Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement, for the Chicago, IL to St. Louis, MO High Speed Rail Corridor Program, 38882-38884 [2012-15993]

Download as PDF mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES 38882 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 126 / Friday, June 29, 2012 / Notices interchanges at S.R. 62/Port Road and Utica-Old Salem Road. The actions by the Federal agencies, and the laws under which such actions were taken, are described in the Supplemental Final Environmental Impact Statement (SFEIS) for the project, approved on April 20, 2012, in the FHWA Revised Record of Decision (Revised ROD) issued on June 20, 2012, and in other documents in the FHWA administrative record. A Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and Section 4(f) Evaluation were previously issued for the Project on April 8, 2003 and were followed by the issuance of a Record of Decision on September 6, 2003. The SFEIS, Revised ROD, and other project records are available by contacting FHWA, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, or the Indiana Department of Transportation at the addresses provided above. The SFEIS and Revised ROD can be viewed and downloaded from the project Web site at www.kyinbridges.com, or viewed at public libraries in the project area. This notice applies to all Federal agency decisions as of the issuance date of this notice and all laws under which such actions were taken, including but not limited to: 1. General: National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) [42 U.S.C. 4321– 4351]; Federal-Aid Highway Act [23 U.S.C. 109 and 23 U.S.C. 128]. 2. Air: Clean Air Act [42 U.S.C. 7401– 7671(q)]. 3. Land: Section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act of 1966 [49 U.S.C. 303]; Farmland Protection Policy ACT (FPPA) [7 U.S.C. 4201–4209]. 4. Wildlife: Endangered Species Act [16 U.S.C. 1531–1544 and Section 1536]; Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act [16 U.S.C. 661–667(d)]; Migratory Bird Treaty Act [16 U.S.C. 703–712]. 5. Historic and Cultural Resources: Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended [16 U.S.C. 470(f) et seq.]; Archeological Resources Protection Act of 1977 [16 U.S.C. 470(aa)–470(ll)]; Archeological and Historic Preservation Act [16 U.S.C. 469–469(c). 6. Social and Economic: Civil Rights Act of 1964 [42 U.S.C. 2000(d)– 2000(d)(1)]; Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Act of 1970 (42 U.S.C. 4601 et seq., Pub. L. 91–646) as amended by the Uniform Relocation Act of 1987 (Pub. L. 100–17); Executive Order 12898, Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low Income Populations, February 11, 1994.. 7. Wetlands and Water Resources: Clean Water Act (Section 404, Section VerDate Mar<15>2010 16:52 Jun 28, 2012 Jkt 226001 401, Section 319) [33 U.S.C. 1251– 1377]; Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) [16 U.S.C. 4601–4604]; Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) [42 U.S.C. 300(f)–300(j)(6)]; Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 [33 U.S.C. 401– 406]; Emergency Wetlands Resources Act, [16 U.S.C. 3921, 3931]; Wetlands Mitigation [23 U.S.C. 103(b)(6)(M) and 133(b)(11)]; Flood Disaster Protection Act, 42 U.S.C. 4001–4128. 8. Executive Orders: E.O. 11990 Protection of Wetlands; E.O. 11988 Floodplain Management; E.O. 11593 Protection and Enhancement of Cultural Resources; E.O. 13287 Preserve America; E.O. 13175 Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribal Governments. (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program Number 20.205, Highway Planning and Construction. The regulations implementing Executive Order 12372 regarding intergovernmental consultation on Federal programs and activities apply to this program.) Authority: 23 U.S.C. 139(l)(1). Issued on: June 20, 2012. Jose Sepulveda, FHWA Division Administrator, Frankfort, KY 40601. [FR Doc. 2012–15931 Filed 6–28–12; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE P DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Railroad Administration Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement, for the Chicago, IL to St. Louis, MO High Speed Rail Corridor Program AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) United State Department of Transportation (DOT). ACTION: Notice of availability of draft environmental impact statement. SUMMARY: FRA is issuing this notice to advise the public that a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Draft EIS) has been prepared for the Chicago, Illinois to St. Louis, Missouri High Speed Rail Corridor Program. The Draft EIS includes a Tier 1 corridor-level evaluation and a Tier 2 project-level evaluation for the Springfield Rail Improvements Project. FRA is the lead federal agency and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) is the lead state agency for the environmental review process. IDOT proposes to improve high speed passenger rail service between Chicago, Illinois and St. Louis, Missouri, including the rail lines through Springfield, Illinois. The proposed PO 00000 Frm 00118 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 including the development of double tracking along the existing Amtrak railroad corridor to improve high-speed passenger service reliability and safety, and to increase the number of trips between Chicago and St. Louis, as well as including improvements to railroad crossings, signals, and stations. The Draft EIS presents the Program’s purpose and need, identifies all reasonable alternatives, 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 45-day Draft EIS should be provided to IDOT on or before Monday, August 20th, 2012. Public hearings are scheduled to occur in August, 2012 in Chicago, IL, Springfield, IL, Alton, IL, Joliet, IL, and Bloomington, IL at times and dates to be announced on the High Speed Rail Program’s Web site at https:// www.idothsr.org/. ADDRESSES: Written comments on the Draft EIS should be sent directly to Joseph Shacter, Illinois Department of Transportation, 100 West Randolph Street, Suite 6–600, Chicago, Illinois 60601, or submitted through the High Speed Rail Program’s Web site at https:// www.idothsr.org/, or via email with the subject line ‘‘Draft EIS’’ to Joseph.Shacter@Illinois.gov. Comments may also be provided orally or in writing at the public hearings. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Andrea E. Martin, Environmental Protection Specialist, Office of Railroad Policy and Development, Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., MS–20, Washington, DC 20590; email: andrea.martin@dot.gov; telephone: 202– 493–6201 or Joseph Shacter, Illinois Department of Transportation, 100 West Randolph Street, Suite 6–600, Chicago, Illinois 60601; email: Joseph.Shacter@Illinois.gov; telephone: 312–793–2116. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The proposed High Speed Rail Program would include the development of double track along the existing Amtrak railroad corridor between Chicago, Illinois and St. Louis, Missouri to improve high-speed passenger service reliability and safety, and to increase the number of trips, as well as include improvements to railroad crossings, signals, and stations. These proposed improvements are in addition to those improvements associated with the E:\FR\FM\29JNN1.SGM 29JNN1 mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 126 / Friday, June 29, 2012 / Notices January 8, 2004 Record of Decision (ROD) for the Chicago-St. Louis HighSpeed Rail Program and the 2011 Environmental Assessment (EA)/ Finding of No Significant Impacts (FONSI) concerning improvements to the existing track and the construction of additional side tracks. Implementation of those improvements is currently underway. The current Chicago to St. Louis Corridor operates on a single track that is shared by both traditional freight and Amtrak passenger rail service. The EIS identifies and evaluates the environmental and transportation impacts associated with route alternatives and corridor-wide capacity enhancements, including double-track. IDOT and FRA are using a tiered environmental process to evaluate the proposed Program. A tiered environmental process is a phased environmental review used in the development of complex projects. Under this process, the Draft EIS addresses broad, corridor-level issues and alternatives. Tier 2 environmental documents address individual component projects of the Selected Alternative carried forward from the Tier 1 environmental process. Concurrently with this Tier 1 study of the full Chicago to St. Louis Corridor, IDOT and FRA are conducting a Tier 2 analysis for the portion of the High Speed Rail corridor in Springfield, IL. The corridor alternatives retained in the Draft EIS are the result of a screening process that used several evaluation criteria developed specifically for the Program. The screening criteria determined the route options that should be eliminated from further consideration. The four alternatives and no-build retained utilize combinations of the existing Amtrak passenger rail routes between Chicago and Joliet, Illinois, the City of Springfield, Illinois, and approaching St. Louis, Missouri and allow for eight daily round trips at 110 miles per hour (mph) on two tracks. Other improvements identified in the Draft EIS include sidings, pedestrian grade separations at the stations, and grade separations along major roadways. After the public comment period for the Draft EIS and following completion of the Final EIS, individual component projects along the corridor would be advanced and studied in greater detail as Tier 2 project-level evaluations in the tiered environmental review process. A Tier 2 project-level evaluation for improvements in Springfield is also included within the Draft EIS. The Springfield Rail Improvements Project VerDate Mar<15>2010 16:52 Jun 28, 2012 Jkt 226001 has been advanced concurrently as a component of the overall corridor program. The Tier 2 evaluation considers the environmental and transportation impacts of rail routes through the City of Springfield, Illinois; addressing safety, noise, and traffic delays that would result from increased volumes of both passenger and freight rail traffic on the three north-south rail corridors that pass through the City of Springfield. This Draft EIS has been prepared by FRA and IDOT consistent with the provisions of Section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations implementing NEPA (40 CFR part 1500 et seq.), and FRA’s Procedures for Considering Environmental Impacts (64 FR 28545; May 26, 1999). Copies of the Draft EIS are available online at FRA’s Web site: https:// www.fra.dot.gov and IDOT’s Web site: https://www.idothsr.org/; the document is also available for viewing at the following locations along the Corridor: • Hayner Library, 326 Belle Street, Alton, IL 62002 • Atlanta Public Library District, 100 Race Street, Atlanta, IL 61723 • Auburn Public Library, 338 West Jefferson Street, Auburn, IL 62615 • Bloomington Public Library, 205 East Olive Street, Bloomington, IL 61701 • Blue Island Library, 2433 York Street, Blue Island, IL 60406 • Fossil Ridge Public Library, 386 West Kennedy Road, Braidwood, IL 60408 • Brighton Memorial Public Library, 110 North Main Street, Brighton, IL 62012 • Carlinville Public Library, 510 North Broad Street, Carlinville, IL 62626 • Chatham Area Public Library, 600 East Spruce Street, Chatham, IL 62629 • Chenoa Public Library District, 211 South Division Street, Chenoa, IL 61726 • Chicago Public Library-Harold Washington, 400 South State Street, Chicago, IL 60605 • Prairie Creek Public Library, 501 Carriage House Lane, Dwight, IL 60420 • East Alton Public Library, 250 Washington Avenue, East Alton, IL 62024 • East St. Louis Public Library, 5300 State Street, East St. Louis, IL 62203 • Elkhart Public Library District, 121 East Bohan Street, Elkhart, IL 62634 • Manhattan-Elwood Public Library District, 240 Whitson Street, Manhattan, IL 60442 • Frankfort Public Library District, 21119 South Pfeiffer Road, Frankfort, IL 60423 PO 00000 Frm 00119 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 38883 • Girard Township Library, 201 West Madison Street, Girard, IL 62640 • Six Mile Regional Library District, 2001 Delmar Avenue, Granite City, IL 62040 • Hartford Public Library District, 143 West Hawthorne Street, Hartford, IL 62048 • Joliet Public Library, 150 North Ottawa Street, Joliet, IL 60432 • Lemont Public Library, 50 East Wend Street, Lemont, IL 60439 • Lexington Public Library District, 207 South Cedar Street, Lexington, IL 61753 • Lincoln Public Library, 725 Peking Street, Lincoln, IL 62656 • Lockport Public Library, 121 East 8th Street, Lockport, IL 60441 • Madison Public Library, 1700 Fifth Street, Madison, IL 62060 • Mount Hope-Funks Grove Public Library, 111 South Hamilton Street, McLean, IL 61754 • Midlothian Public Library, 14701 South Kenton Avenue, Midlothian, IL 60445 • Mokena Community Public Library, 11327 West 195th Street, Mokena, IL 60448 • New Lenox Public Library, 120 Veterans Parkway, New Lenox, IL 60451 • Normal Public Library, 206 West College Avenue, Normal, IL 61761 • Acorn Public Library District, 15624 South Central Avenue, Oak Forest, IL 60452 • Odell Public Library District, 301 East Richard Street, Odell, IL 60460 • Orland Park Public Library, 14921 South Ravinia Avenue, Orland Park, IL 60462 • Pontiac Public Library, 211 East Madison Street, Pontiac, IL 61764 • William Leonard Public Library District, 13820 Central Park Avenue, Robbins, IL 60472 • Sherman Public Library District, 2100 East Andrew Road, Sherman, IL 62684 • Springfield Lincoln Library, 326 South Seventh Street, Springfield, IL 62701 • St. Louis Central Library, 1310 Olive Street, St. Louis, MO 63103 • Summit Public Library District, 6233 South Archer Road, Summit, IL 60501 • Tinley Park Public Library, 7851 Timber Drive, Tinley Park, IL 60477 • Towanda District Library, 301 South Taylor Street, Towanda, IL 61776 • Venice Public Library, 325 Broadway Avenue, Venice, IL 62090 • Grand Prairie of the West Public Library District, 142 West Jackson Street, Virden, IL 62690 • Williamsville Public Library, 141 West Main Street, Williamsville, IL 62693 E:\FR\FM\29JNN1.SGM 29JNN1 38884 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 126 / Friday, June 29, 2012 / Notices • Wilmington Public Library District, 201 South Kankakee Street, Wilmington, IL 60481 • Wood River Public Library, 326 East Ferguson Avenue, Wood River, IL 62095 By the Board. Richard Armstrong, Acting Director, Office of Proceedings. Jeffrey Herzig, Clearance Unit. Issued in Washington, DC on June 25, 2012. Corey W. Hill, Director, Rail Project Development and Delivery. BILLING CODE 4915–01–P [FR Doc. 2012–15798 Filed 6–28–12; 8:45 am] DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION [FR Doc. 2012–15993 Filed 6–28–12; 8:45 am] Surface Transportation Board BILLING CODE 4910–06–P [Docket No. FD 35641] DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. FD 35640] mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Wyoming Connect Railroad LLC— Acquisition and Operation Exemption—Union Pacific Railroad Company Wyoming Connect Railroad LLC (WCR), a noncarrier, has filed a verified notice of exemption under 49 CFR 1150.31 to acquire by lease from Union Pacific Railroad Company and to operate approximately 18.5 miles of rail line between milepost 0.0 at or near Yoder and milepost 18.5 at or near South Torrington, in Goshen County, Wyo. The transaction is scheduled to be consummated on or after July 15, 2012 (30 days after the notice of exemption was filed). WCR certifies that its projected annual revenues as a result of this transaction will not exceed those that would qualify it as a Class III rail carrier and will not exceed $5 million. If the verified notice contains false or misleading information, the exemption is void ab initio. Petitions to revoke the exemption under 49 U.S.C. 10502(d) may be filed at any time. The filing of a petition to revoke will not automatically stay the effectiveness of the exemption. Petitions to stay must be filed no later than July 6, 2012 (at least 7 days before the exemption becomes effective). An original and 10 copies of all pleadings, referring to Docket No. FD 35640, must be filed with the Surface Transportation Board, 395 E Street SW., Washington, DC 20423–0001. In addition, a copy of each pleading must be served on Thomas F. McFarland, 208 South LaSalle St., Suite 1890, Chicago, IL 60604. Board decisions and notices are available on our Web site at www.stb.dot.gov. Decided: June 21, 2012. VerDate Mar<15>2010 16:52 Jun 28, 2012 Jkt 226001 Sisseton Milbank Railroad Company— Acquisition and Operation Exemption—SLA Property Management Limited Partnership and Sisseton Milbank Railroad, Inc. Sisseton Milbank Railroad Company (SMRC), a noncarrier, has filed a verified notice of exemption under 49 CFR 1150.31 to acquire from SLA Property Management Limited Partnership and Sisseton Milbank Railroad, Inc., their interests in, and to operate, an approximately 37.1-mile rail line between approximate railroad milepost 0.9 in or near Milbank and approximate railroad milepost 38.0 in or near Sisseton, in Grant and Roberts Counties, S.D. This transaction is related to a concurrently filed petition for exemption in Docket No. FD 35642, Twin Cities & Western Railroad Company, the Estate of Douglas M. Head and the DMH Trust fbo Martha M. Head—Continuance in Control Exemption—Sisseton Milbank Railroad Company, in which Twin Cities & Western Railroad Company (TCW), the Estate of Douglas M. Head (Estate), and the DMH Trust fbo Martha M. Head (Trust) seek Board approval to continue in control of SMRC upon SMRC’s becoming a Class III rail carrier.1 The parties expect to consummate the transaction on or after July 16, 2012.2 SMRC certifies that its projected annual revenues as a result of this transaction do not exceed those that would qualify it as a Class III rail carrier and will not exceed $5 million. If the verified notice contains false or misleading information, the exemption is void ab initio. Petitions to revoke the 1 SMRC states that it is a wholly owned subsidiary of TCW, which is currently controlled by the Estate, and that it is anticipated that the TCW stock held by the Estate will be distributed to the Trust in the near future. 2 SMRC indicates that, because it is likely that the acquisition transaction will close prior to the Board’s issuance of a decision on TCW’s continuance-in-control petition, TCW has entered into a Voting Trust Agreement pursuant to 49 CFR part 1013, under which the shares of SMRC will be deposited in a voting trust. PO 00000 Frm 00120 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 exemption under 49 U.S.C. 10502(d) may be filed at any time. The filing of a petition to revoke will not automatically stay the effectiveness of the exemption. Petitions to stay must be filed no later than July 6, 2012 (at least seven days before the exemption becomes effective). An original and ten copies of all pleadings, referring to Docket No. FD 35641, must be filed with the Surface Transportation Board, 395 E Street SW., Washington, DC 20423–0001. In addition, a copy of each pleading must be served on Rose-Michele Nardi, Weiner Brodsky Sidman Kider, PC, 1300 Nineteenth Street NW., Fifth Floor, Washington, DC 20036–1609. Board decisions and notices are available on our Web site at ‘‘www.stb.dot.gov.’’ Decided: June 26, 2012. By the Board. Rachel D. Campbell, Director, Office of Proceedings. Derrick A. Gardner, Clearance Clerk. [FR Doc. 2012–15957 Filed 6–28–12; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4915–01–P DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. MCF 21046] Professional Transportation, Inc.— Asset Acquisition—CUSA ES, LLC and CUSA CSS, LLC AGENCY: ACTION: Surface Transportation Board. Notice of Finance Application. SUMMARY: Professional Transportation, Inc. (PTI or Applicant), an interstate passenger motor carrier (MC–217444), has filed an application under 49 U.S.C. 14303 to acquire the assets of two interstate motor passenger common carrier subsidiaries of noncarrier Coach America Holdings, Inc.—CUSA ES, LLC (MC–463168) and CUSA CSS, LLC (MC– 522544) (collectively, Coach America Subsidiaries). On June 5, 2012, Michael Yusim, an individual, filed a letter in opposition, asserting that the public interest would not be served by allowing the transaction to proceed without certain Department of Labor proceedings first being completed. A copy of this notice will be served on Mr. Yusim. Persons wishing to oppose the application must follow the rules set forth at 49 CFR 1182.5 and 1182.8. DATES: Comments must be filed by August 13, 2012. Applicant may file a reply to any comments by August 28, 2012. E:\FR\FM\29JNN1.SGM 29JNN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 126 (Friday, June 29, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38882-38884]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-15993]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration


Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement, 
for the Chicago, IL to St. Louis, MO High Speed Rail Corridor Program

AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) United State Department 
of Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice of availability of draft environmental impact statement.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: FRA is issuing this notice to advise the public that a Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement (Draft EIS) has been prepared for the 
Chicago, Illinois to St. Louis, Missouri High Speed Rail Corridor 
Program. The Draft EIS includes a Tier 1 corridor-level evaluation and 
a Tier 2 project-level evaluation for the Springfield Rail Improvements 
Project. FRA is the lead federal agency and the Illinois Department of 
Transportation (IDOT) is the lead state agency for the environmental 
review process.
    IDOT proposes to improve high speed passenger rail service between 
Chicago, Illinois and St. Louis, Missouri, including the rail lines 
through Springfield, Illinois. The proposed including the development 
of double tracking along the existing Amtrak railroad corridor to 
improve high-speed passenger service reliability and safety, and to 
increase the number of trips between Chicago and St. Louis, as well as 
including improvements to railroad crossings, signals, and stations.
    The Draft EIS presents the Program's purpose and need, identifies 
all reasonable alternatives, 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 45-day Draft EIS should be provided to 
IDOT on or before Monday, August 20th, 2012. Public hearings are 
scheduled to occur in August, 2012 in Chicago, IL, Springfield, IL, 
Alton, IL, Joliet, IL, and Bloomington, IL at times and dates to be 
announced on the High Speed Rail Program's Web site at https://www.idothsr.org/.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the Draft EIS should be sent directly to 
Joseph Shacter, Illinois Department of Transportation, 100 West 
Randolph Street, Suite 6-600, Chicago, Illinois 60601, or submitted 
through the High Speed Rail Program's Web site at https://www.idothsr.org/, or via email with the subject line ``Draft EIS'' to 
Joseph.Shacter@Illinois.gov. Comments may also be provided orally or in 
writing at the public hearings.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Andrea E. Martin, Environmental 
Protection Specialist, Office of Railroad Policy and Development, 
Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, 
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., MS-20, Washington, DC 20590; email: 
andrea.martin@dot.gov; telephone: 202-493-6201 or Joseph Shacter, 
Illinois Department of Transportation, 100 West Randolph Street, Suite 
6-600, Chicago, Illinois 60601; email: Joseph.Shacter@Illinois.gov; 
telephone: 312-793-2116.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The proposed High Speed Rail Program would 
include the development of double track along the existing Amtrak 
railroad corridor between Chicago, Illinois and St. Louis, Missouri to 
improve high-speed passenger service reliability and safety, and to 
increase the number of trips, as well as include improvements to 
railroad crossings, signals, and stations. These proposed improvements 
are in addition to those improvements associated with the

[[Page 38883]]

January 8, 2004 Record of Decision (ROD) for the Chicago-St. Louis 
High-Speed Rail Program and the 2011 Environmental Assessment (EA)/
Finding of No Significant Impacts (FONSI) concerning improvements to 
the existing track and the construction of additional side tracks. 
Implementation of those improvements is currently underway.
    The current Chicago to St. Louis Corridor operates on a single 
track that is shared by both traditional freight and Amtrak passenger 
rail service. The EIS identifies and evaluates the environmental and 
transportation impacts associated with route alternatives and corridor-
wide capacity enhancements, including double-track.
    IDOT and FRA are using a tiered environmental process to evaluate 
the proposed Program. A tiered environmental process is a phased 
environmental review used in the development of complex projects. Under 
this process, the Draft EIS addresses broad, corridor-level issues and 
alternatives. Tier 2 environmental documents address individual 
component projects of the Selected Alternative carried forward from the 
Tier 1 environmental process. Concurrently with this Tier 1 study of 
the full Chicago to St. Louis Corridor, IDOT and FRA are conducting a 
Tier 2 analysis for the portion of the High Speed Rail corridor in 
Springfield, IL.
    The corridor alternatives retained in the Draft EIS are the result 
of a screening process that used several evaluation criteria developed 
specifically for the Program. The screening criteria determined the 
route options that should be eliminated from further consideration. The 
four alternatives and no-build retained utilize combinations of the 
existing Amtrak passenger rail routes between Chicago and Joliet, 
Illinois, the City of Springfield, Illinois, and approaching St. Louis, 
Missouri and allow for eight daily round trips at 110 miles per hour 
(mph) on two tracks.
    Other improvements identified in the Draft EIS include sidings, 
pedestrian grade separations at the stations, and grade separations 
along major roadways. After the public comment period for the Draft EIS 
and following completion of the Final EIS, individual component 
projects along the corridor would be advanced and studied in greater 
detail as Tier 2 project-level evaluations in the tiered environmental 
review process.
    A Tier 2 project-level evaluation for improvements in Springfield 
is also included within the Draft EIS. The Springfield Rail 
Improvements Project has been advanced concurrently as a component of 
the overall corridor program. The Tier 2 evaluation considers the 
environmental and transportation impacts of rail routes through the 
City of Springfield, Illinois; addressing safety, noise, and traffic 
delays that would result from increased volumes of both passenger and 
freight rail traffic on the three north-south rail corridors that pass 
through the City of Springfield.
    This Draft EIS has been prepared by FRA and IDOT consistent with 
the provisions of Section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Council on 
Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations implementing NEPA (40 CFR part 
1500 et seq.), and FRA's Procedures for Considering Environmental 
Impacts (64 FR 28545; May 26, 1999).
    Copies of the Draft EIS are available online at FRA's Web site: 
https://www.fra.dot.gov and IDOT's Web site: https://www.idothsr.org/; 
the document is also available for viewing at the following locations 
along the Corridor:

 Hayner Library, 326 Belle Street, Alton, IL 62002
 Atlanta Public Library District, 100 Race Street, Atlanta, IL 
61723
 Auburn Public Library, 338 West Jefferson Street, Auburn, IL 
62615
 Bloomington Public Library, 205 East Olive Street, 
Bloomington, IL 61701
 Blue Island Library, 2433 York Street, Blue Island, IL 60406
 Fossil Ridge Public Library, 386 West Kennedy Road, Braidwood, 
IL 60408
 Brighton Memorial Public Library, 110 North Main Street, 
Brighton, IL 62012
 Carlinville Public Library, 510 North Broad Street, 
Carlinville, IL 62626
 Chatham Area Public Library, 600 East Spruce Street, Chatham, 
IL 62629
 Chenoa Public Library District, 211 South Division Street, 
Chenoa, IL 61726
 Chicago Public Library-Harold Washington, 400 South State 
Street, Chicago, IL 60605
 Prairie Creek Public Library, 501 Carriage House Lane, Dwight, 
IL 60420
 East Alton Public Library, 250 Washington Avenue, East Alton, 
IL 62024
 East St. Louis Public Library, 5300 State Street, East St. 
Louis, IL 62203
 Elkhart Public Library District, 121 East Bohan Street, 
Elkhart, IL 62634
 Manhattan-Elwood Public Library District, 240 Whitson Street, 
Manhattan, IL 60442
 Frankfort Public Library District, 21119 South Pfeiffer Road, 
Frankfort, IL 60423
 Girard Township Library, 201 West Madison Street, Girard, IL 
62640
 Six Mile Regional Library District, 2001 Delmar Avenue, 
Granite City, IL 62040
 Hartford Public Library District, 143 West Hawthorne Street, 
Hartford, IL 62048
 Joliet Public Library, 150 North Ottawa Street, Joliet, IL 
60432
 Lemont Public Library, 50 East Wend Street, Lemont, IL 60439
 Lexington Public Library District, 207 South Cedar Street, 
Lexington, IL 61753
 Lincoln Public Library, 725 Peking Street, Lincoln, IL 62656
 Lockport Public Library, 121 East 8th Street, Lockport, IL 
60441
 Madison Public Library, 1700 Fifth Street, Madison, IL 62060
 Mount Hope-Funks Grove Public Library, 111 South Hamilton 
Street, McLean, IL 61754
 Midlothian Public Library, 14701 South Kenton Avenue, 
Midlothian, IL 60445
 Mokena Community Public Library, 11327 West 195th Street, 
Mokena, IL 60448
 New Lenox Public Library, 120 Veterans Parkway, New Lenox, IL 
60451
 Normal Public Library, 206 West College Avenue, Normal, IL 
61761
 Acorn Public Library District, 15624 South Central Avenue, Oak 
Forest, IL 60452
 Odell Public Library District, 301 East Richard Street, Odell, 
IL 60460
 Orland Park Public Library, 14921 South Ravinia Avenue, Orland 
Park, IL 60462
 Pontiac Public Library, 211 East Madison Street, Pontiac, IL 
61764
 William Leonard Public Library District, 13820 Central Park 
Avenue, Robbins, IL 60472
 Sherman Public Library District, 2100 East Andrew Road, 
Sherman, IL 62684
 Springfield Lincoln Library, 326 South Seventh Street, 
Springfield, IL 62701
 St. Louis Central Library, 1310 Olive Street, St. Louis, MO 
63103
 Summit Public Library District, 6233 South Archer Road, 
Summit, IL 60501
 Tinley Park Public Library, 7851 Timber Drive, Tinley Park, IL 
60477
 Towanda District Library, 301 South Taylor Street, Towanda, IL 
61776
 Venice Public Library, 325 Broadway Avenue, Venice, IL 62090
 Grand Prairie of the West Public Library District, 142 West 
Jackson Street, Virden, IL 62690
 Williamsville Public Library, 141 West Main Street, 
Williamsville, IL 62693

[[Page 38884]]

 Wilmington Public Library District, 201 South Kankakee Street, 
Wilmington, IL 60481
 Wood River Public Library, 326 East Ferguson Avenue, Wood 
River, IL 62095

    Issued in Washington, DC on June 25, 2012.
Corey W. Hill,
Director, Rail Project Development and Delivery.
[FR Doc. 2012-15993 Filed 6-28-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P
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