Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Tacoma Dome Link Extension, King and Pierce Counties, Washington, 11391-11394 [2019-05721]
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Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 58 / Tuesday, March 26, 2019 / Notices
eligible for grant-in-aid funding from the
FAA under the Airport and Airway
Improvement Act of 1982. Where
Federal funding is sought, requests for
project grants must be submitted to the
FAA Regional Office in Burlington,
Massachusetts.
The Westover Municipal
Development Corporation previously
submitted to the FAA noise exposure
maps and associated documentation
produced during the noise compatibility
planning study. The Westover
Metropolitan Airport noise exposure
maps were determined by FAA to be in
compliance with applicable
requirements on November 7, 2018.
Notice of this determination was
published in the Federal Register
December 6, 2018.
The Westover Metropolitan Airport
study contains a proposed noise
compatibility program comprised of
actions designed for implementation by
airport. The Westover Municipal
Development Corporation requested that
the FAA evaluate and approve this
material as a noise compatibility
program as described in Section 104 (b)
of the Act. The FAA began its review of
the program on November 2, 2018, and
was required by a provision of the Act
to approve or disapprove the program
within 180 days (other than the use of
new flight procedures for noise control).
Failure to approve or disapprove such a
program within the 180-day period shall
be deemed to be an approval of such a
program.
The submitted program contained a
few changes to noise mitigation
measures in the Noise Compatibility
Program. Two measures (relating to
subdivision regulations and a pilot
awareness program) were not
recommended for approval and the FAA
concurred. One measure (relating to
monitoring of nighttime operations) had
been only partly approved previously, is
now approved. The FAA completed its
review and determined that the
procedural and substantive
requirements of the Act and FAR Part
150 have been satisfied. The New
England Region Airports Division
Manager therefore approved the overall
program on March 7, 2019. The Record
of Approval, as well as other evaluation
materials and the documents
comprising the submittal, are available
for review at the FAA office listed above
and at the administrative offices of
Westover Metropolitan Airport.
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Issued in Burlington, Massachusetts on
March 7, 2019.
Gail Lattrell,
Acting Manager, Airports Division, FAA New
England Region.
[FR Doc. 2019–05755 Filed 3–25–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–13–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement for
the Tacoma Dome Link Extension,
King and Pierce Counties, Washington
Federal Transit Administration
(FTA), Department of Transportation
(DOT).
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: FTA and the Central Puget
Sound Regional Transit Authority
(Sound Transit) intend to prepare an EIS
to evaluate the benefits and impacts of
the proposed Tacoma Dome Link
Extension (TDLE), a light rail transit
extension project. The project would
improve public transit service between
the Federal Way Transit Center in
Federal Way, King County and the
Tacoma Dome Station in Tacoma, Pierce
County. It would respond to a growing
number of transportation and
community needs identified in the
agency’s regional transit system plan,
Sound Transit 3 (ST3). The project
would also cross the lands of the
Puyallup Tribe of the Puyallup
Reservation (Puyallup Tribe of Indians).
FTA and Sound Transit will prepare
the EIS in accordance with the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), FTA
environmental regulations, Fixing
America’s Surface Transportation Act
(FAST Act), and Washington’s State
Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). This
Notice initiates formal scoping for the
EIS, provides information on the nature
of the proposed transit project, invites
participation in the EIS process,
provides information about the purpose
and need for the proposed transit
project, includes general information on
the range of alternatives being
considered for evaluation in the EIS,
and identifies potential environmental
effects to be considered. It also invites
comments from interested members of
the public, tribes, and agencies on the
scope of the EIS and announces
upcoming public scoping meetings.
Alternatives being considered for
evaluation include a No-Build and
various build alternatives to develop
light rail in the TDLE corridor. The
alternatives were developed through a
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local planning process including a
Regional Transit Long-Range Plan, a
regional system plan of transit
investments (ST3), and a SEPA early
scoping and alternatives development
process specific to the TDLE corridor.
The results of SEPA early scoping and
alternatives planning, as well as other
background information, are
summarized in the Tacoma Dome Link
Extension Scoping Information Report,
which is available at Sound Transit’s
office located at 401 S Jackson Street,
Seattle, WA 98104–2826, on the project
website: www.soundtransit.org/tdlink,
or by contacting the project line at (206)
903–7118.
The public scoping period will
begin on the date of publication of this
Notice and will continue through May
1, 2019 or 30 days from the date of
publication, whichever is later. Please
send written comments on the scope of
the EIS, including the draft purpose and
need statement, the alternatives to be
considered in the EIS, the
environmental and community impacts
to be evaluated, and any other projectrelated issues, to the Sound Transit
address listed in ADDRESSES below.
Public scoping meetings will be held
at the times and locations indicated in
ADDRESSES below. Sound Transit and
FTA will accept written comments at
those meetings, along with comments
via mail and online, during the duration
of the comment period. There is also an
opportunity to give verbal comments
that will be recorded by a court recorder
at the meetings. FTA and Sound Transit
have also scheduled a meeting to
receive comments from agencies and
tribes who have an interest in the
proposed project on April 16, 2019.
Invitations to the agency and tribal
scoping meeting will be sent to
appropriate federal, tribal, state, and
local governmental units.
DATES:
Written comments on the
scope of the EIS must be postmarked by
May 1, 2019 or 30 days from the
publication of this Notice, whichever is
later. Please send comments to: TDLE
Project, c/o Elma Borbe, Senior
Environmental Planner, Sound Transit,
401 S. Jackson Street, Seattle, WA
98104–2826, or by email to
TDLEscoping@soundtransit.org.
Comments will also be accepted at the
public scoping meetings that will be
held at:
1. April 16, 2019, 6:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.,
Fife Community Center, 2111 54th
Avenue E, Fife, WA.
2. April 17, 2019, 6:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.,
Tacoma Convention Center, 1500
Commerce Street, Tacoma, WA.
ADDRESSES:
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3. April 23, 2019, 6:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.,
Federal Way Performing Arts and Event
Center, 31510 Pete von Reichbauer Way
S, Federal Way, WA.
All public meeting locations are
accessible to persons with disabilities.
For information in alternative formats,
call 1–800–201–4900/TTY Relay: 711 or
email accessibility@soundtransit.org.
Information about the proposed
project, the alternatives development
process, scoping, and the EIS process
will be available at the scoping
meetings, at Sound Transit offices, on
the project website at
www.soundtransit.org/tdlink, or by
contacting the project line at (206) 903–
7118. An online open house is also
available to submit comments at https://
tdlink.participate.online.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mark Assam, FTA Environmental
Protection Specialist, (206) 220–4465 or
Elma Borbe, Sound Transit Senior
Environmental Planner, (206) 398–5445.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background. NEPA ‘‘scoping’’ (40
CFR 1501.7) has specific and fairly
limited objectives, one of which is to
identify the light rail alignment
alternatives’ significant issues that will
be examined in detail in the EIS, while
simultaneously limiting consideration
and development of issues that are not
truly significant. The NEPA scoping
process should identify potentially
significant environmental impacts
caused by the project and that give rise
to the need to prepare an EIS; impacts
that are deemed not to be significant
need not be developed extensively in
the context of the impact statement. The
EIS must be focused on impacts of
consequence consistent with the
ultimate objectives of the NEPA
implementing regulations—‘‘to make
the environmental impact statement
process more useful to decision makers
and the public; and to reduce
paperwork and the accumulation of
extraneous background data, in order to
emphasize the need to focus on real
environmental issues and alternatives
. . . [by requiring] impact statements to
be concise, clear, and to the point, and
supported by evidence that agencies
have made the necessary environmental
analyses.’’ Executive Order 11991, of
May 24, 1977. Transit projects may also
generate environmental benefits, which
should also be highlighted; the EIS
process should draw attention to
positive impacts, not just negative.
The Proposed Project. Sound Transit
is proposing to expand Link light rail
transit service from the Federal Way
Transit Center to the Tacoma Dome
Station area. The project corridor is
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approximately 10 miles long, with four
proposed stations and two park-andrides. The representative project is part
of the ST3 Plan of regional transit
system investments, funding for which
was approved by voters in the region in
2016. The ST3 Plan is available on
Sound Transit’s website at:
www.soundtransit3.org/documentlibrary.
Purpose of and Need for the Project.
The Purpose and Need statement
establishes the basis for developing and
evaluating a range of reasonable
alternatives for environmental review
and assists with the identification of a
Preferred Alternative. The purpose of
the TDLE project is to expand the Link
light rail system from the Federal Way
Transit Center to the Tacoma Dome
Station area, to make appropriate
community investments to improve
mobility, and to increase capacity and
connectivity for regional connections in
order to:
• Provide high-quality rapid, reliable,
and efficient light rail transit service to
communities in the project corridor, as
defined through the local planning
process and reflected in the ST3 Plan
(Sound Transit 2016).
• Improve regional mobility by
increasing connectivity and capacity in
the TDLE corridor from the Federal Way
Transit Center to the Tacoma Dome
Station area to meet projected transit
demand.
• Connect communities of Federal
Way, Milton, Fife, Tacoma, and the
Puyallup Tribe of Indians to regional
centers and destinations on the regional
high-capacity transit (HCT) system as
described in adopted regional and local
land use, transportation, and economic
development plans and Sound Transit’s
Regional Transit Long-Range Plan
(Sound Transit 2014).
• Implement a system that is
technically and financially feasible to
build, operate, and maintain.
• Expand mobility for the corridor
and region’s residents, which include
transit-dependent, low-income, and
minority populations.
• Encourage equitable and
sustainable urban growth in station
areas through support of transit oriented
development and multimodal
integration in a manner that is
consistent with local land use plans and
policies, including Sound Transit’s
Transit Oriented Development and
Sustainability policies.
• Encourage convenient and safe
nonmotorized access to stations such as
bicycle and pedestrian connections
consistent with Sound Transit’s System
Access Policy.
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• Preserve and promote a healthy
environment and economy by
minimizing adverse impacts on the
natural, built, and social environments.
The project is needed because:
• Chronic roadway congestion on
Interstate 5 (I–5) and State Route 99 (SR
99) — two primary highways connecting
communities along the corridor —
delays today’s travelers, including those
using transit, and degrades the
reliability of bus service traversing the
corridor, particularly during commute
periods.
• These chronic, degraded conditions
are expected to continue and worsen as
the region’s population and
employment grows.
• Puget Sound Regional Council
(PSRC), the regional metropolitan
planning organization, and local plans
call for HCT in the corridor consistent
with VISION 2040 (PSRC 2009) and
Sound Transit’s Regional Transit LongRange Plan (Sound Transit 2014).
• South King and Pierce counties
citizens and communities, including
transit-dependent residents and lowincome or minority populations, need
long-term regional mobility and
multimodal connectivity as called for in
the Washington State Growth
Management Act.
• Regional and local plans call for
increased residential and/or
employment density at and around HCT
stations, and increased options for
multimodal access.
• Environmental and sustainability
goals of the state and region, as
established in Washington state law and
embodied in PSRC’s VISION 2040 and
2018 Regional Transportation Plan,
include reducing greenhouse gas
emissions by decreasing vehicle miles
traveled.
Proposed Alternatives. A range of
light rail transit build alternatives has
been identified for the TDLE project, as
well as a No-Build Alternative, as
required under NEPA, that serves as a
baseline against which to assess the
impacts of the proposed alternatives.
The mode and corridor served for the
proposed project were identified
through the years-long planning process
for the Sound Transit Regional Transit
Long-Range Plan and ST3 Plan. The
range of light rail transit alternatives
was developed through an alternatives
development process, which built off of
the Regional Transit Long-Range Plan
and ST3 planning work. The planning
and alternatives development processes
included technical analysis, public
engagement, and input from affected
local jurisdictions. Sound Transit
developed an initial range of
alternatives from agency and public
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input during the SEPA early scoping
process (April 2 through May 3, 2018).
The project Elected Leadership Group
(ELG), a comprehensive group of elected
officials that represent the service
corridor, recommended how to narrow
and refine these alternatives based on
additional analysis and community,
agency, and tribal input. Consistent
with 23 CFR part 450.318, FTA is
relying on the results of these local
planning processes to inform the mode,
corridor, and range of reasonable
alternatives to be evaluated during the
environmental process.
FTA and Sound Transit invite
comments on these alternatives. The
input received during the scoping
period will help FTA and Sound Transit
identify alternatives to evaluate in the
Draft EIS. After scoping concludes, the
Sound Transit Board is expected to
consider the scoping comments received
and then act on a motion addressing the
purpose and need for the project, the
scope of environmental review, and
identifying the preferred alternative and
other alternatives to be considered in
the Draft EIS.
No-Build Alternative. The No-Build
Alternative reflects the existing
transportation system plus the
transportation improvements included
in PSRC’s Transportation Improvement
Program.
Light Rail Transit Alternatives. The
full-length project connecting from
Federal Way to the Tacoma Dome
Station is approximately 10 miles long
and includes four stations: South
Federal Way, Fife, East Tacoma, and the
Tacoma Dome. FTA and Sound Transit
may also examine several design
options and potential minimal operable
segments for the proposed alternatives.
Information about the proposed project,
the alternatives development process,
scoping, and the EIS process will be
available at the scoping meetings, at
Sound Transit offices, on the project
website: https://www.soundtransit.org/
tdlink, or by contacting the project line
at (206) 903–7118. For purposes of this
Notice, the project can be generally
described as follows:
Based on planning efforts to date, the
alternatives evaluated for the project
follow the I–5 corridor, the SR 99
corridor, or a combination of the two
corridors, and include four stations and
two park-and-rides located at the South
Federal Way and Fife stations. The
project begins just south of the Federal
Way Transit Center and includes three
general alternative routes in South
Federal Way: I–5, Enchanted Parkway,
and SR 99. The I–5 alternatives run
parallel to the west side of I–5 with
station options in the vicinity of S 356th
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Street. The Enchanted Parkway
alternatives curve from I–5 to Enchanted
Parkway between S 344th Street and S
359th Street with station options in the
vicinity of S 352nd Street. The SR 99
alternatives use either SR 99 or a short
stretch of I–5 to reach an SR 99 station
near S 348th Street before continuing
south along SR 99, or returning to the
west side of I–5. Just south of Porter
Way, I–5 and SR 99 make a 90-degree
curve to the west near the city limits for
Milton and Fife. Due to the topography
and a new interchange with SR 167 that
the Washington State Department of
Transportation plans to start
constructing in 2019, all alternatives
converge along the SR 99 corridor as
they enter Fife. The station and parkand-ride site options in Fife are
generally located north of SR 99
between 59th Street E and 54th Street E.
West of 54th Street E, the alternatives
follow either the south side of the SR 99
corridor or the north side of the I–5
corridor. All of the alternatives are
anticipated to cross the Puyallup River
on a new bridge to the north of I–5.
From East Tacoma to the Tacoma Dome
Station area, the alternatives would
curve slightly north to follow either E
26th Street, E 25th Street, or Puyallup
Avenue. There is also an option for an
alignment to follow E 26th Street or E
27th Street to a station site at the
Tacoma Dome near East D Street. The
East Tacoma station location is
anticipated to be a block east or west of
Portland Avenue E. The Tacoma Dome
light rail station would be located in the
vicinity of East G Street or East D Street.
The build alternatives would also
include access enhancements such as
transit-related roadway, bicycle, and
pedestrian improvements around station
areas, and the Puyallup River Bridge
crossing. These improvements may be
eligible for federal funding and could be
part of the transit project or constructed
as part of a joint effort with agency
partners.
Possible Adverse Effects. Consistent
with NEPA, FTA and Sound Transit
will evaluate, with input from the
public, tribes, and agencies, the
potential impacts of the alternatives on
the natural, built, and social
environments. Likely areas of
investigation include transportation
(including navigable waterways), land
use and consistency with applicable
plans, land acquisition and
displacements, socioeconomic impacts,
park and recreation resources, historic
and cultural resources, environmental
justice, visual and aesthetic qualities, air
quality, noise and vibration, hazardous
materials, energy use, safety and
security, water resources, floodplains,
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11393
and ecosystems, including threatened
and endangered species, and potential
marine mammals. The EIS will evaluate
the impacts of short-term construction,
long-term operations, and indirect and
cumulative conditions. The EIS will
also propose measures to avoid,
minimize, or mitigate significant
adverse impacts.
In accordance with FTA policy and
regulations, FTA and Sound Transit will
comply with all federal environmental
laws, regulations, and executive orders
applicable to the proposed project
during the environmental review
process.
Roles of Agencies and the Public.
NEPA, and FTA’s regulations for
implementing NEPA, call for public
involvement in the EIS process. FTA
and Sound Transit therefore invite
federal and non-federal agencies to
participate in the NEPA process as
‘‘cooperating’’ or ‘‘participating’’
agencies. FTA will also initiate
government-to-government consultation
with tribes and will invite them to
participate in the process.
Any agency or tribe interested in the
project that does not receive such an
invitation should promptly notify the
Sound Transit Senior Environmental
Planner identified above under
ADDRESSES.
FTA and Sound Transit will prepare
a draft Coordination Plan guiding
agency, tribe, and public involvement.
Interested parties will be able to review
this draft Coordination Plan at the
project website: https://
www.soundtransit.org/tdlink. The Plan
will identify the project’s coordination
approach and structure, detail the major
milestones for agency and public
involvement, and include an initial list
of interested agencies and organizations.
Combined FEIS and Record of
Decision. Under 23 U.S.C. 139, FTA is
to combine the Final EIS and Record of
Decision if practicable. However,
because the EIS will be a joint document
meeting both NEPA and SEPA
requirements, and because SEPA
requires a waiting period between the
FEIS and decisions about the project,
FTA and Sound Transit have
determined that a combined FEIS and
Record of Decision is not practicable.
Paperwork Reduction. The Paperwork
Reduction Act seeks, in part, to
minimize the cost to the taxpayer of the
creation, collection, maintenance, use,
dissemination, and disposition of
information. Consistent with this goal
and with principles of economy and
efficiency in government, FTA limits as
much as possible the distribution of
complete sets of printed environmental
documents. Accordingly, unless a
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specific request for a complete printed
set of environmental documents is
received before the document is printed,
FTA and Sound Transit will distribute
the executive summary of the
environmental document that will
include a compact disc of the complete
environmental document and a link to
the project website where it can be
accessed online. A complete printed set
of the environmental documentation
will be available for review at Sound
Transit’s offices and local libraries; an
electronic copy of the complete
environmental document will also be
available on Sound Transit’s project
website.
Linda M. Gehrke,
Regional Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2019–05721 Filed 3–25–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
[Docket No. PHMSA–2018–0042]
Pipeline Safety: Request for Special
Permit; Golden Pass LNG Terminal, LP
Pipeline and Hazardous
Materials Safety Administration
(PHMSA); DOT.
ACTION: Notice.
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AGENCY:
SUMMARY: PHMSA is publishing this
notice to solicit public comment on a
request for special permit, seeking relief
from compliance with certain
requirements in the Federal Pipeline
Safety Regulations (PSRs). At the
conclusion of the 30-day comment
period, PHMSA will review the
comments received from this notice as
part of its evaluation to grant or deny
the special permit request.
DATES: Submit any comments regarding
this special permit request by April 25,
2019.
ADDRESSES: Comments should reference
the docket number for the specific
special permit request and may be
submitted in the following ways:
• E-Gov Website: https://
www.Regulations.gov. This site allows
the public to enter comments on any
Federal Register notice issued by any
agency.
• Fax: 1–202–493–2251.
• Mail: Docket Management System:
U.S. Department of Transportation,
Docket Operations, M–30, West
Building Ground Floor, Room W12–140,
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE,
Washington, DC 20590.
17:54 Mar 25, 2019
Jkt 247001
Note: There is a privacy statement
published on https://www.Reglations.gov.
Comments, including any personal
information provided, are posted without
changes or edits to https://
www.Regulations.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials
Safety Administration
VerDate Sep<11>2014
• Hand Delivery: Docket Management
System: U.S. Department of
Transportation, Docket Operations, M–
30, West Building Ground Floor, Room
W12–140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE,
Washington, DC 20590, between 9:00
a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through
Friday, except Federal holidays.
Instructions: You should identify the
docket number for the special permit
request you are commenting on at the
beginning of your comments. If you
submit your comments by mail, please
submit two copies. To receive
confirmation that PHMSA has received
your comments, please include a selfaddressed stamped postcard. Internet
users may submit comments at https://
www.Regulations.gov.
General: Ms. Kay McIver by telephone
at 202–366–0113, or email at
kay.mciver@dot.gov.
Technical: Mr. Thach Nguyen by
telephone at 909–262–4464, or by email
at Thach.d.Nguyen@dot.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March
28, 2018, PHMSA received a special
permit request from Golden Pass LNG
Terminal, LP (GPLNG) to deviate from
the PSRs in 49 Code of Federal
Regulations, part 193, subpart G for the
following provisions: Subpart G
Maintenance—§§ 193.2603(a) and (b),
193.2607, 193.2609, 193.2619(c) and (e),
193.2631, and 193.2635(e).
GPLNG proposes to create a
hydrocarbon-free environment in the
existing regasification terminal or
Brownfield facilities prior to
construction of the new liquefaction/
export project to maximize safety of the
interconnection construction. Existing
equipment will be at ambient
temperature, purged of all hydrocarbons
and displaced with nitrogen. In some
cases, containment will be broken for
modification. The main gas supply
pipeline will be blinded off from the
Brownfield site. A hydrocarbon-free
environment will allow new equipment/
facilities to be interconnected to existing
equipment and allow certain existing
equipment to be modified under safer
conditions. While the GPLNG Terminal
is out of service and purged free of
hazardous fluid, GPLNG seeks to be
relieved from performing the
maintenance, inspection, and testing
activities required in §§ 193.2603(a) and
(b), 193.2607, 193.2609, 193.2619(c) and
(e), 193.2631, and 193.2635(e). Prior to
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bringing the GPLNG Terminal back to
service, GPLNG will carry out its
recommissioning/restart plan, and
PHMSA will perform inspections to
verify that the LNG facility equipment
and components are fully restored to
their original and fully compliant
functions.
The GPLNG Terminal is located on
the southern shore of the Sabine-Neches
Waterway in Jefferson County, Texas,
approximately ten (10) miles south of
Port Arthur, Texas, and two (2) miles
north of Sabine Pass, Texas. Since June
2012, the terminal has maintained a
warmed state, where all LNG has been
removed, but equipment remains in a
state of readiness that includes methane
vapors. The GPLNG Terminal consists
of two (2) berths, five (5) LNG storage
tanks, and a regasification system. All
associated piping, valves and pumps
will be made hydrocarbon free in
accordance with § 193.2517 and
American Gas Association’s Purging
Principles and Practices (incorporated
by reference, see § 193.2013).
The proposed special permit
conditions and Draft Environmental
Assessment (DEA) for the Golden Pass
LNG facility are available at https://
www.Regulations.gov for public review
and comment. We invite interested
persons to review and submit comments
on the special permit request, DEA, and
other background materials in the
docket. Please include any comments on
potential safety and environmental
impacts that may result if the special
permit is granted. Comments may
include relevant data.
Before issuing a decision on the
special permit request, PHMSA will
evaluate all comments received on or
before the comment closing date.
Comments received after the closing
date will be evaluated if it is possible to
do so without incurring additional
expense or delay. PHMSA will consider
each relevant comment we receive in
making our decision to grant or deny a
request.
Issued in Washington, DC, on March 21,
2019, under authority delegated in 49 CFR
1.97.
Linda Daugherty,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Field
Operations.
[FR Doc. 2019–05713 Filed 3–25–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–60–P
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[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 58 (Tuesday, March 26, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11391-11394]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-05721]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for
the Tacoma Dome Link Extension, King and Pierce Counties, Washington
AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS).
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SUMMARY: FTA and the Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority
(Sound Transit) intend to prepare an EIS to evaluate the benefits and
impacts of the proposed Tacoma Dome Link Extension (TDLE), a light rail
transit extension project. The project would improve public transit
service between the Federal Way Transit Center in Federal Way, King
County and the Tacoma Dome Station in Tacoma, Pierce County. It would
respond to a growing number of transportation and community needs
identified in the agency's regional transit system plan, Sound Transit
3 (ST3). The project would also cross the lands of the Puyallup Tribe
of the Puyallup Reservation (Puyallup Tribe of Indians).
FTA and Sound Transit will prepare the EIS in accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), FTA environmental
regulations, Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act),
and Washington's State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). This Notice
initiates formal scoping for the EIS, provides information on the
nature of the proposed transit project, invites participation in the
EIS process, provides information about the purpose and need for the
proposed transit project, includes general information on the range of
alternatives being considered for evaluation in the EIS, and identifies
potential environmental effects to be considered. It also invites
comments from interested members of the public, tribes, and agencies on
the scope of the EIS and announces upcoming public scoping meetings.
Alternatives being considered for evaluation include a No-Build and
various build alternatives to develop light rail in the TDLE corridor.
The alternatives were developed through a local planning process
including a Regional Transit Long-Range Plan, a regional system plan of
transit investments (ST3), and a SEPA early scoping and alternatives
development process specific to the TDLE corridor. The results of SEPA
early scoping and alternatives planning, as well as other background
information, are summarized in the Tacoma Dome Link Extension Scoping
Information Report, which is available at Sound Transit's office
located at 401 S Jackson Street, Seattle, WA 98104-2826, on the project
website: www.soundtransit.org/tdlink, or by contacting the project line
at (206) 903-7118.
DATES: The public scoping period will begin on the date of publication
of this Notice and will continue through May 1, 2019 or 30 days from
the date of publication, whichever is later. Please send written
comments on the scope of the EIS, including the draft purpose and need
statement, the alternatives to be considered in the EIS, the
environmental and community impacts to be evaluated, and any other
project-related issues, to the Sound Transit address listed in
ADDRESSES below.
Public scoping meetings will be held at the times and locations
indicated in ADDRESSES below. Sound Transit and FTA will accept written
comments at those meetings, along with comments via mail and online,
during the duration of the comment period. There is also an opportunity
to give verbal comments that will be recorded by a court recorder at
the meetings. FTA and Sound Transit have also scheduled a meeting to
receive comments from agencies and tribes who have an interest in the
proposed project on April 16, 2019. Invitations to the agency and
tribal scoping meeting will be sent to appropriate federal, tribal,
state, and local governmental units.
ADDRESSES: Written comments on the scope of the EIS must be postmarked
by May 1, 2019 or 30 days from the publication of this Notice,
whichever is later. Please send comments to: TDLE Project, c/o Elma
Borbe, Senior Environmental Planner, Sound Transit, 401 S. Jackson
Street, Seattle, WA 98104-2826, or by email to
TDLEscoping@soundtransit.org. Comments will also be accepted at the
public scoping meetings that will be held at:
1. April 16, 2019, 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m., Fife Community Center, 2111
54th Avenue E, Fife, WA.
2. April 17, 2019, 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m., Tacoma Convention Center,
1500 Commerce Street, Tacoma, WA.
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3. April 23, 2019, 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m., Federal Way Performing Arts
and Event Center, 31510 Pete von Reichbauer Way S, Federal Way, WA.
All public meeting locations are accessible to persons with
disabilities. For information in alternative formats, call 1-800-201-
4900/TTY Relay: 711 or email accessibility@soundtransit.org.
Information about the proposed project, the alternatives
development process, scoping, and the EIS process will be available at
the scoping meetings, at Sound Transit offices, on the project website
at www.soundtransit.org/tdlink, or by contacting the project line at
(206) 903-7118. An online open house is also available to submit
comments at https://tdlink.participate.online.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Assam, FTA Environmental
Protection Specialist, (206) 220-4465 or Elma Borbe, Sound Transit
Senior Environmental Planner, (206) 398-5445.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background. NEPA ``scoping'' (40 CFR 1501.7) has specific and
fairly limited objectives, one of which is to identify the light rail
alignment alternatives' significant issues that will be examined in
detail in the EIS, while simultaneously limiting consideration and
development of issues that are not truly significant. The NEPA scoping
process should identify potentially significant environmental impacts
caused by the project and that give rise to the need to prepare an EIS;
impacts that are deemed not to be significant need not be developed
extensively in the context of the impact statement. The EIS must be
focused on impacts of consequence consistent with the ultimate
objectives of the NEPA implementing regulations--``to make the
environmental impact statement process more useful to decision makers
and the public; and to reduce paperwork and the accumulation of
extraneous background data, in order to emphasize the need to focus on
real environmental issues and alternatives . . . [by requiring] impact
statements to be concise, clear, and to the point, and supported by
evidence that agencies have made the necessary environmental
analyses.'' Executive Order 11991, of May 24, 1977. Transit projects
may also generate environmental benefits, which should also be
highlighted; the EIS process should draw attention to positive impacts,
not just negative.
The Proposed Project. Sound Transit is proposing to expand Link
light rail transit service from the Federal Way Transit Center to the
Tacoma Dome Station area. The project corridor is approximately 10
miles long, with four proposed stations and two park-and-rides. The
representative project is part of the ST3 Plan of regional transit
system investments, funding for which was approved by voters in the
region in 2016. The ST3 Plan is available on Sound Transit's website
at: www.soundtransit3.org/document-library.
Purpose of and Need for the Project. The Purpose and Need statement
establishes the basis for developing and evaluating a range of
reasonable alternatives for environmental review and assists with the
identification of a Preferred Alternative. The purpose of the TDLE
project is to expand the Link light rail system from the Federal Way
Transit Center to the Tacoma Dome Station area, to make appropriate
community investments to improve mobility, and to increase capacity and
connectivity for regional connections in order to:
Provide high-quality rapid, reliable, and efficient light
rail transit service to communities in the project corridor, as defined
through the local planning process and reflected in the ST3 Plan (Sound
Transit 2016).
Improve regional mobility by increasing connectivity and
capacity in the TDLE corridor from the Federal Way Transit Center to
the Tacoma Dome Station area to meet projected transit demand.
Connect communities of Federal Way, Milton, Fife, Tacoma,
and the Puyallup Tribe of Indians to regional centers and destinations
on the regional high-capacity transit (HCT) system as described in
adopted regional and local land use, transportation, and economic
development plans and Sound Transit's Regional Transit Long-Range Plan
(Sound Transit 2014).
Implement a system that is technically and financially
feasible to build, operate, and maintain.
Expand mobility for the corridor and region's residents,
which include transit-dependent, low-income, and minority populations.
Encourage equitable and sustainable urban growth in
station areas through support of transit oriented development and
multimodal integration in a manner that is consistent with local land
use plans and policies, including Sound Transit's Transit Oriented
Development and Sustainability policies.
Encourage convenient and safe nonmotorized access to
stations such as bicycle and pedestrian connections consistent with
Sound Transit's System Access Policy.
Preserve and promote a healthy environment and economy by
minimizing adverse impacts on the natural, built, and social
environments.
The project is needed because:
Chronic roadway congestion on Interstate 5 (I-5) and State
Route 99 (SR 99) -- two primary highways connecting communities along
the corridor -- delays today's travelers, including those using
transit, and degrades the reliability of bus service traversing the
corridor, particularly during commute periods.
These chronic, degraded conditions are expected to
continue and worsen as the region's population and employment grows.
Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC), the regional
metropolitan planning organization, and local plans call for HCT in the
corridor consistent with VISION 2040 (PSRC 2009) and Sound Transit's
Regional Transit Long-Range Plan (Sound Transit 2014).
South King and Pierce counties citizens and communities,
including transit-dependent residents and low-income or minority
populations, need long-term regional mobility and multimodal
connectivity as called for in the Washington State Growth Management
Act.
Regional and local plans call for increased residential
and/or employment density at and around HCT stations, and increased
options for multimodal access.
Environmental and sustainability goals of the state and
region, as established in Washington state law and embodied in PSRC's
VISION 2040 and 2018 Regional Transportation Plan, include reducing
greenhouse gas emissions by decreasing vehicle miles traveled.
Proposed Alternatives. A range of light rail transit build
alternatives has been identified for the TDLE project, as well as a No-
Build Alternative, as required under NEPA, that serves as a baseline
against which to assess the impacts of the proposed alternatives. The
mode and corridor served for the proposed project were identified
through the years-long planning process for the Sound Transit Regional
Transit Long-Range Plan and ST3 Plan. The range of light rail transit
alternatives was developed through an alternatives development process,
which built off of the Regional Transit Long-Range Plan and ST3
planning work. The planning and alternatives development processes
included technical analysis, public engagement, and input from affected
local jurisdictions. Sound Transit developed an initial range of
alternatives from agency and public
[[Page 11393]]
input during the SEPA early scoping process (April 2 through May 3,
2018). The project Elected Leadership Group (ELG), a comprehensive
group of elected officials that represent the service corridor,
recommended how to narrow and refine these alternatives based on
additional analysis and community, agency, and tribal input. Consistent
with 23 CFR part 450.318, FTA is relying on the results of these local
planning processes to inform the mode, corridor, and range of
reasonable alternatives to be evaluated during the environmental
process.
FTA and Sound Transit invite comments on these alternatives. The
input received during the scoping period will help FTA and Sound
Transit identify alternatives to evaluate in the Draft EIS. After
scoping concludes, the Sound Transit Board is expected to consider the
scoping comments received and then act on a motion addressing the
purpose and need for the project, the scope of environmental review,
and identifying the preferred alternative and other alternatives to be
considered in the Draft EIS.
No-Build Alternative. The No-Build Alternative reflects the
existing transportation system plus the transportation improvements
included in PSRC's Transportation Improvement Program.
Light Rail Transit Alternatives. The full-length project connecting
from Federal Way to the Tacoma Dome Station is approximately 10 miles
long and includes four stations: South Federal Way, Fife, East Tacoma,
and the Tacoma Dome. FTA and Sound Transit may also examine several
design options and potential minimal operable segments for the proposed
alternatives. Information about the proposed project, the alternatives
development process, scoping, and the EIS process will be available at
the scoping meetings, at Sound Transit offices, on the project website:
https://www.soundtransit.org/tdlink, or by contacting the project line
at (206) 903-7118. For purposes of this Notice, the project can be
generally described as follows:
Based on planning efforts to date, the alternatives evaluated for
the project follow the I-5 corridor, the SR 99 corridor, or a
combination of the two corridors, and include four stations and two
park-and-rides located at the South Federal Way and Fife stations. The
project begins just south of the Federal Way Transit Center and
includes three general alternative routes in South Federal Way: I-5,
Enchanted Parkway, and SR 99. The I-5 alternatives run parallel to the
west side of I-5 with station options in the vicinity of S 356th
Street. The Enchanted Parkway alternatives curve from I-5 to Enchanted
Parkway between S 344th Street and S 359th Street with station options
in the vicinity of S 352nd Street. The SR 99 alternatives use either SR
99 or a short stretch of I-5 to reach an SR 99 station near S 348th
Street before continuing south along SR 99, or returning to the west
side of I-5. Just south of Porter Way, I-5 and SR 99 make a 90-degree
curve to the west near the city limits for Milton and Fife. Due to the
topography and a new interchange with SR 167 that the Washington State
Department of Transportation plans to start constructing in 2019, all
alternatives converge along the SR 99 corridor as they enter Fife. The
station and park-and-ride site options in Fife are generally located
north of SR 99 between 59th Street E and 54th Street E. West of 54th
Street E, the alternatives follow either the south side of the SR 99
corridor or the north side of the I-5 corridor. All of the alternatives
are anticipated to cross the Puyallup River on a new bridge to the
north of I-5. From East Tacoma to the Tacoma Dome Station area, the
alternatives would curve slightly north to follow either E 26th Street,
E 25th Street, or Puyallup Avenue. There is also an option for an
alignment to follow E 26th Street or E 27th Street to a station site at
the Tacoma Dome near East D Street. The East Tacoma station location is
anticipated to be a block east or west of Portland Avenue E. The Tacoma
Dome light rail station would be located in the vicinity of East G
Street or East D Street.
The build alternatives would also include access enhancements such
as transit-related roadway, bicycle, and pedestrian improvements around
station areas, and the Puyallup River Bridge crossing. These
improvements may be eligible for federal funding and could be part of
the transit project or constructed as part of a joint effort with
agency partners.
Possible Adverse Effects. Consistent with NEPA, FTA and Sound
Transit will evaluate, with input from the public, tribes, and
agencies, the potential impacts of the alternatives on the natural,
built, and social environments. Likely areas of investigation include
transportation (including navigable waterways), land use and
consistency with applicable plans, land acquisition and displacements,
socioeconomic impacts, park and recreation resources, historic and
cultural resources, environmental justice, visual and aesthetic
qualities, air quality, noise and vibration, hazardous materials,
energy use, safety and security, water resources, floodplains, and
ecosystems, including threatened and endangered species, and potential
marine mammals. The EIS will evaluate the impacts of short-term
construction, long-term operations, and indirect and cumulative
conditions. The EIS will also propose measures to avoid, minimize, or
mitigate significant adverse impacts.
In accordance with FTA policy and regulations, FTA and Sound
Transit will comply with all federal environmental laws, regulations,
and executive orders applicable to the proposed project during the
environmental review process.
Roles of Agencies and the Public. NEPA, and FTA's regulations for
implementing NEPA, call for public involvement in the EIS process. FTA
and Sound Transit therefore invite federal and non-federal agencies to
participate in the NEPA process as ``cooperating'' or ``participating''
agencies. FTA will also initiate government-to-government consultation
with tribes and will invite them to participate in the process.
Any agency or tribe interested in the project that does not receive
such an invitation should promptly notify the Sound Transit Senior
Environmental Planner identified above under ADDRESSES.
FTA and Sound Transit will prepare a draft Coordination Plan
guiding agency, tribe, and public involvement. Interested parties will
be able to review this draft Coordination Plan at the project website:
https://www.soundtransit.org/tdlink. The Plan will identify the
project's coordination approach and structure, detail the major
milestones for agency and public involvement, and include an initial
list of interested agencies and organizations.
Combined FEIS and Record of Decision. Under 23 U.S.C. 139, FTA is
to combine the Final EIS and Record of Decision if practicable.
However, because the EIS will be a joint document meeting both NEPA and
SEPA requirements, and because SEPA requires a waiting period between
the FEIS and decisions about the project, FTA and Sound Transit have
determined that a combined FEIS and Record of Decision is not
practicable.
Paperwork Reduction. The Paperwork Reduction Act seeks, in part, to
minimize the cost to the taxpayer of the creation, collection,
maintenance, use, dissemination, and disposition of information.
Consistent with this goal and with principles of economy and efficiency
in government, FTA limits as much as possible the distribution of
complete sets of printed environmental documents. Accordingly, unless a
[[Page 11394]]
specific request for a complete printed set of environmental documents
is received before the document is printed, FTA and Sound Transit will
distribute the executive summary of the environmental document that
will include a compact disc of the complete environmental document and
a link to the project website where it can be accessed online. A
complete printed set of the environmental documentation will be
available for review at Sound Transit's offices and local libraries; an
electronic copy of the complete environmental document will also be
available on Sound Transit's project website.
Linda M. Gehrke,
Regional Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2019-05721 Filed 3-25-19; 8:45 am]
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