Environmental Impact Statement for the California High Speed Train Project From Fresno to Bakersfield, CA, 50866-50868 [E9-23749]
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50866
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 189 / Thursday, October 1, 2009 / Notices
2008 to the year 2013. It was requested
that FAA evaluate and approve this
material as a Noise Compatibility
Program as described in Section 47504
of the Act. The FAA began its review of
the Program on January 14, 2009, and
was required by a provision of the Act
to approve or disapprove the program
within 180 days (other than the use of
new or modified flight procedures for
noise control). Failure to approve or
disapprove such program within the
180-day period shall be deemed to be an
approval of such program;
The submitted program contained
eight (8) proposed actions for noise
mitigation on and off the airport. The
FAA completed its review and
determined that the procedural and
substantive requirements of the Act and
14 CFR Part 150 have been satisfied.
The overall program, therefore, was
approved by the FAA effective July 7,
2009.
Outright approval was granted for all
of the specific program elements. These
elements include:
Operational Measures
1. OP–1 Install ‘‘Fly Friendly’’
Signage.
2. Op–2 Avoid Touch-and-Go’s,
Maintenance Run-ups, and Extended
APU Operations during Nighttime
Hours.
3. OP–3 Avoid Excessive Engine
Idling on Ramps near Residential
Homes.
4. OP–4 Publish ‘‘Fly Friendly’’
Brochure.
PWALKER on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with NOTICES
Land Use Measures
1. LU–1 Voluntary Land Acquisition
and Relocation of Residents within 70
DNL.
2. LU–2 Voluntary Sound
Attenuation of Homes within 65 DNL.
3. LU–3 Implement Airport
Compatibility Overlay District.
4. LU–4 Monitor Development within
2013 NEM.
These determinations are set forth in
detail in a Record of Approval signed by
the FAA on July 7, 2009. The Record of
Approval, as well as other evaluation
materials and the documents
comprising the submittal, are available
for review at the FAA office listed above
and at the administrative office of the
Oklaoosa County. The Record of
Approval also will be available on-line
at: https://www.faa.gov/
airports_airtraffic/airports/
environmental/airport_noise/Part150/
states/
VerDate Nov<24>2008
19:32 Sep 30, 2009
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Dated: Issued in Orlando, Florida on
September 8, 2009.
W. Dean Stringer,
Manager, Orlando Airports District Office.
[FR Doc. E9–23468 Filed 9–30–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–13–M
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
Environmental Impact Statement for
the California High Speed Train Project
From Fresno to Bakersfield, CA
AGENCY: Federal Railroad
Administration (FRA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an
environmental impact statement.
SUMMARY: The FRA issued a Notice of
Intent on March 13, 2009 for the
preparation of an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) and Environmental
Impact Report (EIR) with the California
High-Speed Rail (Authority) for the
Merced-to-Bakersfield section of the
Authority’s proposed California HighSpeed 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 that Notice, alternatives
involving the alignments and stations
located between Merced and Bakersfield
were identified. FRA is issuing this
Notice to amend the project
environmental process for the Merced to
Bakersfield section into two separate
project EISs.
FRA and the Authority have
determined that the environmental
effects of the HST System from Merced
to Bakersfield are more appropriately
assessed in two separate documents;
one for Merced to Fresno and another
for Fresno to Bakersfield. This Notice
amends the environmental process
started on March 13, 2009 to instead
prepare a Project EIR/EIS for the Fresno
to Bakersfield section of the HST
System. The decision to complete two
separate EIR/EISs was made because the
project sections are of sufficient length,
with logical termini, allowing for an
analysis of environmental matters on a
broad scope to ensure that the project
will function properly without requiring
additional improvements elsewhere;
and the assessment of HST alternatives
in the Fresno to Bakersfield section will
not restrict consideration of alternatives
for other transportation improvements.
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
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Speed Train Program EIR/EIS
(Statewide 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-onsteel-rail trains capable of operating
speeds of 220 miles per hour (mph) on
a dedicated system of fully gradeseparated, access-controlled steel tracks
with state-of-the-art safety, signaling,
communication, and automated train
control systems. In approving the HST
System, the Authority and FRA also
selected corridors/general alignments
and station location options throughout
most of the system. The Statewide
Program EIR/EIS generally selected the
Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad
(BNSF) corridor for the high-speed train
route from Fresno to Bakersfield and the
Union Pacific Railroad Company
(UPRR) corridor was selected through
the urban area of Fresno, with stations
in downtown Fresno and Bakersfield.
The Statewide Program EIR/EIS also
stated that the project EIR/EIS for the
HST in this portion of the Central Valley
would evaluate an alignment around
Hanford and a potential station location
in the Visalia/Hanford/Tulare area.
The preparation of the Fresno to
Bakersfield HST Project EIR/EIS will
involve the development of preliminary
engineering designs and the assessment
of potential environmental effects
associated with the construction,
operation, and maintenance of the HST
System, including track, ancillary
facilities and stations, along the
preferred alternative corridor from
Fresno to Bakersfield with alternative
alignments to the east of Hanford.
DATES: FRA and the Authority invite the
general public, other government
agencies, and all other interested parties
to comment on the amended scope and
content of the Fresno to Bakersfield HST
Project EIR/EIS. FRA and the Authority
are soliciting additional oral and written
comments, suggestions, and requests for
information, and request for public
meetings no later than October 30, 2009.
These comments will receive equal
consideration as comments presented
during the March 2009 scoping period
for the former Merced to Bakersfield
HST Project EIR/EIS.
ADDRESSES: Written comments on the
scope should be sent to Ms. Carrie
Bowen, Regional Director, ATTN.
Fresno to Bakersfield, California HighSpeed Rail Authority, 925 L Street,
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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 189 / Thursday, October 1, 2009 / Notices
Suite 1425, Sacramento, CA 95814, or
via e-mail with subject line ‘‘Fresno to
Bakersfield HST’’ to:
comments@hsr.ca.gov. Comments may
also be provided orally at the same
address.
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 Bowen, Regional Director,
ATTN. Fresno to Bakersfield, California
High-Speed Rail Authority, 925 L Street,
Suite 1425, Sacramento, CA 95814
(telephone: 559–221–2636).
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
services. The Authority adopted a Final
Business Plan in June 2000, which
reviewed the economic feasibility of an
800-mile-long HST System capable of
operating speeds in excess of 200 miles
per hour on a dedicated, fully gradeseparated state-of-the-art track. The
Authority released an updated Business
Plan in November 2008.
The FRA has responsibility for
overseeing the safety of railroad
operations, including the safety of any
proposed high-speed ground
transportation system. FRA is also
authorized to provide Federal funding
for intercity passenger rail capital
investments including high-speed rail.
For the proposed HST, it is anticipated
that FRA would need to take certain
regulatory actions prior to operation and
may provide financial assistance for the
project including grant funds.
In 2005, the Authority and FRA
completed a Statewide Program EIR/EIS
for the Proposed California High Speed
Train System, as the first phase of a
tiered environmental review process.
The Authority certified the Statewide
Program EIR under CEQA and approved
the proposed HST System, and FRA
issued a Record of Decision under
NEPA for the 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
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19:32 Sep 30, 2009
Jkt 217001
mitigation strategies and design
practices, and specified further
measures to guide the development of
the HST System during the site-specific
project level environmental review to
avoid and minimize potential adverse
environmental impacts. The Fresno to
Bakersfield HST Project EIR/EIS will
tier from the Statewide Program EIR/EIS
in accordance with Council on
Environmental Quality (CEQ)
regulations, (40 CFR 1508.28) and State
CEQA Guidelines (14 California Code of
Regulations 15168(b)). Tiering will
ensure that the Fresno to Bakersfield
HST Project EIR/EIS builds upon all
previous work prepared for, and
incorporated in, the Statewide Program
EIR/EIS.
The Fresno to Bakersfield HST Project
EIR/EIS will describe site-specific
environmental impacts, identify specific
mitigation measures to address those
impacts and incorporate design features
to avoid and minimize potential adverse
environmental impacts. The FRA and
the Authority will assess the site
characteristics, size, nature, and timing
of the proposed project 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
alternatives, and evaluate the impacts of
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: https://
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 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 an increasingly congested
transportation system that will become
less reliable as travel demand increases.
The intercity highway system,
commercial airports, and conventional
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50867
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. The proposed HST
system is designed to address some of
the social, economic and environmental
problems associated with transportation
congestion in California.
Alternatives: The Fresno to
Bakersfield HST Project EIR/EIS will
consider a No Action or No Project
Alternative and an HST Alternative for
the Fresno 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 2009, 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: the State
Transportation Improvement Program
(STIP), Regional Transportation Plans
(RTPs) for all modes of travel, airport
plans, intercity passenger rail plans, and
city and county plans.
HST Alternative: The Authority
proposes to construct, operate, and
maintain an electric-powered steelwheel-on-steel-rail HST System, about
800 miles long, capable of operating
speeds of 220 mph on dedicated, fully
grad-separated tracks, with state-of-theart safety, signaling, and automated
train control systems. The BNSF
alignment from Fresno to Bakersfield
was selected with 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 highspeed 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 tracks.
Engineering studies to be undertaken as
part of this EIR/EIS process will
examine and refine alignments in the
BNSF corridor. The entire alignment
would be grade separated from existing
roadways. In addition, alternative sites
for right-of-way maintenance, train
storage facilities, and a light or heavy
maintenance and repair facility will be
evaluated in the Fresno to Bakersfield
HST project area.
The two preferred station locations
selected by the Authority and FRA
through the Statewide Program EIR/EIS
will be evaluated in the Fresno to
Bakersfield HST Project EIR/EIS. These
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50868
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 189 / Thursday, October 1, 2009 / Notices
stations are downtown Fresno and
downtown Bakersfield. Alternative
station sites at or near the selected
station locations may be identified and
evaluated. A potential station in the
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 Fresno 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.
Comments: FRA encourages broad
participation in the EIS process 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
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19:32 Sep 30, 2009
Jkt 217001
significant issues are identified. In
particular, FRA is interested in learning
whether there are areas of
environmental concern where there
might be a potential for significant sitespecific impacts from the FresnoBakersfield section of the HST system.
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 were held in
March 2009 for the Merced to
Bakersfield HST Project EIR/EIS and are
an important component of the scoping
process for the Fresno to Bakersfield
HST Project EIR/EIS for both the State
and Federal environmental review. 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 Fresno 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 in a manner consistent with the
standards set out in 36 CFR 800.8.
Issued in Washington, DC, on September
25, 2009.
Mark E. Yachmetz,
Associate Administrator for Railroad
Development, Federal Railroad
Administration.
[FR Doc. E9–23749 Filed 9–30–09; 8:45 am]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
Environmental Impact Statement for
the California High-Speed Train Project
from Merced to Fresno, CA
AGENCY: Federal Railroad
Administration (FRA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an
environmental impact statement.
SUMMARY: The FRA issued a Notice of
Intent on March 13, 2009 for the
preparation of an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) and Environmental
Impact Report (EIR) with the California
High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority)
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 that Notice, alternatives
involving the alignments and stations
located between Merced and Bakersfield
were identified. This notice amends the
project environmental process for the
Merced to Bakersfield section and
announces the preparation of two
separate EIR/EISs.
FRA and the Authority have
determined that the environmental
effects of the HST System from Merced
to Bakersfield are more appropriately
assessed in two separate documents;
one for Merced to Fresno and another
for Fresno to Bakersfield. This Notice
amends the environmental process
started on March 13, 2009 to instead a
Project EIR/EIS for the Merced to Fresno
section of the HST System. The decision
to complete two separate EIR/EISs was
made because the project sections are of
sufficient length, with logical termini
allowing for an analysis of
environmental matters on a broad scope
to ensure that the project will function
properly without requiring additional
improvements elsewhere; and the
assessment of HST alternatives in the
Merced to Fresno section will not
restrict consideration of alternatives for
other transportation improvements.
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
(Statewide 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
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 189 (Thursday, October 1, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50866-50868]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-23749]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
Environmental Impact Statement for the California High Speed
Train Project From Fresno to Bakersfield, CA
AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The FRA issued a Notice of Intent on March 13, 2009 for the
preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and
Environmental Impact Report (EIR) with the California High-Speed Rail
(Authority) 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 that Notice, alternatives involving the
alignments and stations located between Merced and Bakersfield were
identified. FRA is issuing this Notice to amend the project
environmental process for the Merced to Bakersfield section into two
separate project EISs.
FRA and the Authority have determined that the environmental
effects of the HST System from Merced to Bakersfield are more
appropriately assessed in two separate documents; one for Merced to
Fresno and another for Fresno to Bakersfield. This Notice amends the
environmental process started on March 13, 2009 to instead prepare a
Project EIR/EIS for the Fresno to Bakersfield section of the HST
System. The decision to complete two separate EIR/EISs was made because
the project sections are of sufficient length, with logical termini,
allowing for an analysis of environmental matters on a broad scope to
ensure that the project will function properly without requiring
additional improvements elsewhere; and the assessment of HST
alternatives in the Fresno to Bakersfield section will not restrict
consideration of alternatives for other transportation improvements.
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 (Statewide 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 with state-of-the-art safety, signaling, communication,
and automated train control systems. In approving the HST System, the
Authority and FRA also selected corridors/general alignments and
station location options throughout most of the system. The Statewide
Program EIR/EIS generally selected the Burlington Northern Santa Fe
Railroad (BNSF) corridor for the high-speed train route from Fresno to
Bakersfield and the Union Pacific Railroad Company (UPRR) corridor was
selected through the urban area of Fresno, with stations in downtown
Fresno and Bakersfield. The Statewide Program EIR/EIS also stated that
the project EIR/EIS for the HST in this portion of the Central Valley
would evaluate an alignment around Hanford and a potential station
location in the Visalia/Hanford/Tulare area.
The preparation of the Fresno to Bakersfield HST Project EIR/EIS
will involve the development of preliminary engineering designs and the
assessment of potential environmental effects associated with the
construction, operation, and maintenance of the HST System, including
track, ancillary facilities and stations, along the preferred
alternative corridor from Fresno to Bakersfield with alternative
alignments to the east of Hanford.
DATES: FRA and the Authority invite the general public, other
government agencies, and all other interested parties to comment on the
amended scope and content of the Fresno to Bakersfield HST Project EIR/
EIS. FRA and the Authority are soliciting additional oral and written
comments, suggestions, and requests for information, and request for
public meetings no later than October 30, 2009. These comments will
receive equal consideration as comments presented during the March 2009
scoping period for the former Merced to Bakersfield HST Project EIR/
EIS.
ADDRESSES: Written comments on the scope should be sent to Ms. Carrie
Bowen, Regional Director, ATTN. Fresno to Bakersfield, California High-
Speed Rail Authority, 925 L Street,
[[Page 50867]]
Suite 1425, Sacramento, CA 95814, or via e-mail with subject line
``Fresno to Bakersfield HST'' to: comments@hsr.ca.gov. Comments may
also be provided orally at the same address.
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 Bowen, Regional
Director, ATTN. Fresno to Bakersfield, California High-Speed Rail
Authority, 925 L Street, Suite 1425, Sacramento, CA 95814 (telephone:
559-221-2636).
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 services. The Authority
adopted a Final Business Plan in June 2000, which reviewed the economic
feasibility of an 800-mile-long HST System 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 overseeing the safety of railroad
operations, including the safety of any proposed high-speed ground
transportation system. FRA is also authorized to provide Federal
funding for intercity passenger rail capital investments including
high-speed rail. For the proposed HST, it is anticipated that FRA would
need to take certain regulatory actions prior to operation and may
provide financial assistance for the project including grant funds.
In 2005, the Authority and FRA completed a Statewide Program EIR/
EIS for the Proposed California High Speed Train System, as the first
phase of a tiered environmental review process. The Authority certified
the Statewide Program EIR under CEQA and approved the proposed HST
System, and FRA issued a Record of Decision under NEPA for the 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 during the site-specific project level
environmental review to avoid and minimize potential adverse
environmental impacts. The Fresno to Bakersfield HST Project EIR/EIS
will tier from the Statewide Program EIR/EIS in accordance with Council
on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations, (40 CFR 1508.28) and State
CEQA Guidelines (14 California Code of Regulations 15168(b)). Tiering
will ensure that the Fresno to Bakersfield HST Project EIR/EIS builds
upon all previous work prepared for, and incorporated in, the Statewide
Program EIR/EIS.
The Fresno to Bakersfield HST Project EIR/EIS will describe site-
specific environmental impacts, identify specific mitigation measures
to address those impacts and incorporate design features to avoid and
minimize potential adverse environmental impacts. The FRA and the
Authority will assess the site characteristics, size, nature, and
timing of the proposed project 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 alternatives, and evaluate the impacts of
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: https://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 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 an increasingly congested
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. The proposed HST system is designed to address some of
the social, economic and environmental problems associated with
transportation congestion in California.
Alternatives: The Fresno to Bakersfield HST Project EIR/EIS will
consider a No Action or No Project Alternative and an HST Alternative
for the Fresno 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 2009,
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: the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP),
Regional Transportation Plans (RTPs) for all modes of travel, airport
plans, intercity passenger rail plans, and 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 grad-separated tracks, with state-of-the-art safety,
signaling, and automated train control systems. The BNSF alignment from
Fresno to Bakersfield was selected with 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 tracks. Engineering studies to be undertaken as part of this EIR/
EIS process will examine and refine alignments in the BNSF corridor.
The entire alignment would be grade separated from existing roadways.
In addition, alternative sites for right-of-way maintenance, train
storage facilities, and a light or heavy maintenance and repair
facility will be evaluated in the Fresno to Bakersfield HST project
area.
The two preferred station locations selected by the Authority and
FRA through the Statewide Program EIR/EIS will be evaluated in the
Fresno to Bakersfield HST Project EIR/EIS. These
[[Page 50868]]
stations are downtown Fresno and downtown Bakersfield. Alternative
station sites at or near the selected station locations may be
identified and evaluated. A potential station in the 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 Fresno 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.
Comments: FRA encourages broad participation in the EIS process 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 learning whether there are areas of environmental
concern where there might be a potential for significant site-specific
impacts from the Fresno-Bakersfield section of the HST system. 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 were held in March 2009 for the Merced to
Bakersfield HST Project EIR/EIS and are an important component of the
scoping process for the Fresno to Bakersfield HST Project EIR/EIS for
both the State and Federal environmental review. 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 Fresno 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 in a manner
consistent with the standards set out in 36 CFR 800.8.
Issued in Washington, DC, on September 25, 2009.
Mark E. Yachmetz,
Associate Administrator for Railroad Development, Federal Railroad
Administration.
[FR Doc. E9-23749 Filed 9-30-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P
