Notice of the Extension of the Comment Period for the Draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement for the California High-Speed Train Project Fresno to Bakersfield Section, 55728-55729 [2011-23015]
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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 174 / Thursday, September 8, 2011 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
Notice of the Extension of the
Comment Period for the Draft
Environmental Impact Report/
Environmental Impact Statement for
the California High-Speed Train Project
Fresno to Bakersfield Section
Federal Railroad
Administration (FRA), United States
Department of Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
FRA is issuing this notice to
advise the public that the comment
period for the Draft Environmental
Impact Report (EIR)/Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) that has been
prepared for the California High-Speed
Train (HST) Project Fresno to
Bakersfield Section (Project) has been
extended and shall now end on October
13, 2011. This decision was made by the
Authority and FRA in response to
requests for an extension of the
comment period. FRA is the lead federal
agency and the California High-Speed
Rail Authority (Authority) is the lead
state agency for the environmental
review process.
The Authority plans to construct and
operate a fully grade-separated,
dedicated double-track, electric
powered, passenger rail, high-speed
railroad along a 114-mile corridor
between Fresno and Bakersfield, CA.
The Project includes stations in
downtown Fresno and Bakersfield, and
a possible Kings/Tulare Regional Station
east of Hanford, CA. A heavy
maintenance facility for assembly,
testing, and commissioning of trains,
train inspection and service, and train
overhaul may be constructed in the
Fresno to Bakersfield Section.
The Draft EIR/EIS presents the
Project’s purpose and need, identifies
all reasonable alternatives including
track alignments, stations, and heavy
maintenance facilities as well as the no
action alternative, describes the affected
environment, analyzes the potential
environmental impacts of all the
reasonable alternatives and the no
action alternative, and identifies
appropriate mitigation measures to
minimize the potential environmental
impacts.
DATES: Written comments on the Draft
EIR/EIS for the Fresno to Bakersfield
Section should be provided to the
Authority on or before October 13, 2011.
Public hearings are scheduled on
September 20, September 21, and
September 22, 2011 in Fresno, CA,
Hanford, CA, and Bakersfield, CA
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SUMMARY:
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respectively at the times and dates listed
in the ADDRESSES section below.
ADDRESSES: Written comments on the
Draft EIR/EIS should be sent to the
California High-Speed Rail Authority,
Fresno to Bakersfield EIR/EIS
Comments, 770 L Street, Suite 800,
Sacramento, CA 95814, through the
Authority’s Web site at https://
www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov, or via email with the subject line ‘‘Draft EIR/
EIS’’ at Fresno_Bakersfield@hsr.ca.gov.
Comments may also be provided orally
or in writing at the public hearings
scheduled at the following locations:
• Fresno, CA, Tuesday, September 20,
2011, 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., Fresno
Convention Center, 848 M Street,
Fresno, CA;
• Hanford, CA, Wednesday,
September 21, 2011, 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.,
Civic Auditorium, 400 N. Douty Street,
Hanford, CA; and
• Bakersfield, CA, Thursday,
September 22, 2011, 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.,
Beale Memorial Library, 701 Truxton
Avenue, Bakersfield, CA.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.
David Valenstein, Chief, Environment
and Systems Planning Division, Office
of Railroad Policy and Development,
Federal Railroad Administration, U.S.
Department of Transportation, 1200
New Jersey Avenue, SE., MS–20,
Washington, DC 20590 (telephone: 202–
493–6368), or Mr. Dan Leavitt, Deputy
Director for Environmental Review and
Planning, California High-Speed Rail
Authority, 770 L Street, Ste. 800,
Sacramento, CA 95814 (telephone: 916–
324–1541).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Once
completed, the California HST system
will provide intercity, high-speed
passenger rail service on more than 800
miles of tracks throughout California,
connecting the major population centers
of Sacramento, the San Francisco Bay
Area, the Central Valley, Los Angeles,
the Inland Empire, Orange County, and
San Diego. It will use state-of-the-art,
electrically powered, high-speed, steelwheel-on-steel-rail technology,
including contemporary safety,
signaling, and automated train-control
systems, with trains capable of
operating up to 220 miles per hour
(mph) over a fully grade-separated,
dedicated double track alignment.
The FRA and Authority certified a
Statewide Program EIR/EIS (Tier 1) for
the California HST system in November
2005 as the first phase of a tiered
environmental review process for the
California HST system. In 2008, the FRA
and Authority certified another program
EIR/EIS for the Bay Area to Central
Valley portion of the HST system. The
PO 00000
Frm 00087
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Fresno to Bakersfield Section Draft EIR/
EIS (Tier 2) analyzes the environmental
impacts and benefits of implementing
the high-speed train in the more
geographically limited area between
Fresno and Bakersfield, and is based on
more detailed project planning and
engineering. This Draft EIR/EIS analysis
builds on the earlier decisions and
program EIR/EISs, and provides more
site-specific and detailed analysis.
The Authority plans to complete the
California HST System in two phases.
Phase 1 will connect San Francisco to
Los Angeles/Anaheim via the Pacheco
Pass and the Central Valley with a
mandated express travel time of 2 hours
and 40 minutes or less. Phase 2 will
connect the Central Valley to the state’s
capital, Sacramento, and will extend the
system from Los Angeles, CA to San
Diego, CA. This Project is for one
section in Phase 1 and is receiving
funding from FRA for design and
environmental review as well as for the
construction of an initial Section in the
Central Valley.
The American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery
Act), enacted February 17, 2009,
contained $8 billion to fund high-speed
intercity passenger rail (HSIPR) projects.
In response to the Recovery Act
funding, FRA developed and began
implementation of the HSIPR Program
to fund projects to improve existing
intercity passenger rail service and to
develop new high speed intercity
passenger rail corridors. FRA’s HSIPR
Program also received an additional
$2.1 billion from the Transportation,
Housing, and Urban Development and
Related Agencies Appropriations Act of
2010. The California High-Speed Rail
Authority applied for and was selected
to receive over $3.5 billion in HSIPR
funds from FRA to complete
preliminary engineering and NEPA
reviews and associated documentation
for all seven sections comprising Phase
1 of the California HST System and to
construct an initial Central Valley
Section from Madera County to
Bakersfield (Kern County) California.
Completion of the environmental review
process marked by issuance of a Record
of Decision (ROD) by FRA is a
prerequisite for any construction related
federal funding or approvals from FRA.
The approximately 114-mile-long
Fresno to Bakersfield Section is a
critical Phase 1 link connecting Merced
to Fresno and Bay Area HST Sections to
the north and the Bakersfield to
Palmdale and Palmdale to Los Angeles
HST Sections to the south. The Fresno
to Bakersfield Section includes HST
stations in the cities of Fresno and
Bakersfield, with a third potential
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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 174 / Thursday, September 8, 2011 / Notices
station located in the vicinity of
Hanford (Kings/Tulare Regional Station)
that would serve the Hanford, Visalia,
and Tulare area. The Fresno and
Bakersfield stations are this Section’s
beginning and ending points, or project
termini.
This Draft EIR/EIS has been prepared
by the FRA and the Authority consistent
with the provisions of Section 102(2)(c)
of the National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA) of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et
seq.), the Council on Environmental
Quality (CEQ) regulations implementing
NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500 et seq.), FRA’s
Procedures for Considering
Environmental Impacts (64 FR 28545
(May 26, 1999)), the California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)
(Public Resources Code § 21000–21178),
and CEQA Guidelines (California Code
of Regulations Title 14, Chapter 3
§ 15000–15387).
The Draft EIR/EIS is available online
at FRA’s Web site: https://
www.fra.dot.gov; the Authority’s Web
site: https://www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov.
The Draft EIR/EIS is also available for
viewing at the following locations near
the planned rail system:
• Fresno County Public Library,
Central Branch, Central Reference
Department, 2420 Mariposa Street,
Fresno, CA;
• Fresno County Public Library,
Clovis Regional Library, 1155 Fifth
Street, Clovis, CA;
• Fresno County Public Library, Laton
Branch, 6313 DeWoody Street, Laton,
CA;
• Kern County Library, Beale
Memorial Library, 701 Truxtun Avenue,
Bakersfield, CA;
• Kern County Library, Corcoran
Branch, 1001 Chittenden Avenue,
Corcoran, CA;
• Kern County Library, Delano
Branch, 925 10th Avenue, Delano, CA;
• Kern County Library, Shafter
Branch, 236 James Street, Shafter, CA;
• Kern County Library, Wasco
Branch, 1102 7th Street, Wasco, CA;
• Kings County Library, Hanford
Branch (Main Library), 401 N. Douty
Street, Hanford, CA;
• Kings County Library, Lemoore
Branch, 457 C Street, Lemoore, CA;
• Tulare County Library, Visalia
Branch (Main Library), 200 West Oak
Avenue, Visalia, CA; and
• Tulare Public Library, 475 North M
Street, Tulare, CA.
Issued in Washington, DC, on August 31,
2011.
Paul Nissenbaum,
Director, Office of Passenger and Freight
Programs.
[FR Doc. 2011–23015 Filed 9–7–11; 8:45 am]
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16:26 Sep 07, 2011
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
Notice of the Extension of the
Comment Period for the Draft
Environmental Impact Report/
Environmental Impact Statement for
the California High-Speed Rail Project
Merced to Fresno Section
Federal Railroad
Administration (FRA), United States
Department of Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
FRA is issuing this notice to
advise the public that the comment
period for the Draft Environmental
Impact Report (EIR)/Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) that has been
prepared for the California High-Speed
Train (HST) Project Merced to Fresno
Section (Project) has been extended and
shall now end on October 13, 2011. This
decision was made by the Authority and
FRA in response to requests for
extension of the comment period. FRA
is the lead federal agency and the
California High-Speed Rail Authority
(Authority) is the lead state agency for
the environmental review process.
The Authority proposes to construct
and operate a reliable high-speed
electric-powered passenger train system
along an approximately 65-mile
corridor, from Merced, CA, to Fresno,
CA that links those cities by delivering
predictable and consistent travel times.
The Project includes high-speed track
alignments, stations in downtown
Merced and Fresno. A heavy
maintenance facility for assembly,
testing, and commissioning of trains,
train inspection and service, and train
overhaul may be constructed in the
Merced to Fresno Section.
The Draft EIR/EIS presents the
Project’s purpose and need, identifies
all reasonable alternatives including
track alignments, stations, and heavy
maintenance facilities as well as the no
action alternative, describes the affected
environment, analyzes the potential
environmental impacts of all the
reasonable alternatives and the no
action alternative, and identifies
appropriate mitigation measures to
minimize the potential environmental
impacts.
SUMMARY:
Written comments on the Draft
EIR/EIS for the Project should be
provided to the Authority on or before
October 13, 2011. Public hearings are
scheduled on September 14, 2011,
September 15, 2011, and September 20,
2011 in Merced, CA, Madera, CA, and
Fresno, CA respectively at the times and
DATES:
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Fmt 4703
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55729
dates listed in the Addresses Section
below.
ADDRESSES: Written comments on the
Draft EIR/EIS should be sent to the
California High-Speed Rail Authority,
Merced to Fresno EIR/EIS Comment,
770 L Street, Suite 800, Sacramento, CA
95814, through the Authority’s Web site
at https://www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov, or
via e-mail with the subject line ‘‘Draft
EIR/EIS’’ to merced_fresno@hsr.ca.gov.
Comments may also be provided orally
or in writing at the public hearings
scheduled at the following locations:
• Merced, CA, Wednesday,
September 14, 2011, 3 to 8 p.m., Merced
Community Senior Center, 755 West
15th Street, Merced, CA 95340;
• Madera, CA, Thursday, September
15, 2011, 3 to 8 p.m., Madera City
Council Chambers, 205 W. 4th Street,
Madera, CA 93637; and
• Fresno, CA, Tuesday, September 20,
2011, 3 to 8 p.m., Fresno Convention
Center, 848 M Street, Fresno, CA.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.
David Valenstein, Chief, Environment
and Systems Planning Division, Office
of Railroad Policy and Development,
Federal Railroad Administration, U.S.
Department of Transportation, 1200
New Jersey Avenue, SE., MS–20,
Washington, DC 20590 (telephone: 202–
493–6368), or Mr. Dan Leavitt, Deputy
Director for Environmental Review and
Planning, California High-Speed Rail
Authority, 770 L Street, Ste. 800,
Sacramento, CA 95814 (telephone: 916–
324–1541).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Once
completed, the California HST system
will provide intercity, high-speed
passenger rail service on more than 800
miles of tracks throughout California,
connecting the major population centers
of Sacramento, the San Francisco Bay
Area, the Central Valley, Los Angeles,
the Inland Empire, Orange County, and
San Diego. It will use state-of-the-art,
electrically powered, high-speed, steelwheel-on-steel-rail technology,
including contemporary safety,
signaling, and automated train-control
systems, with trains capable of
operating up to 220 miles per hour
(mph) over a fully grade-separated,
dedicated double track alignment.
The FRA and Authority certified a
Statewide Program EIR/EIS (Tier 1) for
the California HST system in November
2005 as the first phase of a tiered
environmental review process for the
California HST system. In 2008, the FRA
and Authority certified another program
EIR/EIS for the Bay Area to Central
Valley portion of the HST system. The
Merced to Fresno Section Draft EIR/EIS
(Tier 2) analyzes the environmental
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 174 (Thursday, September 8, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55728-55729]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-23015]
[[Page 55728]]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
Notice of the Extension of the Comment Period for the Draft
Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement for the
California High-Speed Train Project Fresno to Bakersfield Section
AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), United States Department
of Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: FRA is issuing this notice to advise the public that the
comment period for the Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR)/
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that has been prepared for the
California High-Speed Train (HST) Project Fresno to Bakersfield Section
(Project) has been extended and shall now end on October 13, 2011. This
decision was made by the Authority and FRA in response to requests for
an extension of the comment period. FRA is the lead federal agency and
the California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) is the lead state
agency for the environmental review process.
The Authority plans to construct and operate a fully grade-
separated, dedicated double-track, electric powered, passenger rail,
high-speed railroad along a 114-mile corridor between Fresno and
Bakersfield, CA. The Project includes stations in downtown Fresno and
Bakersfield, and a possible Kings/Tulare Regional Station east of
Hanford, CA. A heavy maintenance facility for assembly, testing, and
commissioning of trains, train inspection and service, and train
overhaul may be constructed in the Fresno to Bakersfield Section.
The Draft EIR/EIS presents the Project's purpose and need,
identifies all reasonable alternatives including track alignments,
stations, and heavy maintenance facilities as well as the no action
alternative, describes the affected environment, analyzes the potential
environmental impacts of all the reasonable alternatives and the no
action alternative, and identifies appropriate mitigation measures to
minimize the potential environmental impacts.
DATES: Written comments on the Draft EIR/EIS for the Fresno to
Bakersfield Section should be provided to the Authority on or before
October 13, 2011. Public hearings are scheduled on September 20,
September 21, and September 22, 2011 in Fresno, CA, Hanford, CA, and
Bakersfield, CA respectively at the times and dates listed in the
ADDRESSES section below.
ADDRESSES: Written comments on the Draft EIR/EIS should be sent to the
California High-Speed Rail Authority, Fresno to Bakersfield EIR/EIS
Comments, 770 L Street, Suite 800, Sacramento, CA 95814, through the
Authority's Web site at https://www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov, or via e-
mail with the subject line ``Draft EIR/EIS'' at Fresno_Bakersfield@hsr.ca.gov. Comments may also be provided orally or in
writing at the public hearings scheduled at the following locations:
Fresno, CA, Tuesday, September 20, 2011, 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.,
Fresno Convention Center, 848 M Street, Fresno, CA;
Hanford, CA, Wednesday, September 21, 2011, 3 p.m. to 8
p.m., Civic Auditorium, 400 N. Douty Street, Hanford, CA; and
Bakersfield, CA, Thursday, September 22, 2011, 3 p.m. to 8
p.m., Beale Memorial Library, 701 Truxton Avenue, Bakersfield, CA.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. David Valenstein, Chief,
Environment and Systems Planning Division, Office of Railroad Policy
and Development, Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., MS-20, Washington, DC
20590 (telephone: 202-493-6368), or Mr. Dan Leavitt, Deputy Director
for Environmental Review and Planning, California High-Speed Rail
Authority, 770 L Street, Ste. 800, Sacramento, CA 95814 (telephone:
916-324-1541).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Once completed, the California HST system
will provide intercity, high-speed passenger rail service on more than
800 miles of tracks throughout California, connecting the major
population centers of Sacramento, the San Francisco Bay Area, the
Central Valley, Los Angeles, the Inland Empire, Orange County, and San
Diego. It will use state-of-the-art, electrically powered, high-speed,
steel-wheel-on-steel-rail technology, including contemporary safety,
signaling, and automated train-control systems, with trains capable of
operating up to 220 miles per hour (mph) over a fully grade-separated,
dedicated double track alignment.
The FRA and Authority certified a Statewide Program EIR/EIS (Tier
1) for the California HST system in November 2005 as the first phase of
a tiered environmental review process for the California HST system. In
2008, the FRA and Authority certified another program EIR/EIS for the
Bay Area to Central Valley portion of the HST system. The Fresno to
Bakersfield Section Draft EIR/EIS (Tier 2) analyzes the environmental
impacts and benefits of implementing the high-speed train in the more
geographically limited area between Fresno and Bakersfield, and is
based on more detailed project planning and engineering. This Draft
EIR/EIS analysis builds on the earlier decisions and program EIR/EISs,
and provides more site-specific and detailed analysis.
The Authority plans to complete the California HST System in two
phases. Phase 1 will connect San Francisco to Los Angeles/Anaheim via
the Pacheco Pass and the Central Valley with a mandated express travel
time of 2 hours and 40 minutes or less. Phase 2 will connect the
Central Valley to the state's capital, Sacramento, and will extend the
system from Los Angeles, CA to San Diego, CA. This Project is for one
section in Phase 1 and is receiving funding from FRA for design and
environmental review as well as for the construction of an initial
Section in the Central Valley.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act),
enacted February 17, 2009, contained $8 billion to fund high-speed
intercity passenger rail (HSIPR) projects. In response to the Recovery
Act funding, FRA developed and began implementation of the HSIPR
Program to fund projects to improve existing intercity passenger rail
service and to develop new high speed intercity passenger rail
corridors. FRA's HSIPR Program also received an additional $2.1 billion
from the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development and Related
Agencies Appropriations Act of 2010. The California High-Speed Rail
Authority applied for and was selected to receive over $3.5 billion in
HSIPR funds from FRA to complete preliminary engineering and NEPA
reviews and associated documentation for all seven sections comprising
Phase 1 of the California HST System and to construct an initial
Central Valley Section from Madera County to Bakersfield (Kern County)
California. Completion of the environmental review process marked by
issuance of a Record of Decision (ROD) by FRA is a prerequisite for any
construction related federal funding or approvals from FRA.
The approximately 114-mile-long Fresno to Bakersfield Section is a
critical Phase 1 link connecting Merced to Fresno and Bay Area HST
Sections to the north and the Bakersfield to Palmdale and Palmdale to
Los Angeles HST Sections to the south. The Fresno to Bakersfield
Section includes HST stations in the cities of Fresno and Bakersfield,
with a third potential
[[Page 55729]]
station located in the vicinity of Hanford (Kings/Tulare Regional
Station) that would serve the Hanford, Visalia, and Tulare area. The
Fresno and Bakersfield stations are this Section's beginning and ending
points, or project termini.
This Draft EIR/EIS has been prepared by the FRA and the Authority
consistent with the provisions of Section 102(2)(c) of the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the
Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations implementing NEPA
(40 CFR parts 1500 et seq.), FRA's Procedures for Considering
Environmental Impacts (64 FR 28545 (May 26, 1999)), the California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) (Public Resources Code Sec. 21000-
21178), and CEQA Guidelines (California Code of Regulations Title 14,
Chapter 3 Sec. 15000-15387).
The Draft EIR/EIS is available online at FRA's Web site: https://www.fra.dot.gov; the Authority's Web site: https://www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov. The Draft EIR/EIS is also available for
viewing at the following locations near the planned rail system:
Fresno County Public Library, Central Branch, Central
Reference Department, 2420 Mariposa Street, Fresno, CA;
Fresno County Public Library, Clovis Regional Library,
1155 Fifth Street, Clovis, CA;
Fresno County Public Library, Laton Branch, 6313 DeWoody
Street, Laton, CA;
Kern County Library, Beale Memorial Library, 701 Truxtun
Avenue, Bakersfield, CA;
Kern County Library, Corcoran Branch, 1001 Chittenden
Avenue, Corcoran, CA;
Kern County Library, Delano Branch, 925 10th Avenue,
Delano, CA;
Kern County Library, Shafter Branch, 236 James Street,
Shafter, CA;
Kern County Library, Wasco Branch, 1102 7th Street, Wasco,
CA;
Kings County Library, Hanford Branch (Main Library), 401
N. Douty Street, Hanford, CA;
Kings County Library, Lemoore Branch, 457 C Street,
Lemoore, CA;
Tulare County Library, Visalia Branch (Main Library), 200
West Oak Avenue, Visalia, CA; and
Tulare Public Library, 475 North M Street, Tulare, CA.
Issued in Washington, DC, on August 31, 2011.
Paul Nissenbaum,
Director, Office of Passenger and Freight Programs.
[FR Doc. 2011-23015 Filed 9-7-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P
