Notice of Early Scoping for the Capital Metro Blue Line High Capacity Transit Corridor in Austin, Texas, 16558-16559 [2019-07855]
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khammond on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES
16558
Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 76 / Friday, April 19, 2019 / Notices
(FEIS) for the project, approved by
FHWA in the Record of Decision (ROD)
issued on April 9, 2019, and in other
documents in the FHWA administrative
record. The FEIS, ROD, and other
documents in the FHWA administrative
record files are available by contacting
FHWA at the address provided above.
The FEIS and ROD can also be viewed
and downloaded from the project
website at: https://www.dot.ny.gov/
southbronx/hunts-point.
This notice applies to FHWA agency
decisions as of the issuance date of this
notice and all laws under which such
actions were taken, including but not
limited to:
1. General: National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) [42 U.S.C. 4321–
4351]; Federal-Aid Highway Act [23
U.S.C. 109].
2. Air: Clean Air Act [42 U.S.C. 7401–
7671(q)] (Transportation Conformity).
3. Noise: Noise Control Act of 1972
[42 U.S.C. 4901 et seq.].
4. Land: Section 4(f) of the
Department of Transportation Act of
1966 [49 U.S.C. 303]; Landscaping and
Scenic Enhancement (Wildflowers) [23
U.S.C. 319].
5. Wildlife: Endangered Species Act
[16 U.S.C. 1531–1544 and Section
1536], Marine Mammal Protection Act
[16 U.S.C. 1361], Fish and Wildlife
Coordination Act [16 U.S.C. 661–
667(d)], Migratory Bird Treaty Act [16
U.S.C. 703–712], Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management
Act of 1976, as amended [16 U.S.C. 1801
et seq.].
6. Historic and Cultural Resources:
Section 106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act of 1966, as amended
[16 U.S.C. 470(f) et seq.]; Archeological
Resources Protection Act of 1977 [16
U.S.C. 470(aa)–11]; Archeological and
Historic Preservation Act [16 U.S.C.
469–469(c)]; Native American Grave
Protection and Repatriation Act
(NAGPRA) [25 U.S.C. 3001–3013].
7. Social and Economic: Civil Rights
Act of 1964 [42 U.S.C. 2000(d)–
2000(d)(1)]; American Indian Religious
Freedom Act [42 U.S.C. 1996].
8. Right of Way: Uniform Relocation
Assistance and Real Property
Acquisition Policies Act of 1970 [42
U.S.C. 4601 et seq.].
9. Wetlands and Water Resources:
Coastal Zone Management Act, 16
U.S.C. 1451–1465; Land and Water
Conservation Fund (LWCF), 16 U.S.C.
4601–4604; Safe Drinking Water Act
(SDWA), 42 U.S.C. 300(f)–300(j)(6); 33
U.S.C. 401–406; Flood Disaster
Protection Act, 42 U.S.C. 4001–4128;
Clean Water Act (Section 404, Section
401, Section 319) [33 U.S.C. 1251–
1377].
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16:23 Apr 18, 2019
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10. Hazardous Materials:
Comprehensive Environmental
Response, Compensation, and Liability
Act (CERCLA), 42 U.S.C. 9601–9675;
Superfund Amendments and
Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA);
Resource Conservation and Recovery
Act (RCRA), 42 U.S.C. 6901–6992(k).
11. Executive Orders: E.O. 11990
Protection of Wetlands; E.O. 11988
Floodplain Management; E.O. 12898,
Federal Actions to Address
Environmental Justice in Minority
Populations and Low Income
Populations; E.O. 11593 Protection and
Enhancement of Cultural Resources;
E.O. 13007 Indian Sacred Sites; E.O.
13287 Preserve America; E.O. 13175
Consultation and Coordination with
Indian Tribal Governments; E.O. 11514
Protection and Enhancement of
Environmental Quality; E.O. 13112
Invasive Species.
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
project study area, alternatives being
considered, public participation and
outreach methods, relevant
transportation and community impacts
and benefits being considered, potential
environmental impacts, and the
projected capital and operating costs of
the project.
DATES: The public may learn more about
the Blue Line HCT Corridor and provide
comments at an early scoping meeting
scheduled for: Monday, May 20, 2019,
3:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central Time at Austin
Central Library, 710 W Cesar Chavez St.,
Austin, TX 78701.
Capital Metro is also providing notice
of this early scoping meeting on Capital
Metro’s website (capmetro.org) and in
the following publications:
• Austin American Statesman
• The Villager Newspaper
• The LaPrensa Newspaper
ADDRESSES: Public comments will be
accepted at the early scoping meeting.
In addition, comments may be sent
electronically to: bluelinefeedback@
projectconnect.com. Comments may be
mailed to: Capital Metro Project Connect
Office, Blue Line HCT Corridor
Comments, 607 Congress Avenue,
Austin, TX 78701. All comments are
requested by June 28, 2019.
The meeting location is accessible to
persons with disabilities. If translation,
signing services, or other special
accommodations are needed, please
contact Courtney Black at (512) 457–
1244 or via email at courtney.black@
capmetro.org.
Federal Transit Administration
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
Program Number 20.205, Highway Planning
and Construction. The regulations
implementing Executive Order 12372
regarding intergovernmental consultation on
Federal programs and activities apply to this
program.)
Authority: 23 U.S.C. 139(l)(1).
Issued on: April 11, 2019.
Richard J. Marquis,
Division Administrator, Albany, NY.
[FR Doc. 2019–07850 Filed 4–18–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–RY–P
Notice of Early Scoping for the Capital
Metro Blue Line High Capacity Transit
Corridor in Austin, Texas
Federal Transit Administration
(FTA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of early scoping meeting.
AGENCY:
The Federal Transit
Administration (FTA) and the Capital
Metropolitan Transportation Authority
(Capital Metro) of Austin, Texas issue
this early scoping notice to advise other
agencies and the public that they intend
to conduct early scoping for the Blue
Line High Capacity Transit (HCT)
Corridor. The Blue Line HCT Corridor is
a 15.5-mile corridor connecting multiple
activity centers between North Austin,
Downtown Austin, East Riverside and
the Austin Bergstrom International
Airport. The entire corridor is being
proposed for HCT dedicated pathways.
This notice invites public input to
ongoing planning efforts for the Blue
Line HCT Corridor by commenting on
the project’s purpose and need, the
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Terence Plaskon, FTA, phone: (817)
978–0573, email: terence.plaskon@
dot.gov or Joe Clemens, AICP, Capital
Metro, phone: (512) 369–6515, email:
joe.clemens@capmetro.org.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Blue
Line HCT Corridor is included in
Capital Metro’s Project Connect LongTerm Vision Plan. Project Connect
developed specifically targeted
solutions that address existing service
deficiencies and identified HCT
investments that would add mobility
options for the Central Texas region.
Early scoping for the Blue Line HCT
Corridor builds on previous Project
Connect planning efforts and will
examine potential alternatives to
provide HCT in the Central Texas
region.
The early scoping process is intended
to support the formal National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
scoping process. In addition, early
scoping supports FTA planning
requirements associated with the
Capital Investment Grant funding
E:\FR\FM\19APN1.SGM
19APN1
Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 76 / Friday, April 19, 2019 / Notices
program. Capital Metro will comply
with all relevant FTA requirements
related to planning and project
development to help analyze and screen
alternatives in preparation for the NEPA
process.
khammond on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES
Early Scoping
Early Scoping is an optional early step
in the NEPA process that precedes
formal scoping, which begins when FTA
publishes a notice of intent to prepare
an environmental impact statement
(EIS). FTA encourages the use of early
scoping for major planning activities
that may receive FTA funding to start
the NEPA process during earlier project
planning phases. Early scoping is
intended to generate public and agency
review and comments on the scope of a
planning effort within a defined
transportation corridor, which helps the
agency to determine which alignment
variations should receive more focused
development to streamline the NEPA
process. Early scoping can serve not
only to streamline the NEPA process,
but also to firmly link transportation
planning and NEPA, ensuring that the
public and interested agencies are given
the opportunity to review and provide
comments on the results of planning
activities that can then be used to
inform the NEPA process.
Project Connect Long-Term Vision Plan
Over the last 30 months, Capital
Metro has been conducting the Project
Connect System Plan per general
guidelines of the Federal Planning and
Environmental Linkages (PEL) process.
Capital Metro intends to formalize the
PEL process with the initiation of early
scoping for the Blue Line HCT Corridor,
so that the results of the PEL may be
considered during the formal NEPA
environmental review process.
Under this PEL process, Capital Metro
will analyze alternatives that could be
considered in an EIS, if warranted. The
alternatives analysis will document the
project’s purpose and need, analyze a
range of reasonable, feasible, and
prudent alternatives, and identify a
locally preferred alternative (LPA) in
accordance with the Council on
Environmental Quality’s and FTA’s
regulations and guidance for
implementing NEPA (40 CFR 1501.2
through 1501.8 and 23 CFR 771.111,
respectively), which encourages Federal
agencies to initiate NEPA early in their
planning processes.
Early scoping allows the scoping
process to begin as soon as there is
enough information to describe the
proposal so that the public and relevant
agencies can participate effectively. This
notice opens early scoping and invites
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16:23 Apr 18, 2019
Jkt 247001
public and agency involvement with
ongoing planning activities and studies
for the Blue Line HCT Corridor,
including review of the (a) purpose and
need, (b) the proposed alternatives, and
(c) the potential environmental,
transportation, and community impacts
and benefits to consider during the
NEPA process.
Purpose and Need for the Proposed
Project
Capital Metro invites comments on
the following preliminary statement of
the project’s purpose and need: The
purpose of the project is to build high
capacity transit along Trinity Street,
over the Colorado River, and along East
Riverside Drive that provides faster,
more reliable travel to, from, and
between North Austin, University of
Texas, Downtown Austin, East
Riverside, and Austin Bergstrom
International Airport. The purpose is in
response to the following needs in the
corridor:
• The need to connect activity centers
and manage future growth with
improved transit;
• the need to provide better transit
options linking affordable housing and
jobs;
• the need to connect employers and
employees along the corridor with fast
and reliable transit;
• the need to ensure inter-operability
between the Blue Line and future
corridors; and
• the need to respond to explosive
growth in airport travel that warrants
improved transit to Austin Bergstrom
International Airport.
Potential Alternatives
During the early scoping process, all
reasonable alternatives under
consideration will be evaluated in terms
of their transportation impacts, capital
and operating costs, social, economic,
and environmental impacts, and
technical consideration. Capital Metro
will continue to analyze alternative
transit modes, alignment, and design
options for HCT in the Blue Line
Corridor. Capital Metro will seek to
identify a broad range of alternatives,
consistent with the project’s purpose
and need. The alternatives will include
a No Build Alternative, as well as the
following proposed alternatives:
• Baseline Alternative (MetroBus
Route 20 with transit speed and
reliability improvements);
• Dedicated Pathways Bus Rapid
Transit (BRT);
• Dedicated Pathways Light Rail
Transit (LRT); and
• Dedicated Pathways Autonomous
Rapid Transit (ART).
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16559
At the end of the early scoping
process, FTA and Capital Metro
anticipate identifying a preferred mode
and alignment as the LPA for further
evaluation during the formal NEPA
process. If an EIS is warranted, FTA will
publish a Notice of Intent in the Federal
Register and the public and interested
agencies will have the opportunity to
participate in a review and comment
period on the scope of the EIS.
Gail Lyssy,
Deputy Regional Administrator, FTA Region
VI.
[FR Doc. 2019–07855 Filed 4–18–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–57–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials
Safety Administration
[Docket No. PHMSA–2019–0001]
Pipeline Safety: Information Collection
Activities, Gas and Liquid Pipeline
Safety Program Certification
Pipeline and Hazardous
Materials Safety Administration
(PHMSA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice and request for
comments.
AGENCY:
In compliance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice
announces that the information
collection requests abstracted below are
being forwarded to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
review and comment. PHMSA will
request an extension with no change for
the information collections identified by
OMB control numbers 2137–0610,
2137–0624, and 2137–0625, which are
due to expire on April 30, 2019. PHMSA
will also request an extension with no
change for the information collection
identified by OMB Control number
2137–0589, which is due to expire on
July 31, 2019. A Federal Register notice
with a 60-day comment period soliciting
comments on these information
collections was published on February
11. 2019.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to
submit comments on or before May 20,
2019.
ADDRESSES: Submit comments regarding
the burden estimate, including
suggestions for reducing the burden, to
the Office of Management and Budget,
Attention: Desk Officer for the Office of
the Secretary of Transportation, 725
17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20503.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Angela Hill by telephone at 202–366–
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\19APN1.SGM
19APN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 76 (Friday, April 19, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16558-16559]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-07855]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
Notice of Early Scoping for the Capital Metro Blue Line High
Capacity Transit Corridor in Austin, Texas
AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of early scoping meeting.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Capital
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Capital Metro) of Austin, Texas
issue this early scoping notice to advise other agencies and the public
that they intend to conduct early scoping for the Blue Line High
Capacity Transit (HCT) Corridor. The Blue Line HCT Corridor is a 15.5-
mile corridor connecting multiple activity centers between North
Austin, Downtown Austin, East Riverside and the Austin Bergstrom
International Airport. The entire corridor is being proposed for HCT
dedicated pathways.
This notice invites public input to ongoing planning efforts for
the Blue Line HCT Corridor by commenting on the project's purpose and
need, the project study area, alternatives being considered, public
participation and outreach methods, relevant transportation and
community impacts and benefits being considered, potential
environmental impacts, and the projected capital and operating costs of
the project.
DATES: The public may learn more about the Blue Line HCT Corridor and
provide comments at an early scoping meeting scheduled for: Monday, May
20, 2019, 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. Central Time at Austin Central Library, 710
W Cesar Chavez St., Austin, TX 78701.
Capital Metro is also providing notice of this early scoping
meeting on Capital Metro's website (capmetro.org) and in the following
publications:
Austin American Statesman
The Villager Newspaper
The LaPrensa Newspaper
ADDRESSES: Public comments will be accepted at the early scoping
meeting. In addition, comments may be sent electronically to:
[email protected]. Comments may be mailed to: Capital
Metro Project Connect Office, Blue Line HCT Corridor Comments, 607
Congress Avenue, Austin, TX 78701. All comments are requested by June
28, 2019.
The meeting location is accessible to persons with disabilities. If
translation, signing services, or other special accommodations are
needed, please contact Courtney Black at (512) 457-1244 or via email at
capmetro.org">[email protected]capmetro.org.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Terence Plaskon, FTA, phone: (817)
978-0573, email: [email protected] or Joe Clemens, AICP, Capital
Metro, phone: (512) 369-6515, email: capmetro.org">[email protected]capmetro.org.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Blue Line HCT Corridor is included in
Capital Metro's Project Connect Long-Term Vision Plan. Project Connect
developed specifically targeted solutions that address existing service
deficiencies and identified HCT investments that would add mobility
options for the Central Texas region. Early scoping for the Blue Line
HCT Corridor builds on previous Project Connect planning efforts and
will examine potential alternatives to provide HCT in the Central Texas
region.
The early scoping process is intended to support the formal
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) scoping process. In addition,
early scoping supports FTA planning requirements associated with the
Capital Investment Grant funding
[[Page 16559]]
program. Capital Metro will comply with all relevant FTA requirements
related to planning and project development to help analyze and screen
alternatives in preparation for the NEPA process.
Early Scoping
Early Scoping is an optional early step in the NEPA process that
precedes formal scoping, which begins when FTA publishes a notice of
intent to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS). FTA
encourages the use of early scoping for major planning activities that
may receive FTA funding to start the NEPA process during earlier
project planning phases. Early scoping is intended to generate public
and agency review and comments on the scope of a planning effort within
a defined transportation corridor, which helps the agency to determine
which alignment variations should receive more focused development to
streamline the NEPA process. Early scoping can serve not only to
streamline the NEPA process, but also to firmly link transportation
planning and NEPA, ensuring that the public and interested agencies are
given the opportunity to review and provide comments on the results of
planning activities that can then be used to inform the NEPA process.
Project Connect Long-Term Vision Plan
Over the last 30 months, Capital Metro has been conducting the
Project Connect System Plan per general guidelines of the Federal
Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) process. Capital Metro
intends to formalize the PEL process with the initiation of early
scoping for the Blue Line HCT Corridor, so that the results of the PEL
may be considered during the formal NEPA environmental review process.
Under this PEL process, Capital Metro will analyze alternatives
that could be considered in an EIS, if warranted. The alternatives
analysis will document the project's purpose and need, analyze a range
of reasonable, feasible, and prudent alternatives, and identify a
locally preferred alternative (LPA) in accordance with the Council on
Environmental Quality's and FTA's regulations and guidance for
implementing NEPA (40 CFR 1501.2 through 1501.8 and 23 CFR 771.111,
respectively), which encourages Federal agencies to initiate NEPA early
in their planning processes.
Early scoping allows the scoping process to begin as soon as there
is enough information to describe the proposal so that the public and
relevant agencies can participate effectively. This notice opens early
scoping and invites public and agency involvement with ongoing planning
activities and studies for the Blue Line HCT Corridor, including review
of the (a) purpose and need, (b) the proposed alternatives, and (c) the
potential environmental, transportation, and community impacts and
benefits to consider during the NEPA process.
Purpose and Need for the Proposed Project
Capital Metro invites comments on the following preliminary
statement of the project's purpose and need: The purpose of the project
is to build high capacity transit along Trinity Street, over the
Colorado River, and along East Riverside Drive that provides faster,
more reliable travel to, from, and between North Austin, University of
Texas, Downtown Austin, East Riverside, and Austin Bergstrom
International Airport. The purpose is in response to the following
needs in the corridor:
The need to connect activity centers and manage future
growth with improved transit;
the need to provide better transit options linking
affordable housing and jobs;
the need to connect employers and employees along the
corridor with fast and reliable transit;
the need to ensure inter-operability between the Blue Line
and future corridors; and
the need to respond to explosive growth in airport travel
that warrants improved transit to Austin Bergstrom International
Airport.
Potential Alternatives
During the early scoping process, all reasonable alternatives under
consideration will be evaluated in terms of their transportation
impacts, capital and operating costs, social, economic, and
environmental impacts, and technical consideration. Capital Metro will
continue to analyze alternative transit modes, alignment, and design
options for HCT in the Blue Line Corridor. Capital Metro will seek to
identify a broad range of alternatives, consistent with the project's
purpose and need. The alternatives will include a No Build Alternative,
as well as the following proposed alternatives:
Baseline Alternative (MetroBus Route 20 with transit speed
and reliability improvements);
Dedicated Pathways Bus Rapid Transit (BRT);
Dedicated Pathways Light Rail Transit (LRT); and
Dedicated Pathways Autonomous Rapid Transit (ART).
At the end of the early scoping process, FTA and Capital Metro
anticipate identifying a preferred mode and alignment as the LPA for
further evaluation during the formal NEPA process. If an EIS is
warranted, FTA will publish a Notice of Intent in the Federal Register
and the public and interested agencies will have the opportunity to
participate in a review and comment period on the scope of the EIS.
Gail Lyssy,
Deputy Regional Administrator, FTA Region VI.
[FR Doc. 2019-07855 Filed 4-18-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-57-P
