Environmental Impact Statement for the California High-Speed Rail System Palmdale to Burbank Section, CA, 43122-43125 [2014-17385]

Agencies

• Federal Railroad Administration
• DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 142 (Thursday, July 24, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43122-43125]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-17385]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration


Environmental Impact Statement for the California High-Speed Rail 
System Palmdale to Burbank Section, CA

AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), U.S. Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

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

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SUMMARY: FRA is issuing this notice to advise other Federal, state, and 
local agencies and the public that FRA and the California High-Speed 
Rail Authority (Authority) are amending the existing 2007 Notice of 
Intent for the Palmdale to Los Angeles Section and will jointly prepare 
an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) for the Palmdale to Burbank Section of the California High-Speed 
Rail (HSR) System in compliance with the California Environmental 
Quality Act (CEQA) and the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 
(NEPA). FRA is publishing this notice to solicit additional public and 
agency input into the development of the scope of the EIS and to advise 
the public that outreach activities conducted by the FRA and the 
Authority and their representatives will be considered in the 
preparation of the EIR/EIS. Federal cooperating agencies for the EIS 
are the Surface Transportation Board (STB), the U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers (USACE), and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
    In March 2007, FRA and the Authority respectively issued a Notice 
of Preparation and a Notice of Intent for the preparation of an EIR/EIS 
for the Palmdale to Los Angeles Section of the Authority's proposed 
California HSR System. Because the Palmdale to Los Angeles Section of 
the HSR System will be implemented in two parts consistent with 
Authority's Business Plan that prioritizes an Initial Operating Section 
(IOS) with a southern temporary terminus in the San Fernando Valley, 
the FRA and Authority have determined that there are two sections of 
the HSR System between Palmdale and Los Angeles and they will be better 
evaluated in two separate EIR/EISs: Palmdale to Burbank and Burbank to 
Los Angeles. Each of these sections has logical termini and independent 
utility, as discussed further below. This notice provides information 
regarding the Project EIR/EIS for the Palmdale to Burbank Section of 
the California HSR System (proposed action). The Burbank to Los Angeles 
Section of the California HSR System is the subject of a separate 
Notice of Intent, which is being published concurrently with this 
notice. The preparation of the Palmdale to Burbank Section EIR/EIS will 
involve a robust public outreach process; the development of 
preliminary engineering designs; and the assessment of potential 
environmental effects associated with the construction, operation, and 
maintenance of the HSR System.

DATES: Written comments on the scope of the Palmdale to Burbank EIR/EIS 
should be provided to the address below by August 25, 2014. Public 
scoping meetings are scheduled from August 5, 2014 to August 19, 2014 
as noted below in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section. Scoping 
materials and information concerning the scoping meetings is available 
through the Authority's Web site: https://hsr.ca.gov/Programs/Statewide_Rail_Modernization/project_sections/palmdale_burbank.html.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the scope should be sent to Mark A. 
McLoughlin, Director of Environmental Services, Attention: Palmdale to 
Burbank Section EIR/EIS, California High-Speed Rail Authority, 700 
North Alameda Street, Room 3-532, Los Angeles, CA 90012, or via email 
with subject line ``Palmdale to Burbank Section EIR/EIS'' to: 
palmdale_burbank@hsr.ca.gov.
    Comments may also be provided orally or in writing at scoping 
meetings. See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for meeting times 
and addresses.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Stephanie Perez, Environmental 
Protection Specialist, Office of Program Delivery, Federal Railroad 
Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., (Mail Stop 20), Washington, 
DC 20590, telephone: (202) 493-0388, email: stephanie.perez@dot.gov; or 
Mr. Mark A. McLoughlin, Director of Environmental Services, California 
High-Speed Rail Authority, 700 North Alameda Street, Room 3-532, Los 
Angeles, CA 90012, telephone: (800) 630-1039, email: palmdale_burbank@hsr.ca.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: FRA is an operating administration of the 
U.S. Department of Transportation and 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, subject to appropriations, Federal funding for intercity 
passenger rail capital investments including high-speed rail. Federal 
cooperating agencies for the EIS are BLM, STB, and USACE. BLM has 
approval authority over the use of public lands under their control. 
STB has exclusive jurisdiction, pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 10501(b), over 
the construction, acquisition, operation, and abandonment of rail 
lines, railroad rates, and services and rail carrier consolidations and 
mergers. The construction and operation of the proposed California HSR 
System is subject to STB's approval authority under 49 U.S.C. 10901. 
USACE has

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jurisdiction under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act.
    The Authority was established in 1996 and is authorized and 
directed by statute to undertake the planning and development of a 
proposed statewide HSR network that is fully coordinated with other 
public transportation services. In 2005, FRA and the Authority 
completed the California HSR Program EIR/EIS (Statewide Program EIR/
EIS), as the first phase of a tiered environmental review process. The 
Authority certified the Statewide Program EIR under CEQA and approved 
the proposed HSR System, and FRA issued a Record of Decision under NEPA 
for the Statewide Program EIS. This Statewide Program EIR/EIS 
established the purpose and need for the HSR System, analyzed an HSR 
System, and compared the HSR System with a No Action Alternative and a 
Modal Alternative.
    In approving the Statewide Program EIR/EIS, FRA and the Authority 
selected the HSR Alternative for intercity passenger travel in 
California between the major metropolitan centers of Sacramento and the 
San Francisco Bay Area in the north, through the Central Valley, to the 
cities of Los Angeles and San Diego in the south; selected general 
corridors/alignments and general station locations for further study; 
incorporated mitigation strategies and design practices; and specified 
further measures to guide the development of the HSR System during the 
site-specific, project-level environmental review to avoid and minimize 
potential adverse environmental impacts. The approved HSR System would 
be approximately 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.
    The HSR Alternative as described in the Statewide Program EIR/EIS 
provides a broad planning and conceptual outline of the proposed train 
system. The Palmdale to Burbank Section EIR/EIS will allow for the 
consideration of alternatives for this section at a greater level of 
detail. The Palmdale to Burbank Section 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)). The Palmdale to Burbank 
Section EIR/EIS will build upon all previous work prepared for, and 
incorporated in, the Statewide Program EIR/EIS, including the state 
planning process incorporated into the Authority's Business Plans. In 
addition, the selection of alternatives to be included in the Palmdale 
to Burbank EIR/EIS will consider comments received from the agencies 
and the public during the alternatives analyses process. All comments 
received during the scoping period will receive equal consideration as 
comments received during the March to April 2007 scoping period for the 
Palmdale to Los Angeles Section EIR/EIS.
    In approving the HSR System, FRA and the Authority also selected 
corridors/general alignments and station location options throughout 
most of the System, including a corridor between Palmdale and Los 
Angeles. The Statewide Program EIR/EIS generally selected the Soledad 
Canyon Corridor and the Metro/Metrolink right-of-way for the HSR route 
from Palmdale to Los Angeles with stations in the City of Palmdale, the 
San Fernando Valley, and the vicinity of Los Angeles Union Station.
    In addition to the NEPA and CEQA process, as required by state law, 
the Authority adopted its first Business Plan in June 2000, which 
reviewed the economic feasibility of an 800-mile-long HSR System 
capable of operating speeds in excess of 200 mph on a dedicated, fully 
grade-separated state-of-the-art track. The Authority released updated 
Business Plans in November 2008, December 2009 (addendum in April 
2010), April 2012, and April 2014. These Business Plans, which are 
subject to public review, are an important part of the statewide 
planning process for HSR.
    Pursuant to state law, the Authority must prepare Business Plans 
bi-annually, which are subject to public review and comment and must 
include information describing the type of service to be developed and 
the proposed chronology for the construction of the Statewide HSR 
system.
    On April 30, 2014, the Authority released its 2014 Business Plan, 
which builds on the Authority's 2012 Plan. Like the 2012 Revised 
Business Plan, the 2014 Business Plan describes the phased 
implementation of the California HSR System, including a 300-mile 
Initial Operating Section (IOS). This IOS is intended to provide a one-
seat ride from Merced to the San Fernando Valley, closing a north-south 
intercity passenger rail gap. Initially, the IOS is proposed to begin 
with the construction of up to 130 miles of high-speed rail track and 
structures in the Central Valley. It would terminate in the San 
Fernando Valley and would connect with the San Francisco Bay Area and 
the Los Angeles Basin (referred to as the ``bookends'') through a 
``blended'' system. The blended operations would rely on connections 
with regional and local rail for an interim period prior to initiation 
of full HSR service.
    In addition to the refinement of the types of service and the 
likely chronology in the Business Plans, several alternatives analyses 
have been conducted to refine the project alignments and station 
locations. The Preliminary Alternatives Analysis and all Supplemental 
Alternative Analyses (SAA) included public outreach activities, 
including community meetings, stakeholder meetings, and public official 
outreach. The Preliminary Alternatives Analysis and SAA documents 
include a description of public outreach activities conducted. These 
documents are available at https://www.hsr.ca.gov/Programs/Statewide_Rail_Modernization/Project_Sections/palmdale_losangeles.html.
    The Preliminary Alternatives Analysis was published in July 2010 
and addressed alignment alternatives and station options throughout the 
Palmdale to Los Angeles Section. Three Supplemental Alternatives 
Analyses (``SAA'') have subsequently been prepared. The first SAA 
(March 2011) addressed supplemental alignment alternatives and station 
options for the Los Angeles to Sylmar subsection. The second SAA (April 
2012) addressed supplemental alignment alternatives for the Sylmar to 
Palmdale subsection and redefined the subsection into two new 
subsections: the Santa Clarita subsection, extending from Sylmar to two 
miles east of Lang Station Road, and the Palmdale subsection, extending 
from two miles east of Lang Station Road to Palmdale.
    The third SAA (May 2014) reflects the 2012 and 2014 Business Plans 
by introducing phased implementation of the project with a 300-mile 
IOS. With the introduction of the IOS, this SAA also discusses the 
concept of evaluating Palmdale to Burbank and Burbank to Los Angeles as 
two sections. The May 2014 SAA refined the alignment alternatives and 
station options, including withdrawing one alignment alternative and 
three station options, and recommending the Palmdale Transportation 
Center Station and the Burbank Airport Station for further analysis.
    As discussed further in the May 2014 SAA, it would be beneficial to 
address the environmental effects of the HSR System from Palmdale to 
Burbank in one EIR/EIS and from Burbank to Los

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Angeles in a separate EIR/EIS. This would provide for more effective 
planning and public outreach in these highly populated areas. These two 
sections are of sufficient length to address environmental matters. 
They have logical termini, which means that their end points are 
rational for transportation improvements and for the review of 
environmental impacts. Each section has independent utility, which 
means that the HSR System will function properly within each section, 
independent of additional improvements elsewhere.
    The Palmdale to Burbank Section 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 site characteristics, 
size, nature, and timing of the proposed action will be described as a 
basis for determining whether the impacts are potentially significant 
and whether impacts can be avoided, minimized, or mitigated. The 
Palmdale to Burbank Section EIR/EIS will identify and evaluate 
reasonable and feasible alignment alternatives along the corridor 
selected in the Program EIR/EIS, as well as addressing alternatives 
that may meet project objectives while potentially reducing 
environmental effects as identified during the alternatives analysis 
process and the scoping process. The Palmdale to Burbank Section EIR/
EIS will also identify and evaluate station options and evaluate the 
impacts of construction, operation, and maintenance of the proposed HSR 
System. Information and documents regarding this HSR environmental 
review process will be made available through the Authority's Internet 
site: www.hsr.ca.gov.

Purpose and Need

    The purpose of the proposed HSR 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 an HSR System is directly related to the expected 
growth in population, and increases in intercity travel demand in 
California over the next 20 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 HSR System is 
designed to address some of the social, economic and environmental 
problems associated with transportation congestion in California.
    The Palmdale to Burbank Section meets this purpose and need by:
     Connecting the major metropolitan areas in Central and 
Northern California to the San Fernando Valley;
     Incorporating HSR into the intermodal transportation hubs 
at Palmdale and Burbank, thereby providing interfaces with airports 
(Bob Hope Airport), mass transit (Metro, Metrolink, and Amtrak), and 
highways, resulting in local and regional transit and transportation 
hubs;
     Capturing a large base of riders in the densely populated 
San Fernando Valley and the Los Angeles Basin; and
     Providing station locations with existing and planned 
transit oriented development potential.
    The scoping process will allow the public and agencies to provide 
input and comments on purpose and need as it relates to the Palmdale to 
Burbank Section.

Alternatives

    The Palmdale to Burbank Section EIR/EIS will consider a No Action 
Alternative and one or more HSR Alternatives.

No Action Alternative

    The No Action Alternative (No Project or No Build) represents the 
conditions in the Palmdale to Burbank Section as they exist in 2014, 
and as they would exist based on programmed and funded improvements to 
the intercity transportation system and other reasonably foreseeable 
projects through 2040, taking into account the following sources of 
information: the State Transportation Improvement Program, Regional 
Transportation Plans for all modes of travel, airport plans, intercity 
passenger rail plans, and city and county plans.

HSR Alternative

    The Authority proposes to construct, operate and maintain an 
electric-powered steel- wheel-on-steel-rail HSR System, approximately 
800 miles long, capable of operating speeds of 220 mph on dedicated, 
fully grade-separated tracks, with state-of-the-art safety, signaling, 
and automated train control systems.
    The Palmdale to Los Angeles HSR Corridor that was selected by FRA 
and the Authority in the Statewide Program EIR/EIS follows Soledad 
Canyon from the City of Palmdale to the community of Sylmar in the City 
of Los Angeles and then along the Metro/Metrolink Railroad line to Los 
Angeles Union Station. The corridor is relatively wide in the area that 
includes both the State Route 14 and Union Pacific Railroad alignments 
between the Antelope Valley and Santa Clarita.
    Alternatives analyses conducted subsequent to completion of the 
Statewide Program EIR/EIS have examined alignments within and outside 
of the selected corridor, including in Palmdale, Santa Clarita, and the 
San Fernando Valley. The May 2014 SAA concluded that Burbank Airport 
would provide the most benefits and fewest impacts of the station 
locations in the San Fernando Valley, because intermodal connectivity 
(rail, bus, air) is strongest and existing land uses (primarily 
industrial and commercial) would be most compatible with the 
development of transit oriented uses. The May 2014 SAA was available 
for public review and comment as part of the alternatives analysis 
process.
    In response to this information and to stakeholder and public 
feedback on the 2014 Business Plan and the 2014 SAA, requesting the 
Authority to consider a more direct route between Palmdale and Burbank, 
the Palmdale to Burbank Section EIR/EIS will address potential 
alignment alternatives that provide a more direct connection between 
the Palmdale station and the Burbank Airport station. Engineering 
studies will be continued as part of this EIR/EIS process and will 
examine potential new alignments and refine studied alignments in order 
to better meet purpose and need, respond to stakeholder comments and 
concerns, and reduce environmental impacts. All alignment alternatives 
would be grade separated from existing roadways.
    Station location options were selected with the Statewide Program 
EIR/EIS based on travel time, train speed, cost, local access times, 
potential connections with other modes of transportation, ridership 
potential and the distribution of population and major destinations 
along the route, and local planning constraints and conditions. The 
identification of station sites and

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configuration will be further refined and evaluated in the Palmdale to 
Burbank Section EIR/EIS to reflect the evolution of statewide planning 
for HSR, as outlined in the 2014 Business Plan, as well as public and 
agency comments and concerns. To assist in the development of the IOS, 
station area development policies to encourage transit-friendly 
development near and around HSR stations that would have the potential 
to promote multi-modal uses, higher density, mixed-use, pedestrian-
oriented development around the stations will guide the selection of 
the station alternatives. In addition, station option selection will 
evaluate sites for potential to function as a terminal station in the 
IOS. Potential sites for terminal storage and maintenance facilities 
will also be evaluated in the Palmdale to Burbank Section EIR/EIS.

Probable Effects

    The purpose of the EIR/EIS process is to explore, in a public 
setting, the effects of the proposed action on the physical, human, and 
natural environment. FRA and the Authority will continue the tiered 
evaluation of all significant environmental, social, and economic 
impacts of the construction and operation of the HSR 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 Palmdale to Burbank Section EIR/EIS will be prepared in 
accordance with FRA's Procedures for Considering Environmental Impacts 
(64 FR 28545, May 26, 1999) and will follow the Integration Process for 
the California High-Speed Train Program as set forth in the Memorandum 
of Understanding (Integration MOU) among FRA, the Authority, the U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency and the USACE. Consistent with the 
Integration MOU, the Burbank to Los Angeles Section EIR/EIS will 
evaluate alignment alternatives, and station and maintenance facility 
location options. This analysis will occur in coordination with the 
analysis required under the Integration MOU necessary to make a 
determination of the Least Environmentally Damaging Practicable 
Alternative (LEDPA) by the USACE, as required by Section 404 of the 
Clean Water Act.
    The Palmdale to Burbank Section EIR/EIS will also address, as 
necessary, other applicable statutes, regulations, and executive 
orders, including (but not limited to) the Clean Air Act, 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.
    Implementation of the Palmdale to Burbank Section 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 Palmdale to Burbank Section EIR/
EIS, beginning with the identification of consulting parties in a 
manner consistent with the standards set out in 36 CFR 800.8. Pursuant 
to a Programmatic Agreement among FRA, the Advisory Council on Historic 
Preservation, the California State Historic Preservation Officer, and 
the Authority, phased review of effects on historic properties is being 
conducted as provided by 36 CFR 800.4(b)(2). Public comment is sought 
with respect to the effects of potential alternatives within the 
Palmdale to Burbank Section on historic properties.

Scoping and Comments

    FRA encourages broad participation in the EIS process during 
scoping and review of the resulting environmental documents. Comments 
and suggestions are invited from all interested agencies, Native 
American Tribes, and the public at large to ensure that the full range 
of issues related to the proposed action and all reasonable 
alternatives are addressed and that all significant issues are 
identified. In particular, FRA is interested in determining whether 
there are areas of environmental concern where there might be a 
potential for significant impacts identifiable at a project level. 
Comments are also sought regarding purpose and need as it relates to 
the Palmdale to Burbank Section and the selection of alternatives, 
including alternatives addressed in the Preliminary Alternatives 
Analysis and the SAAs. Public agencies with jurisdiction are requested 
to advise FRA and 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-level Palmdale to Burbank 
Section EIR/EIS.
    Public scoping meetings have been scheduled as an important 
component of the scoping process for both the State and Federal 
environmental review. The scoping meetings described in this Notice 
will also be advertised locally and included in additional public 
notification. The scoping meetings will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 
p.m. at the following locations:
     Santa Clarita: Tuesday, August 5, William S. Hart Regional 
Park, 24151 Newhall Avenue, Newhall, CA 91321
     Burbank: Wednesday, August 6, Buena Vista Branch Library, 
300 N. Buena Vista Street, Burbank, CA 91505
     Palmdale: Thursday, August 7, Chimbole Cultural Center, 
38350 Sierra Highway, Palmdale, CA 93550
     Acton/Agua Dulce: Monday, August 11, Acton-Agua Dulce 
Library, 33792 Crown Valley Road, Acton, CA 93510
     Sylmar: Tuesday, August 12, Sylmar Public Library, 14561 
Polk Street, Sylmar, CA 91342
     Lake View Terrace: Thursday, August 14, Lakeview Terrace 
Recreation Center, 11075 Foothill Boulevard, Lake View Terrace, CA 
91342
     Downtown LA: Tuesday, August 19, Los Angeles Union Station 
Fred Harvey Room, 800 N. Alameda Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012

    Issued in Washington, DC, on July 18, 2014.
Corey Hill,
Director, Office of Program Delivery.
[FR Doc. 2014-17385 Filed 7-23-14; 8:45 a.m.]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P