Environmental Impact Statement for the Atlanta to Charlotte Portion of the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor, 28940-28942 [2013-11701]

Agencies

• Federal Railroad Administration
• DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 95 (Thursday, May 16, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28940-28942]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-11701]


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

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration


Environmental Impact Statement for the Atlanta to Charlotte 
Portion of the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor

AGENCY: Federal Rail Administration (FRA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS).

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

SUMMARY: The FRA is issuing this Notice of Intent to advise the public 
that FRA, jointly with the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), 
will prepare a Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement (Study) to 
evaluate potential passenger rail improvements between Atlanta, GA and 
Charlotte, NC, along the Southeast High-Speed Rail Corridor (SEHSR) as 
designated by the USDOT. The Study is being advanced consistent with 
the federal High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail (HSIPR) program and 
includes the development of a Passenger Rail Corridor Investment Plan 
(PRCIP). A PRCIP provides the data necessary to support an FRA decision 
to fund and implement major investments in a passenger rail corridor. A 
PRCIP is comprised of two components: A Tier 1 EIS and a Service 
Development Plan (SDP). The Tier 1 EIS will address documentation on a 
broad corridor-level basis and be developed in accordance with the 
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), the Council on 
Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations, and FRA's Procedures for 
Considering Environmental Impacts. The SDP addresses the overall scope, 
alternatives, approach and business case for proposed service and 
improvements.

DATES: FRA invites the public, governmental agencies, and all other 
interested parties to comment on the scope of the EIS. Written 
comment(s) on the scope of the Tier 1 EIS should be provided to GDOT or 
FRA by June 7, 2013 at the addresses below. Federal, state and local 
agencies are invited to attend one (1) web-based Agency Scoping 
Meeting. Three (3) Public Open House Meetings will follow the Agency 
Scoping Meeting, one to be held in each of the three study area states 
(Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina). Dates, locations and 
times for meetings and related information can be found on the Project 
Web site: www.dot.ga.gov/AtlantaCharlotteHSR.

ADDRESSES: Comments related to the scope of the study may be mailed to 
Glenn Bowman, PE, State Environmental Administrator, 600 West Peachtree 
Street NW., Atlanta, GA

[[Page 28941]]

30308, telephone (404) 631-1101, gbowman@dot.ga.gov, or to John Winkle, 
FRA, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590, telephone (202) 
493-6067, john.winkle@dot.gov. If a member of the public wishes to 
participate and cannot attend the public open house meetings, and does 
not have access to the Internet, they can request an informational 
package and comment form by contacting Glenn Bowman at the above 
address, or directly at (404) 631-1101 or John Winkle at the above 
address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Winkle, FRA, 1200 New Jersey 
Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590, telephone (202) 493-6067, 
john.winkle@dot.gov. Information and documents regarding the 
environmental review process will be made available through the 
following Web site: https://www.dot.ga.gov/AtlantaCharlotteHSR.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: As part of the Tier 1 EIS, FRA will 
establish and evaluate a range of reasonable corridor-level 
Alternatives that terminate in Atlanta, GA and connect to the SEHSR 
corridor in the Charlotte, NC metropolitan area. The alternatives will 
also include a No Build Alternative. The No Build Alterative consists 
of already planned transportation improvements to the corridor, but 
would not advance any Build Alternative to implement high-speed rail. 
Build Alternatives will consist of an array of passenger rail 
alternatives, including the use of existing rail facilities and new 
facilities. Through previous studies, FRA has identified three possible 
corridors for evaluation as part of the Tier 1 EIS and SDP: The 
existing Norfolk Southern rail corridor, the existing I-85 corridor, 
and a general Greenfield corridor. FRA may also consider other 
reasonable alternatives.
    FRA is issuing this NOI to alert the public and agencies about the 
preparation of the Tier 1 EIS and associated SDP, to solicit public and 
agency input into the development of the scope of the Tier 1 EIS, and 
to advertise that public outreach activities conducted by FRA and GDOT 
will be considered in preparation of the Tier 1 EIS. To ensure that 
significant issues are identified and considered, interested parties 
are invited to comment on the proposed scope of environmental review, 
purpose and need, alternatives to be considered, environmental effects 
to be considered and evaluated, and methodologies to be used for 
evaluating effects.

I. Environmental Review Process

    The Tier 1 EIS will be developed in accordance with the CEQ 
regulations (40 CFR part 1500 et. seq.) for implementing NEPA (42 
U.S.C. 4321 et. seq.), and FRA's Procedures for Considering 
Environmental Impacts (64 CFR part 101). The Study will consider 
passenger rail alternatives that could include the use of interstate 
right-of-way and thus the Tier 1 EIS will follow the USDOT Order 
5610.1C; Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) environmental impact and 
related procedures (23 CFR part 771); USDOT, FHWA Advisory T6640.80, 
Guidance for Preparing and Processing Environmental Documents and 
Section 4(f) documents; Federal-Aid Policy Guide 23 CFR parts 770, 772, 
777; Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity 
Act--A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU); Moving Ahead for Progress in the 
21st Century Act (MAP-21); and other applicable state and federal 
regulations.
    The Study involves 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 (NHPA) 
(16 U.S.C. 470(f)). 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 the NHPA with the 
preparation of the Tier 1 EIS, beginning with the identification of 
consulting parties through the scoping process, in a manner consistent 
with the standards set out in 36 CFR 800.8. The Tier 1 EIS will comply 
with the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, Executive Order 12898 (Federal 
Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority and Low-Income 
Populations), Executive Order 11990 (Protection of Wetlands), and other 
applicable federal laws, rules, and regulations.
    FRA and GDOT will use a tiered process, as provided for in 40 CFR 
1508.28, in the completion of the environmental review. ``Tiering'' is 
a staged environmental review process applied to environmental reviews 
for complex projects. The Tier 1 EIS will address the first tier of 
broad corridor issues and alternatives. Subsequent project-level second 
tier NEPA evaluations will analyze site-specific projects based on the 
decisions made at the Tier 1 Level. The Tier 1 NEPA assessment will 
result in an EIS with the appropriate level of detail for corridor 
decisions and will address broad overall issues of concern, including 
but not limited to:
     Articulation and confirmation of the purpose and need for 
the proposed action;
     Definition of the study area appropriate to assess 
reasonable alternatives;
     Identification of a comprehensive set of goals and 
objectives for the corridor in conjunction with stakeholders. These 
goals and objectives will be crafted to allow comprehensive evaluation 
of aspects of the action necessary to achieve the goals, including 
train operations, vehicles, and infrastructure;
     Identification of the range of reasonable alternatives to 
be considered, consistent with the current and planned use of the 
corridor and the existing services within and adjacent to the study 
area, including changing the existing rail corridor from one track to 
two tracks, considering a fully grade-separated route, considering an 
alternative ``greenfield corridor'' between Atlanta and Charlotte, and 
considering a no build alternative;
     Development of alternative screening evaluation criteria 
to identify alternatives that meet the need and purpose of the proposed 
action;
     Identification of the general alignment(s) of the 
reasonable alternatives;
     Identification of the infrastructure and equipment 
investment requirements for the reasonable alternatives;
     Identification of the operational changes required for the 
reasonable alternatives;
     Description of the corridor-level environmental impacts 
associated with the proposed changes in passenger rail train frequency, 
speed, and on-time performance;
     Characterization of the corridor-level environmental 
consequences of the reasonable alternatives;
     Evaluation and consideration of the potential for 
environmental impacts associated with the reasonable alternatives;
     Identification of a preferred alternative for a corridor 
route alignment;
     Development of an incremental investment approach for 
evaluation of corridors;
     Establishment of independent actions and Tier 2 projects 
to implement the proposed action and maintain a state of good repair; 
and
     Establishment of appropriate timing and sequencing of Tier 
2 projects.
    The Tier 1 EIS will address broad corridor-level issues and 
alternatives for passenger rail development in the corridor. 
Subsequent, Tier 2 environmental reviews will be

[[Page 28942]]

completed to analyze site-specific component projects and alternatives 
based on the decisions made in Tier 1 and projects identified within 
the Tier 1 EIS and Record of Decision (ROD).

II. Background

    The Atlanta-Charlotte Corridor faces mobility challenges. 
Transportation demand and travel growth is outpacing existing and 
planned roadway capacity in the area. If these challenges go 
unaddressed, they will negatively influence the local, regional, and 
national economy. The investment in passenger rail is an essential 
strategy to foster the Southeast region's multimodal transportation 
system and its ability to support population and economic growth 
throughout the SEHSR network.
    Specifically, the preliminary purpose of the Study is to improve 
inter- and intrastate linkage, supplement capacity, improve travel time 
and reliability, provide another reliable mode choice, create jobs, 
reduce dependence on foreign oil, and support economic development. The 
Tier 1 EIS and SDP will consider feasible and reasonable alternatives 
and will comparatively evaluate the reasonable alternatives and service 
alternatives to select a preferred alternative for development of high-
speed rail. Based on the 2008 Volpe Center Report Evaluation of High-
Speed Rail Options in the Macon-Atlanta-Greenville-Charlotte Rail 
Corridor (2008 Volpe Center Report), three alternative corridors have 
been identified for further consideration: The existing Norfolk 
Southern Railroad corridor, the existing I-85 interstate highway 
corridor, and a general Greenfield corridor. Technology options ranging 
from 90 mile per hour (mph) diesel-electric operations to 200 mph 
electrified operations in a fully grade-separated route, as identified 
in the 2008 Volpe Center Report, will be evaluated in the Tier 1 EIS 
and SDP.
    The Tier 1 EIS will evaluate the identified, preliminary 
alternatives set forth in the 2008 Volpe Center Report and include a No 
Build Alternative and other potentially reasonable Build Alternatives. 
The No Build Alternative will serve as the baseline for comparison of 
alternatives. The No Build Alternative represents the existing 
transportation network including the physical characteristics and 
capacities of all transportation modes as they exist at the time of the 
Tier 1 EIS, with planned and funded improvements that will be in place 
at the time the service would become operational. The Build 
Alternatives will be developed at a corridor level and will address 
travel markets, services, operations, general alignments and station 
locations.

III. Scoping and Comments

    FRA encourages broad participation in the Tier 1 EIS process during 
scoping and review of the resulting environmental documents. To ensure 
that the full range of issues related to this proposed action are 
addressed and that significant issues are identified, comments and 
suggestions are invited from all interested parties. In particular, FRA 
is interested in identifying areas of environmental concern where there 
might be a potential for significant impacts. Public agencies with 
jurisdiction are requested to advise FRA and GDOT 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 
Study. Public agencies are requested to advise FRA if they anticipate 
taking a major action in connection with the proposed Study and if they 
wish to cooperate in the preparation of the EIS. Public scoping will be 
scheduled and is an important component of the scoping process for both 
the State and Federal environmental review. The scoping meetings 
described in this NOI will also be the subject of additional public 
notification.
    FRA is seeking participation and input of interested Federal, 
State, and local agencies, Native American groups, and other concerned 
private organizations and individuals on the scope of the EIS.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on May 13, 2013.
Corey Hill,
Director, Office of Passenger and Freight Programs.
[FR Doc. 2013-11701 Filed 5-15-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P