Environmental Impact Statement for the Green Line to the Airport Project, Sacramento County, California, 72141-72143 [2015-29418]

Agencies

• Federal Transit Administration
• DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 222 (Wednesday, November 18, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72141-72143]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-29418]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Environmental Impact Statement for the Green Line to the Airport 
Project, Sacramento County, California

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT.

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

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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and Sacramento 
Regional Transit District (RT) issue this Notice of Intent (NOI) to 
advise other agencies and the public that it will prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Green Line to the 
Airport Project in Sacramento County, California. The EIS will be 
prepared as a joint document that includes an Environmental Impact 
Report (EIR) prepared pursuant to the California Environmental Quality 
Act (CEQA). The project consists of an extension of the existing Green 
Line light rail service from the existing terminus of the Green Line at 
Township 9 (at North 7th Street and Richards Boulevard near Downtown 
Sacramento) to the Sacramento International Airport. The proposed 
project would provide new transit service and related infrastructure in 
the City of Sacramento, serving communities such as the River District 
and the South and North Natomas communities, as well as linking these 
areas better to the larger Sacramento region. The EIS will evaluate 
alternatives to the proposed action, including the No Build Alternative 
and possible minimum operable segments.
    The EIS will be prepared in accordance with regulations 
implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations 
(40 CFR parts 1500 through 1508), 23 U.S.C. 139, and FTA's regulations 
and guidance implementing NEPA under 23 CFR 771. FTA will serve as the 
federal lead agency and RT will serve as a joint lead agency per NEPA. 
RT is also the local lead agency under CEQA. The U.S Army Corps of 
Engineers (USACE) will be a cooperating agency pursuant to 40 CFR 
1501.6.
    The purpose of this notice is to alert interested parties regarding 
the intent to prepare the EIS/EIR, to provide information on the nature 
of the proposed action and possible alternatives, to invite 
participation in the EIS process including providing comments on the 
scope of the Draft EIS; and to announce that public scoping meetings 
will be conducted.

DATES: Written comments on the scope of the Draft EIR/EIS including the 
project's purpose and need, the alternatives to be considered, the 
impacts to be evaluated, and the methodologies to be used in the 
evaluations should be sent to RT on or before Friday, January 15, 2016. 
See ADDRESSES below. Public scoping meetings to accept comments on the 
scope of the EIS/EIR will be held on the following dates:

 Tuesday, December 1, 2015; beginning at 6 p.m. at the Natomas 
Park Elementary School at 4700 Crest Drive, Sacramento, CA 95835.
 Wednesday, December 2, 2015; beginning at 6 p.m. at the 
Library Galleria, Downtown Sacramento Public Library at 828 I Street, 
Sacramento, CA 95814.
 Thursday, December 3, 2015; beginning at 6 p.m. at South 
Natomas Community Center at 2921 Truxel Road, Sacramento, CA 95833.

    The locations are accessible to persons with disabilities. Any 
individual who requires a language interpreter or signing services or 
other special accommodations, to participate in the scoping meetings 
should contact Gladys Cornell at (916) 442-1168 or 
gcornell@aimconsultingco.com at least 48 hours before the scoping 
meeting.
    Scoping materials will be available at the meetings and on the RT 
Web site (https://www.sacrt.com/dna). Representatives of Native American 
tribal governments and of all federal, state, regional and local 
agencies that may have an interest in any aspect of the project will be 
invited to be participating or cooperating agencies, as appropriate.

ADDRESSES: Comments will be accepted at the public scoping meetings or 
they may be sent to Jeff Damon, Project Manager, at RT, 1400 29th 
Street, Sacramento, CA 95816.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeff Damon at the address above or 
Lucinda Eagle, Community Planner, Region IX Office, Federal Transit 
Administration at 201 Mission Street, Suite 1650, San Francisco, CA 
94015, phone (415) 744-2590, or via email at lucinda.eagle@dot.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Scoping

    Scoping is the process of determining the scope, focus, and content 
of an EIS. The FTA and RT invite all interested individuals and 
organizations, agencies, and Native American groups to provide comments 
on the scope of the Draft EIS including the project's purpose and need, 
the alternatives under consideration, the environmental impacts to be 
evaluated, and the evaluation approach.

Purpose and Need for the Proposed Project

    The purpose of the project is to improve transit linkages and 
coverage to communities and activity centers within the study area, 
alleviate roadway congestion by providing a robust transit network that 
offers an alternative to automobile travel, and provide a safe, 
convenient, and affordable alternative for traveling between Downtown 
Sacramento, South and North Natomas, and the Sacramento International 
Airport. In addition, the project would provide a connection directly 
to the region's major intermodal facility at the Sacramento Valley 
Station, where bus, light rail, and Amtrak commuter rail

[[Page 72142]]

services provide access to a much larger region.
    The need for the project is based on recent and projected future 
population and employment growth in the study area, including new 
developments proposed as a result of the lifting of a building 
moratorium by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in March 
2015. The building moratorium in Natomas went into effect in 2008 to 
ensure the advancement of levee improvement to provide flood protection 
in the Natomas area. The region is showing significant signs of 
economic recovery and job growth is leading housing growth. The 
proposed project alignment is entirely within Center and Corridor 
Communities, and is forecast to be among the primary growth areas in 
the region. Based on Sacramento Area Council of Governments forecasts, 
the population in the area is expected to grow by 811,000 people, an 
increase of about 36 percent, between 2012 and 2036. The growth 
projections include approximately 439,000 new employees from 2012 to 
2036, as compared to the 361,000 new employees forecasted in the last 
plan from 2008 to 2035. By 2036, the land use forecast projects that 30 
percent of new housing and 35 percent of new employees will be located 
in Center and Corridor Communities. New activity centers in the study 
area include North Natomas, Greenbriar, Metro Air Park, and 
redevelopment of the Sleep Train Arena complex. In addition, the 
southern portion of the study area includes the Railyards development 
project, the largest redevelopment of a brownfields site west of the 
Mississippi River that will include new housing, business, and 
entertainment destinations, as well as a regional hospital complex.
    The projected development, population and employment growth, and 
new activity centers increase demand for additional transportation 
infrastructure capacity. The only connection currently serving the 
study area, between Downtown Sacramento and the airport, is Interstate 
5 (I-5). The California Department of Transportation reports that 
existing levels of service along the segment of I-5 in the vicinity of 
the proposed project operates at level of service F, a forced or 
breakdown flow of traffic with stop and go traffic. Increases in 
traffic congestion are projected in the study area in the absence of 
significant new investments in alternative transportation. Increases in 
traffic volumes will worsen conditions on the I-5 corridor, which 
connects the Natomas area to Downtown Sacramento via an existing 
American River bridge crossing carrying local, regional, and interstate 
vehicle traffic. Congestion on the bridge and its connecting roadways 
(Garden Highway and Richards Boulevard) results in undesirable travel 
delays including delays for buses and emergency vehicles. Increases in 
traffic volumes in the study area are expected to stimulate increased 
demand for transit services, which in the study area are currently 
limited to local RT bus routes and one Yolobus route that serves 
Sacramento International Airport.

Study Area Description

    The project study area is located in Sacramento County, California, 
and includes portions of North and South Natomas. The corridor study 
area extends approximately 11.3-miles between Township 9 (at North 7th 
Street and Richards Boulevard near Downtown Sacramento) and Sacramento 
International Airport. The study area surrounding the Township 9 
station is within the River District, a historically industrial area 
that is being redeveloped as a mixed-use community. The American River 
Parkway is located north of the River District. The Parkway includes 
recreation areas and natural land cover. South Natomas, between the 
American River Parkway and I-80, is primarily single- and multi-family 
residential with supporting neighborhood commercial and institutional 
uses. North Natomas, between the I-80 and State Route 99 crossings, is 
a recently developed area containing new single-family residential 
neighborhoods, several multi-family residential complexes, and larger 
commercial, industrial, and institutional land uses. North Natomas also 
includes the large Sleep Train Arena complex, which is expected to be 
redeveloped in the near future. Two proposed development sites--
Greenbriar and Metro Air Park--are located between North Natomas and 
Sacramento International Airport.

Alternatives Considered

    Between 2001 and 2003, RT conducted the Downtown-Natomas-Airport 
Alternatives Analysis (AA) to evaluate the costs, benefits, and impacts 
of a range of transportation alternatives to address mobility and 
transportation connectivity between Downtown Sacramento and the 
Sacramento International Airport. The AA report considered a wide range 
of transit technology and alignment alternatives for the corridor. 
Transit technology options included bus rapid transit and light rail, 
and the alignment options included Truxel Road to the Airport, I-5 
between Downtown and I-80 and Truxel Road between I-80 and the Airport, 
and I-5 to Airport. On December 12, 2001, a Notice of Intent was issued 
in the Federal Register of the Downtown-Natomas-Airport Light Rail 
Transit The Board adopted a Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) in 
2003. However, no EIS or Record of Decision was prepared due to lack of 
federal funding and participation in the project. The LPA is included 
in the RT Transit Action Plan, the City of Sacramento General Plan, and 
the Sacramento Area Council of Governments Metropolitan Transportation 
Plan/Sustainable Communities Plan. Following the AA, a Program EIR was 
prepared for the Downtown-Natomas-Airport Light Rail Transit project in 
accordance with CEQA and was certified in 2008.
    The Draft EIS/EIR will analyze reasonable alternatives uncovered 
during scoping. The alternatives being evaluated include:
    No-Build Alternative: The No-Build Alternative represents 
conditions that would be reasonably expected to occur in the 
foreseeable future if the proposed build alternative were not 
implemented. The No-Build Alternative includes existing conditions, 
services, and facilities plus all possible service improvements and 
committed transit improvements in the proposed project corridor.
    Locally Preferred Alternative: The LPA is an approximately 11.3-
mile light rail transit project between Township 9 and Sacramento 
International Airport. The LPA includes refinements to the alignment 
since the LPA was adopted by the Board in 2003. This alternative 
consists of features typical of light rail transit, including but not 
limited to stations, tracks, overhead catenary, traction power 
substations, signaling and safety features, park-and-ride facilities, 
and maintenance and storage facilities. The alignment follows Richards 
Boulevard and Sequoia Pacific Boulevard through the River District. It 
crosses the American River to Truxel Road and includes a section of 
dedicated right-of-way adjacent to the roadway in North Natomas. The 
alignment turns westerly, crossing Highway 99 and traversing planned 
transit-oriented developments at Greenbriar and Metro Air Park before 
terminating at the Sacramento International Airport. Due to the 
associated increases in the size of RT's light rail vehicle fleet, the 
project also includes an expansion of RT's existing light rail 
maintenance facility (on Academy Way in North Sacramento) in 
combination with a new maintenance

[[Page 72143]]

facility near Sacramento International Airport.
    The LPA includes a new bridge over the American River which will 
accommodate transit, bicycles, and pedestrians, and include connections 
to the American River Parkway on the north and south sides of the 
river. A design option of the bridge includes a wider bridge cross 
section to accommodate automobiles.
    In addition to the alternatives described above, the Draft EIS will 
examine alignment design options to respond to new opportunities and 
conditions at the Sleep Train Arena site and at the Sacramento 
International Airport. Also, depending on funding availability from 
various federal and local sources, construction to Sacramento 
International Airport may require one or more phases. Phased 
implementation of the Green Line project or minimum operable segments 
will be considered as part of the Draft EIS.

Probable Effects

    The purpose of the EIS is to study, in a public setting, the 
potential effects and benefits on the physical, human, and natural 
environment of implementing the proposed action. The permanent or long-
term effects to be investigated during this study include effects to 
public parks and recreation lands (Section 4(f) Evaluation), traffic 
and transportation, land use and socioeconomic, visual character and 
aesthetics, noise and vibration, historical and archaeological 
resources, community effects, and natural resources. Temporary effects 
during construction may include effects to transportation and traffic, 
air quality, water quality, noise and vibration, natural resources, and 
encounters with hazardous materials and contaminated soils. Measures to 
avoid, minimize, and mitigate adverse impacts will also be identified 
and evaluated.
    The analysis during the environmental review process will be 
undertaken in conformity with Federal environmental laws, regulations, 
and executive orders applicable to the proposed project. These 
requirements include, but are not limited to, the regulations of the 
Council on Environmental Quality implementing NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500 
through 1508), FTA's NEPA implementing regulations and procedures (23 
CFR part 771 and 23 U.S.C. 139), the air quality transportation 
conformity regulation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 
(40 CFR part 93), guidelines for disposal of dredged or fill material 
in section 404(b)(1) guidelines of EPA (40 CFR part 230), Executive 
Orders 13609and 11988 on floodplains, 11990 on wetlands, and 12898 on 
environmental justice, and regulations implementing section 106 of the 
National Historic Preservation Act (36 CFR part 800), section 7 of the 
Endangered Species Act (50 CFR part 402), and section 4(f) of the 
Department of Transportation Act (23 CFR 774).

FTA's Public and Agency Involvement Procedures

    Regulations implementing NEPA and FTA guidance call for public 
involvement in the environmental review process. In accordance with 
these regulations and guidance, FTA and RT will: (1) Extend an 
invitation to other federal and non-federal agencies and Native 
American tribes that may have an interest in the proposed project to 
become participating agencies (any interested agency that does not 
receive an invitation can notify any of the contact persons listed 
earlier in this NOI); (2) provide an opportunity for involvement by 
participating agencies and the public to help define the purpose and 
need for a proposed project, as well as the range of alternatives for 
consideration in the EIS/EIR; and (3) establish a plan for coordinating 
public and agency participation in, and comment on, the environmental 
review process.
    With the publication of this NOI, the scoping process and the 
public comment period for the project begins allowing the public to 
offer input on the scope of the EIS/EIR until Friday, January 15, 2016. 
Public comments will be received through those methods explained 
earlier in this NOI and will be incorporated into a Scoping Summary 
Report. The Scoping Summary Report will detail the scope of the EIS/EIR 
and the potential environmental effects that will be considered during 
the study period. After the completion of the Draft EIS/EIR, a public 
and agency review period will allow for input on the Draft EIS/EIR and 
these comments will be incorporated into the Final EIS/EIR for this 
project. In accordance with Section 1319 of the Moving Ahead for 
Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) (Pub. L. 112-114), 
Accelerated Decision-making in Environmental Reviews, FTA may consider 
the use of errata sheets attached to the Draft EIS/EIR in place of a in 
place of a traditional Final EIS/EIR and/or development a single 
environmental decision document that consists of a Final EIS/EIR and a 
Record of Decision (ROD), if certain conditions exist following the 
conclusion of the public and agency review period for the project's 
Draft EIS/EIR.

Leslie T. Rogers,
Regional Administrator, Regional IX, Federal Transit Administration.
[FR Doc. 2015-29418 Filed 11-17-15; 8:45 am]
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