Joseph P. Bort Metrocenter, Larry
Dahms Auditorium, 101 Eighth Street,
from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8
p.m.
• San Jose on November 30, 2005—
New San Jose City Hall—Council Wing,
Community Room, W120, 200 East
Santa Clara Street, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
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Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 227 / Monday, November 28, 2005 / Notices
• San Francisco on December 1,
2005—San Francisco Civic Center
Complex, Hiram Johnson Building,
Auditorium, 455 Golden Gate Avenue,
from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8
p.m.
• Livermore on December 5, 2005—
Livermore public San Francisco Civic
Center Complex, Hiram Johnson
Building, San Diego Room, 455 Golden
Gate Avenue, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and
6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• Modesto on December 6, 2005—
DoubleTree Hotel, 1150 Ninth Street,
Modesto, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 6
p.m. to 8 p.m.
• Suisun City on December 8, 2005—
Suisun City Hall, Council Chambers,
701 Civic Center Blvd., from 3 p.m. to
5 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Persons interested in providing
comments on the scope of the
programmatic EIR/EIS should do so by
December 16, 2005. Comments can be
sent in writing to Mr. David Valenstein
at the FRA address identified above.
Comments may also be addressed to Mr.
Dan Leavitt of the Authority at their
address identified above. Information
and documents regarding the
environmental review process will also
be made available through the
Authority’s Internet site: https://
www.cahighspeedrail.gov/.
Issued in Washington, DC, on November
18, 2005.
Mark E. Yachmetz,
Associate Administrator for Railroad
Development.
[FR Doc. E5–6526 Filed 11–25–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–06–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration
[Docket No. NHTSA–2005–23093]
Ferrari S.p.A and Ferrari North
America, Inc.; Receipt of Application
for a Temporary Exemption From
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
No. 208
In accordance with the procedures of
49 CFR part 555, Ferrari S.p.A. and
Ferrari North America (collectively,
‘‘Ferrari’’) have applied for a Temporary
Exemption from S14.2 of Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No.
208, Occupant Crash Protection, for the
Ferrari F430 model vehicle. The basis of
the application is that compliance
would cause substantial economic
hardship to a manufacturer that has
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15:28 Nov 25, 2005
Jkt 208001
tried in good faith to comply with the
standard.1
We are publishing this notice of
receipt of the application in accordance
with the requirements of 49 U.S.C.
30113(b)(2), and have made no
judgment on the merits of the
application.
NHTSA concludes that Fiat is not a
manufacturer of Ferrari vehicles by
virtue of being a sponsor.
You should submit your
comments not later than December 28,
2005.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Chris Calamita in the Office of Chief
Counsel, NCC–112, (Phone: 202–366–
2992; Fax 202–366–3820; E-Mail:
Christopher.calamita@nhtsa.dot.gov).
Ferrari states that the F430 was
originally designed in the mid-1990s
and was originally designated as the 360
model. The petitioner states that the
Modena (coupe) version of the 360 was
launched in 1999, followed by the
Spider (convertible) version in 2000,
and the Challenge Stradale in 2003.
Production of these vehicles continued
until the end of 2004. According to the
petitioner, shortly thereafter Ferrari
began an aesthetic redesign of the
vehicle, relying on the same chassis.
Ferrari stated that the redesigned
vehicle, the F430, will be produced
until late 2008. According to Ferrari,
2008 will mark the end of the life cycle
for the 360/F430 vehicle. The petitioner
states that the 360 and F430 were
designed to comply, and do comply,
with all of the FMVSSs in effect at the
time the 360 was originally designed.
The petitioner stated that the provisions
of FMVSS No. 208 established in 2000
(65 FR 30680; May 12, 2000; Advanced
Air Bag rule) were not anticipated by
Ferrari when the 360 vehicle model was
designed.
Ferrari stated that it has been able to
bring the F430 into compliance with all
of the high-speed belted and unbelted
crash test requirements of the Advanced
Air Bag rule. However, it stated that it
has not been able to bring the vehicle
into compliance with the child out-ofposition requirements (S19, S21, and
S23), and the 5th percentile adult
female out-of-position requirements for
the driver seat (S25).
Ferrari stated that despite efforts to
involve numerous potential suppliers, it
has not identified any that are willing to
work with the company to develop an
occupant classification system that
would comply with the S19, S21, S23,
and S25. Moreover, Ferrari stated that it
is unable to reconfigure the F430 to
accommodate an occupant classification
system and air bag design that would
comply with these requirements.
Ferrari has requested an exemption
for the F430 from the advanced air bag
provisions in FMVSS No. 208 during
model years 2007 and 2008 (i.e.,
September 1, 2006 through August 31,
2008). Ferrari claims that compliance
with the advanced air bag provisions
would result in substantial economic
hardship and has filed this petition
under 49 CFR 555.6(a).
DATES:
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
I. Background
A manufacturer is eligible to apply for
a hardship exemption if its total motor
vehicle production in its most recent
year of production does not exceed
10,000, as determined by the NHTSA
Administrator (15 U.S.C. 1410(d)(1)).
Ferrari’s total production is
approximately 4,000 vehicles per year.
Fiat S.p.A., a major vehicle
manufacturer, holds a majority interest
in Ferrari. Consistent with past
determinations, NHTSA has determined
that Fiat’s interest in Ferrari does not
result in the production threshold being
exceeded (see, 54 FR 46321; November
2, 1989).
The statutory provisions governing
motor vehicle safety (49 U.S.C. Chapter
301) do not include any provision
indicating that a person is a
manufacturer of a vehicle by virtue of
ownership or control of another person
that is a manufacturer. NHTSA has
stated, however, that a person may be a
manufacturer of a vehicle manufactured
by another person if the first person has
a sufficiently substantial role in the
manufacturing process that it can be
deemed the sponsor of the vehicle. The
agency considers the statutory
definition of ‘‘manufacturer’’ (15 U.S.C.
1391(5)) to be sufficiently broad to
include sponsors, depending on the
circumstances.
In the present instance, the Ferrari
F430 bears no resemblance to any motor
vehicle designed or manufactured by
Fiat, and the agency understands that
the F430 was designed and engineered
without assistance from Fiat. Further,
the agency understands that such
assistance as Ferrari may receive from
Fiat relating to use of test facilities and
the like is an arms length transaction for
which Ferrari pays Fiat. Accordingly,
1 To view the application using the Docket
number listed above, please go to: https://
dms.dot.gov/search/searchFormSimple.cfm.
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II. Why Ferrari Needs a Temporary
Exemption and How Ferrari Has Tried
in Good Faith to Comply With FMVSS
No. 208
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 227 (Monday, November 28, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71370-71372]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-6526]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
Bay Area To Central Valley High-Speed Train Programmatic
Environmental Impact Statement
AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), U.S. Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: FRA is issuing this notice to advise the public that FRA with
the California High Speed Rail Authority (Authority) will jointly
prepare a programmatic environmental impact statement (EIS) and
programmatic (program) environmental impact report (EIR) for the San
Francisco Bay Area to Central Valley portion of the California High-
Speed Train (HST) System in compliance with state and Federal laws, in
particular the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). FRA is also issuing this
notice to solicit public and agency input into the development of the
scope of the Bay Area to Central Valley HST Program EIR/EIS and to
advise the public that outreach activities conducted by the Authority
and its representatives will be considered in the preparation of the
EIR/EIS. The FRA and the Authority recently completed a Program EIR/EIS
as the first-phase of a tiered environmental review process for the
Proposed California HST system, and as part of the selected HST
Alternative defined a broad corridor between the Bay Area and Central
Valley generally bounded by (and including) the Pacheco Pass (SR-152)
to the South, the Altamont Pass (I-580) to the North, the BNSF Corridor
to the East, and the Caltrain Corridor to the West. The Bay Area to
Central Valley HST Program EIR/EIS will further examine this broad
corridor as the next phase of the tiered environmental review process.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information regarding the
programmatic environmental review, please contact: Mr. Dan Leavitt,
Deputy Director of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, 925 L
Street, Suite 1425, Sacramento, CA 95814, (telephone 916-324-1541) or
Mr. David Valenstein, Environmental Program Manager, Office of
Passenger Programs, Federal Railroad Administration, 1120 Vermont
Avenue (Mail Stop 20), Washington, DC 20590, (telephone 202 493-6368).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The need for a high-speed train (HST) system
is directly related to the expected growth in population and resulting
increases in intercity travel demand in California over the next twenty
years and beyond. As a result of this growth in travel demand, there
will be more travel delays from the growing congestion on California's
highways and at airports. In addition, there will be effects on the
economy and quality of life from a transportation system that is less
and less reliable as travel demand increases and from deteriorating air
quality in and around California's metropolitan areas. 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 in order to meet existing demand and future growth. The
proposed high HST system would provide a new mode of high-speed
intercity travel that would link the 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.
Background
The California High-Speed Rail Commission, established in 1993 to
investigate the feasibility of high-speed rail in California, concluded
that a HST system is technically, environmentally, and economically
feasible and set forth recommendations for the technology, corridors,
financing, and operations of a proposed system. Following the
Commission's work, a new nine-member California High-Speed Rail
Authority (Authority) was established in 1996 and is authorized and
directed by statute to undertake the planning for the development of a
proposed statewide HST network that is fully coordinated with other
public transportation services. The Legislature has granted the
Authority the powers necessary to oversee the construction and
operation of a statewide HST network once financing is secured. As part
of the Authority's efforts to implement a HST system, the Authority
adopted a Final Business Plan in June 2000, which reviewed the economic
feasibility of a 700-mile-long HST system capable of speeds in excess
of 200 miles per hour on a dedicated, fully grade-separated state-of-
the-art track.
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 California proposal, the FRA would need
to take
[[Page 71371]]
certain regulatory actions before any new high-speed train system could
operate.
Between 2001 and 2005, the Authority and FRA completed a Program
EIR/EIS for the proposed California HST System. The Authority certified
the Program EIR under CEQA and approved the proposed HST System, and
the FRA issued a Record of Decision under NEPA on the Program EIS for
the proposed California HST system. The Program EIR/EIS established the
purpose and need for the HST system, analyzed a proposed high-speed
train alternative and compared it with a No Project/No Action
Alternative and a Modal Alternative. In conjunction with approving the
Program EIR/EIS, the Authority and the FRA selected the High-Speed
Train Alternative and selected certain corridors/general alignments,
general station locations, mitigation strategies, design practices and
further measures to guide development of the HST system at the site-
specific project level to avoid and minimize potential adverse
environmental impacts.
For the Bay Area to Central Valley segment, the Authority and FRA
selected a broad corridor between the Bay Area and the Central Valley
containing a number of feasible route options and proposed further
study in this area to make programmatic selections of alignments and
stations. The FRA consulted with the Council on Environmental Quality
(CEQ), and CEQ concurred that the proposed tiering of programmatic
decisions for this segment would be consistent with NEPA and would
support compliance with Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. The primary
purpose of the Bay Area to Central Valley HST Program EIR/EIS
environmental process is to do further studies to help identify a
preferred alignment between these two parts of the state.
The preparation of this Program EIR/EIS is being coordinated with
the concurrent preparation of a Bay Area Regional Rail Plan by a
coalition of the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART),
the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), the Peninsula Joint
Powers Board (Caltrain) and the Authority. Bay Area voters in 2004
passed Regional Measure 2, which requires MTC to adopt a Regional Rail
Plan. As stipulated in the Streets and Highways Code Section 30914.5
(f), the Regional Rail Plan will define the future passenger rail
transportation network for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area,
including an evaluation of the HST options. Information on the Regional
Rail Plan is available on the Internet at: https://
www.bayarearailplan.info.
Alternatives
An initial alternatives evaluation will consider all reasonable HST
alignment and station options within the selected broad corridor at a
programmatic level of analysis to identify the most practical and
feasible HST options for analysis in the Bay Area to Central Valley HST
Program EIR/EIS. The alternatives will include:
No-Action Alternative: The take no action (No-Project) alternative
is defined to serve as the baseline for comparison of HST alternatives.
The No-Build Alternative represents the state's transportation system
(highway, air, and conventional rail) as it exists in 2005, and as it
would exist after completion of programs or projects currently planned
for funding and implementation by 2020, according to 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 (Amtrak Five- and Twenty-
year Plans)
High-Speed Train Alternatives: The Authority and FRA have selected
a steel-wheel-on-steel-rail HST system for advancement, over 700 miles
long (1,126-kilometer long) capable of speeds in excess of 200 miles
per hour (mph) (320 kilometers per hour [km/h]) on dedicated, fully
grade-separated tracks, with state-of-the-art safety, signaling, and
automated train control systems that would serve the major metropolitan
centers of California, extending from Sacramento and the San Francisco
Bay Area, through the Central Valley, to Los Angeles, Orange County,
the Inland Empire, and San Diego. The Authority and the FRA have also
selected a broad corridor for the HST between the Bay Area and Merced
generally bounded by (and including) the Pacheco Pass (SR-152) to the
South, the Altamont Pass (I-580) to the North, the BNSF Corridor to the
East, and the Caltrain Corridor to the West. Within this corridor there
are several potential alignments and potential station locations that
will be considered. In heavily constrained urban areas, potential
alignments that assume sharing corridors and/or tracks with other
passenger rail services will be considered. The Authority and FRA will
consider all reasonable and practical HST alignment and station
alternatives and will focus the program environmental analysis on the
alternatives that best meet the purpose and need of the HST system.
Within the previously selected broad corridor, the Authority would not
pursue alignments through Henry Coe State Park or a station at Los
Banos.
Station placement would be determined on the basis of ridership
potential, system-wide needs, and local planning constraints/
conditions. Station placement will be coordinated with local and
regional planning agencies, and will provide for seamless connectivity
with other modes of travel. Potential station locations to be evaluated
further include: Gilroy, San Jose, Redwood City, San Francisco
International Airport (SFO), San Francisco, Merced, Modesto, Tracy,
Pleasanton, Fremont/Union City, Oakland International Airport (OAK),
and Oakland. The potential sites listed represent general locations for
planning purposes.
Scoping and Comments
FRA encourages broad participation in the EIS process during
scoping and review of the resulting environmental documents. Comments
and suggestions are invited from all interested agencies and the public
at large to insure 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
programmatic level. Public agencies with jurisdiction are requested to
advise the FRA and the Authority of the applicable 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 ``scoping'' meetings have been scheduled together with
regional rail plan workshops as an important component of the scoping
process for both the State and Federal environmental review. Scoping
meetings will be advertised locally and additional public notice will
be provided separately with the dates, times, and locations of these
scoping meetings. Scoping meetings are scheduled for the following
major cities:
Oakland on November 29, 2005--Joseph P. Bort Metrocenter,
Larry Dahms Auditorium, 101 Eighth Street, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 6
p.m. to 8 p.m.
San Jose on November 30, 2005--New San Jose City Hall--
Council Wing, Community Room, W120, 200 East Santa Clara Street, from 3
p.m. to 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
[[Page 71372]]
San Francisco on December 1, 2005--San Francisco Civic
Center Complex, Hiram Johnson Building, Auditorium, 455 Golden Gate
Avenue, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Livermore on December 5, 2005--Livermore public San
Francisco Civic Center Complex, Hiram Johnson Building, San Diego Room,
455 Golden Gate Avenue, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Modesto on December 6, 2005--DoubleTree Hotel, 1150 Ninth
Street, Modesto, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Suisun City on December 8, 2005--Suisun City Hall, Council
Chambers, 701 Civic Center Blvd., from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8
p.m.
Persons interested in providing comments on the scope of the
programmatic EIR/EIS should do so by December 16, 2005. Comments can be
sent in writing to Mr. David Valenstein at the FRA address identified
above. Comments may also be addressed to Mr. Dan Leavitt of the
Authority at their address identified above. Information and documents
regarding the environmental review process will also be made available
through the Authority's Internet site: https://www.cahighspeedrail.gov/.
Issued in Washington, DC, on November 18, 2005.
Mark E. Yachmetz,
Associate Administrator for Railroad Development.
[FR Doc. E5-6526 Filed 11-25-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P
