Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for METRO Blue Line Extension Light Rail Transit Project, 56699-56701 [2023-17742]
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56699
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 159 / Friday, August 18, 2023 / Notices
including any personal information
provided. Please refer to the assigned
OMB control number (2130–0552) in
any correspondence submitted. FRA
will summarize comments received in
response to this notice in a subsequent
notice, made available to the public, and
include them in its information
collection submission to OMB for
approval.
Ms.
Arlette Mussington, Information
Collection Clearance Officer, at email:
arlette.mussington@dot.gov or
telephone: (571) 609–1285 or Ms.
Joanne Swafford, Information Collection
Clearance Officer, at email:
joanne.swafford@dot.gov or telephone:
(757) 897–9908.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
The PRA,
44 U.S.C. 3501–3520, and its
implementing regulations, 5 CFR part
1320, require Federal agencies to
provide 60-days’ notice to the public to
allow comment on information
collection activities before seeking OMB
approval of the activities. See 44 U.S.C.
3506, 3507; 5 CFR 1320.8 through
1320.12. Specifically, FRA invites
interested parties to comment on the
following ICR regarding: (1) whether the
information collection activities are
necessary for FRA to properly execute
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
its functions, including whether the
activities will have practical utility; (2)
the accuracy of FRA’s estimates of the
burden of the information collection
activities, including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used to
determine the estimates; (3) ways for
FRA to enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information being
collected; and (4) ways for FRA to
minimize the burden of information
collection activities on the public,
including the use of automated
collection techniques or other forms of
information technology. See 44 U.S.C.
3506(c)(2)(A); 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1).
FRA believes that soliciting public
comment may reduce the administrative
and paperwork burdens associated with
the collection of information that
Federal regulations mandate. In
summary, comments received will
advance three objectives: (1) reduce
reporting burdens; (2) organize
information collection requirements in a
‘‘user-friendly’’ format to improve the
use of such information; and (3)
accurately assess the resources
expended to retrieve and produce
information requested. See 44 U.S.C.
3501.
The summary below describes the ICR
that FRA will submit for OMB clearance
as the PRA requires:
Respondent
universe
CFR section
Total annual responses
Average time
per response
(seconds)
Total annual
burden hours
(hours)
Total cost
equivalent in
U.S. dollar
(A)
(B)
(C = A * B)
(D = C *
wage rates) 1
229.21(a–b)—Daily inspection—Written report ............................
The burden for this requirement is covered under OMB Control No. 2130–0004 under § 229.137
and § 229.139.
229.137(d)—Defective, unsanitary toilet facility; use in trailing
position—Tagging.
229.137(e)—Defective, sanitary toilet facility; use in switching,
transfer service—Tagging.
229.139(d)—Switching or transfer service—defective locomotive
toilet facility—Notation on daily inspection report.
784 railroads ........
11,700 tags .....................
90
292.50
$19,392.75
784 railroads ........
7,956 tags .......................
90
198.90
13,187.07
784 railroads ........
93,600 notations .............
30
780.00
51,714.00
Total .......................................................................................
784 railroads ........
113,256 responses .........
N/A
1,271
84,294
Total Estimated Annual Responses:
113,256.
Total Estimated Annual Burden:
1,271 hours.
Total Estimated Annual Burden Hour
Dollar Cost Equivalent: $84,294.
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
Title: Locomotive Cab Sanitation.
OMB Control Number: 2130–0552.
Abstract: FRA’s locomotive cab
sanitation standards, 49 CFR 229.137
and 229.139, prescribe minimum
standards for the locomotive cab
sanitation compartment, including the
toilet facility. FRA uses the information
collection associated with these
provisions to promote rail safety and
locomotive crew member health by
ensuring crew member access to a
functioning and sanitary toilet facility
and that railroads timely repair
defective and unsanitary conditions in
the sanitation compartment.
In this 60-day notice, FRA has made
a minor adjustment of less than one
hour due to a rounding error.
Additionally, FRA is updating the
respondent universe from 746 railroads
in the previous ICR to 784 railroads to
reflect the changes that were made to
the 2022 Railroad Classification Data.
Type of Request: Extension without
change (with changes in estimates) of a
currently approved information
collection.
Affected Public: Businesses.
Form(s): N/A.
Respondent Universe: 784 railroads.
Frequency of Submission: On
occasion.
Reporting Burden:
1 Totals may not add due to rounding. The dollar
equivalent cost is derived from the 2022 Surface
Transportation Board Full Year Wage A&B data
series using the burdened hourly wage of employee
groups, 400 (Maintenance of Equipment & Stores)
$67.11, and 600 (Transportation, Train & Engine)
$63.07. The wage rate is shared with group 400
accounting for 80% and group 600 accounting for
20%. The total burden wage rate (Straight time plus
75%) used in the table is $63.30. 80% of $67.11 =
$53.69, 20% of $63.07 = $12.61 for a total of $66.30
hourly burdened wage rate.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:26 Aug 17, 2023
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FRA informs all interested parties that
it may not conduct or sponsor, and a
respondent is not required to respond
to, a collection of information that does
not display a currently valid OMB
control number.
Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3501–3520.
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Christopher S. Van Nostrand,
Acting Deputy Chief Counsel.
AGENCY:
[FR Doc. 2023–17751 Filed 8–17–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–06–P
PO 00000
Federal Transit Administration
Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement for
METRO Blue Line Extension Light Rail
Transit Project
Federal Transit Administration
(FTA), Department of Transportation
(DOT).
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a
Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS).
The Federal Transit
Administration (FTA), as lead Federal
SUMMARY:
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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 159 / Friday, August 18, 2023 / Notices
agency, and Metropolitan Council
(Council), as local project sponsor and
joint lead agency, issue this notice to
advise the public that they intend to
prepare a Supplemental Environmental
Impact Statement (SEIS) for the METRO
Blue Line Extension light rail transit
(LRT) project (Project) pursuant to the
National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA). The Project would extend the
Blue Line LRT approximately 13.5 miles
from Target Field in downtown
Minneapolis to the northwest, serving
north Minneapolis and the suburbs of
Robbinsdale, Crystal, and culminating
in Brooklyn Park.
DATES: Comments related to the NEPA
review of this project must be received
on or before September 18, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Comments on the scope of
the SEIS should be directed to Ms. Neha
Damle, Environmental Lead, Blue Line
Extension Project Office, 6465 Wayzata
Boulevard, Suite 600, St. Louis Park,
MN 55426; or via telephone at 612–373–
3888 or email at Neha.Damle@
metrotransit.org.
For
general information on FTA’s NEPA
review, please contact Ms. Anshu Singh,
Federal Transit Administration, Region
V, 200 West Adams Street, Suite 320,
Chicago, IL 60606, at (312) 353–4344 or
anshu.singh1@dot.gov. Information
about the SEIS will be available at the
public meeting(s) and on the Project
website, Environmental Information
page at https://metrocouncil.org/
Transportation/Projects/Light-RailProjects/METRO-Blue-Line-Extension/
Environmental.aspx.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
FTA
issued the original notice of intent to
prepare an EIS for the Project on January
10, 2012, and issued the Record of
Decision (ROD) in 2016. The purpose of
this NOI is to alert interested parties
regarding the intent to prepare a SEIS;
to provide information on the nature of
the proposed changes to the Project; to
invite public participation in the SEIS
process, including comments on the
scope of the SEIS proposed in this NOI;
and to announce that public and agency
meetings on the proposed modifications
to the Project will be conducted. FTA
determined this Project is exempt from
the major project requirements in FTA’s
environmental statute because it is a
supplemental review to an earlier NEPA
review that pre-dates the major project
requirements.
FTA and the Council (the Agencies)
will prepare a SEIS in accordance with
NEPA and its implementing regulations.
The SEIS will evaluate two alternatives,
a Build Alternative and a No Build
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:26 Aug 17, 2023
Jkt 259001
Alternative. After circulation of the
Draft SEIS and consideration of
comments received, FTA intends to
issue a combined Final SEIS/Amended
ROD document pursuant to 23 U.S.C.
139(n)(2), unless the Final SEIS makes
substantial changes to the proposed
action that are relevant to
environmental or safety concerns or
there is a significant new circumstance
or information relevant to
environmental concerns that affect the
proposed action or its impacts, which
would preclude issuance of a combined
document.
In 2016, FTA published a Final
Environmental Impact Statement (Final
EIS) and ROD for the Project based on
the preferred Project alignment at that
time. The Project, located in Hennepin
County, Minnesota, would have
extended approximately 13.5 miles from
downtown Minneapolis to the
northwest serving north Minneapolis
and the suburbs of Golden Valley,
Robbinsdale, Crystal, and Brooklyn
Park. Since the 2016 publication of the
Final EIS and ROD, the Agencies
worked with BNSF Railway to negotiate
use of their freight rail right-of-way.
However, the group has not been able to
reach an agreement. Therefore, the
originally preferred Project alignment
needs to be modified.
I. Purpose and Need for the Proposed
Action
The Purpose and Need statements
remain the same as the Final EIS and
ROD. The purpose of the Project is to
provide transit service, which will
satisfy the long-term regional mobility
and accessibility needs for businesses
and the traveling public. The Project is
needed to effectively address long-term
regional transit mobility and local
accessibility needs while providing
efficient, travel-time competitive transit
service that supports economic
development goals and objectives of
local, regional, and statewide plans. For
more information on the purpose and
need, including project goals, please
visit https://metrocouncil.org/
Transportation/Projects/Light-RailProjects/METRO-Blue-LineExtension.aspx.
II. Description of Proposed Action and
Alternatives
Based on technical considerations and
community input, a modified route was
recommended by the Council and
Hennepin County on June 22, 2022. The
SEIS will study the following route:
West Broadway Avenue in Brooklyn
Park to Bottineau Boulevard (County
Road 81 or CR 81), CR 81 in Crystal &
Robbinsdale to West Broadway Avenue
PO 00000
Frm 00113
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
in North Minneapolis, and multiple
potential routes (West Broadway
Avenue or 21st Street Avenue; Lyndale
or a route east of I–94) to Target Field
Station. The Project would no longer be
located in the City of Golden Valley
with the proposed modifications to the
route alignment.
A No-Build option will be analyzed in
the SEIS, as required by the NEPA
regulation (40 CFR 1502.14(c)). The
SEIS will evaluate environmental
impacts within the locations where the
modified alignment is proposed. The
SEIS will be prepared in accordance
with the requirements of NEPA, and its
implementing regulations at 40 CFR
parts 1500–1508, and in accordance
with 23 CFR 771.130. The Council will
also prepare the SEIS in accordance
with the requirements of the Minnesota
Environmental Policy Act (Minnesota
Rules Chapter 4410.3000, Subp. 3).
The SEIS will evaluate the following
changes since the 2016 Final EIS and
ROD:
West Broadway Avenue/Brooklyn Park
The proposed LRT elements (stations,
a park and ride, an operations and
maintenance facility (OMF), and track)
remain the same as in the 2016 Final
EIS and ROD. However, the
reconstruction and expansion of West
Broadway (from north of Brooklyn
Boulevard to 93rd Avenue), which was
previously identified as a separate
project, is being included in the SEIS.
Bottineau Boulevard (County Road 81)/
Southern Brooklyn Park and Crystal
In Southern Brooklyn Park and
Crystal, the SEIS will evaluate a
proposed modified LRT alignment on
Bottineau Boulevard. The SEIS will
evaluate proposed stations at 63rd
Avenue and Bass Lake Road. The SEIS
will also evaluate changes to Bottineau
Boulevard needed to accommodate the
proposed modified LRT alignment,
including a conventional at-grade
intersection with a pedestrian bridge to
access the station and a grade-separate
elevated structure carrying Bottineau
Boulevard over Bass Lake Road.
Bottineau Boulevard (County Road 81)/
Robbinsdale
In Robbinsdale, the SEIS will evaluate
the proposed modified LRT alignment
on Bottineau Boulevard. In addition, the
SEIS will evaluate a proposed station in
downtown Robbinsdale in the median
of Bottineau Boulevard with a park-andride facility and a proposed station at
Lowry Avenue near North Memorial
Hospital. The proposed station at Lowry
Avenue near North Memorial Hospital
would be elevated over Oakdale
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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 159 / Friday, August 18, 2023 / Notices
Avenue, Theodore Wirth Parkway, and
the southbound lanes of Bottineau
Boulevard.
West Broadway Avenue or 21st Avenue/
Minneapolis
In Minneapolis, the SEIS will evaluate
a proposed modified LRT alignment on
West Broadway Avenue between Lowry
Avenue and North Irving Avenue. East
of North Irving Avenue, the Project will
evaluate two proposed alignment
options: an LRT option on West
Broadway and an LRT option on 21st
Avenue.
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
Lyndale Avenue or I–94/Minneapolis
Further, two proposed modified
alignment options to Target Field
Station will be evaluated in the SEIS.
Both of the proposed route options
would connect to either 21st Avenue or
West Broadway (see above) and travel
over I–94 on a bridge. After crossing the
bridge, the first proposed alignment
would run on Lyndale Avenue to North
7th Street. The other proposed
alignment option would run along the
east side of I–94, parallel to Washington
Avenue, and use 10th Avenue N to
North 7th Street.
III. Summary of Expected Impacts
The SEIS will focus on potentially
significant impacts associated with the
Project’s proposed modified alignment.
The full range of environmental, social,
and economic impacts will be
considered, but those that are significant
will be evaluated in depth in the SEIS.
The proposed modified alignment has
potentially significant new impacts to
residents and businesses, as well as
other social and community impacts.
The SEIS will assist the Council, FTA,
resource agencies, key project partners,
and the general public in understanding
and resolving project elements within
the context of NEPA. The purpose of the
SEIS process is to explore, in a public
setting, potentially significant effects of
implementing proposed changes to the
proposed Project on the physical,
human, and natural environment.
Specifically, it is anticipated that the
type and scale of impacts associated
with this change may include the need
to acquire additional rights-of-way
(residences and businesses) and
potential new impacts on parks, historic
properties, and communities and
neighborhoods, in addition to new
impacts on traffic and roadway
operations based on the proposed
modified alignment’s use of surface
streets and county roads.
Areas of investigation include, but are
not limited to, land use; historic and
archaeological resources; visual and
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18:26 Aug 17, 2023
Jkt 259001
aesthetic qualities; traffic and parking;
modification to existing bridges; noise
and vibration; environmental justice;
regulatory floodway/floodplain
encroachments; coordination with
transportation and economic
development projects; and construction
impacts. Other issues to be addressed in
the SEIS include natural areas;
ecosystems; threatened and endangered
species; water resources; air/surface
water and groundwater quality; energy;
potentially contaminated sites;
displacements and relocations; Section
4(f) requirements; Section 6(f) of the
Land and Water Conservation Fund Act;
and secondary and cumulative effects.
Potential impacts will be evaluated for
both the short-term construction period
and the long-term effects of operations.
Potential measures to avoid, minimize,
or mitigate any significant adverse
impacts will be identified.
IV. Anticipated Permits and Other
Authorizations
In addition to issuing an Amended
ROD (FTA) at the conclusion of the SEIS
process, the following Federal permits
and approvals are anticipated:
• Supplemental Section 4(f)
Determination (FTA)
• Amended Section 106 Memorandum
of Agreement (FTA)
• Amended 404 Wetland Permit
(USACE)
• Section 7 Concurrence (US Fish and
Wildlife Service)
• Letter of No Objection for Use Within
Runway Protection Zone (FAA)
• Letter of Map Revision Approval
(Federal Emergency Management
Agency)
• National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System Permit
(Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
[MPCA])
• Section 401 Water Quality
Certification (MPCA)
• Various State and Local Approvals as
needed
V. Schedule for the Decision-Making
Process
The Agencies intend to complete the
SEIS for the Project within two years,
measured from the date of the
publication of this notice to the date an
Amended ROD is signed. The Agencies
will accept public comments on the
scope of the SEIS (i.e., the information
presented in this notice and at https://
metrocouncil.org/Transportation/
Projects/Light-Rail-Projects/METROBlue-Line-Extension/
Environmental.aspx through September
18, 2023. The Agencies will then
consider those comments as they
prepare the Draft SEIS. The Agencies
PO 00000
Frm 00114
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 9990
56701
will announce the availability of the
Draft SEIS in the Federal Register and
via local media outlets. The Council
expects the Draft SEIS will be available
for a minimum 45-day public comment
period by Spring 2024. The Draft SEIS
will be distributed and available for
public and agency review and comment
prior to a public hearing. The Agencies
will consider substantive comments
timely submitted during the public
comment period and then anticipate
preparing a combined Final SEIS/
Amended ROD by early 2025. The Final
SEIS will identify the NEPA preferred
alternative and any necessary mitigation
commitments. The Agencies expect that
all Federal environmental authorization
decisions for the construction of the
Project will be completed within a
reasonable period following issuance of
the Amended ROD.
Notices of public meetings, including
hearings, have been, and will continue
to be, given through a variety of media
providing the time and place of the
meeting along with other relevant
information. Information regarding the
proposed modifications to the Project
will be provided at upcoming public
meetings. Meeting date, time, and
location information can be found on
the Project website, Meetings and
Events page, at: https://
metrocouncil.org/Transportation/
Projects/Light-Rail-Projects/METROBlue-Line-Extension/Meetings-andMaterials.aspx. Public meeting locations
will comply with the Americans with
Disabilities Act. Persons needing special
accommodations should contact Ms.
Neha Damle, Environmental Lead, using
the contact information provided under
the ADDRESSES section above, at least 48
hours prior to the meeting.
VI. Request for Identification of
Potential Alternatives, Information, and
Analysis
The Agencies invite all State, Tribal,
local governments, and the public to
comment on potential alternatives,
information, and analyses to be
considered in the SEIS.
Kelley Brookins,
Regional Administrator, FTA Region V.
[FR Doc. 2023–17742 Filed 8–17–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–57–P
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 159 (Friday, August 18, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56699-56701]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-17742]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for
METRO Blue Line Extension Light Rail Transit Project
AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), as lead Federal
[[Page 56700]]
agency, and Metropolitan Council (Council), as local project sponsor
and joint lead agency, issue this notice to advise the public that they
intend to prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS)
for the METRO Blue Line Extension light rail transit (LRT) project
(Project) pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The
Project would extend the Blue Line LRT approximately 13.5 miles from
Target Field in downtown Minneapolis to the northwest, serving north
Minneapolis and the suburbs of Robbinsdale, Crystal, and culminating in
Brooklyn Park.
DATES: Comments related to the NEPA review of this project must be
received on or before September 18, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Comments on the scope of the SEIS should be directed to Ms.
Neha Damle, Environmental Lead, Blue Line Extension Project Office,
6465 Wayzata Boulevard, Suite 600, St. Louis Park, MN 55426; or via
telephone at 612-373-3888 or email at [email protected].
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information on FTA's NEPA
review, please contact Ms. Anshu Singh, Federal Transit Administration,
Region V, 200 West Adams Street, Suite 320, Chicago, IL 60606, at (312)
353-4344 or [email protected]. Information about the SEIS will be
available at the public meeting(s) and on the Project website,
Environmental Information page at https://metrocouncil.org/Transportation/Projects/Light-Rail-Projects/METRO-Blue-Line-Extension/Environmental.aspx.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: FTA issued the original notice of intent to
prepare an EIS for the Project on January 10, 2012, and issued the
Record of Decision (ROD) in 2016. The purpose of this NOI is to alert
interested parties regarding the intent to prepare a SEIS; to provide
information on the nature of the proposed changes to the Project; to
invite public participation in the SEIS process, including comments on
the scope of the SEIS proposed in this NOI; and to announce that public
and agency meetings on the proposed modifications to the Project will
be conducted. FTA determined this Project is exempt from the major
project requirements in FTA's environmental statute because it is a
supplemental review to an earlier NEPA review that pre-dates the major
project requirements.
FTA and the Council (the Agencies) will prepare a SEIS in
accordance with NEPA and its implementing regulations. The SEIS will
evaluate two alternatives, a Build Alternative and a No Build
Alternative. After circulation of the Draft SEIS and consideration of
comments received, FTA intends to issue a combined Final SEIS/Amended
ROD document pursuant to 23 U.S.C. 139(n)(2), unless the Final SEIS
makes substantial changes to the proposed action that are relevant to
environmental or safety concerns or there is a significant new
circumstance or information relevant to environmental concerns that
affect the proposed action or its impacts, which would preclude
issuance of a combined document.
In 2016, FTA published a Final Environmental Impact Statement
(Final EIS) and ROD for the Project based on the preferred Project
alignment at that time. The Project, located in Hennepin County,
Minnesota, would have extended approximately 13.5 miles from downtown
Minneapolis to the northwest serving north Minneapolis and the suburbs
of Golden Valley, Robbinsdale, Crystal, and Brooklyn Park. Since the
2016 publication of the Final EIS and ROD, the Agencies worked with
BNSF Railway to negotiate use of their freight rail right-of-way.
However, the group has not been able to reach an agreement. Therefore,
the originally preferred Project alignment needs to be modified.
I. Purpose and Need for the Proposed Action
The Purpose and Need statements remain the same as the Final EIS
and ROD. The purpose of the Project is to provide transit service,
which will satisfy the long-term regional mobility and accessibility
needs for businesses and the traveling public. The Project is needed to
effectively address long-term regional transit mobility and local
accessibility needs while providing efficient, travel-time competitive
transit service that supports economic development goals and objectives
of local, regional, and statewide plans. For more information on the
purpose and need, including project goals, please visit https://metrocouncil.org/Transportation/Projects/Light-Rail-Projects/METRO-Blue-Line-Extension.aspx.
II. Description of Proposed Action and Alternatives
Based on technical considerations and community input, a modified
route was recommended by the Council and Hennepin County on June 22,
2022. The SEIS will study the following route: West Broadway Avenue in
Brooklyn Park to Bottineau Boulevard (County Road 81 or CR 81), CR 81
in Crystal & Robbinsdale to West Broadway Avenue in North Minneapolis,
and multiple potential routes (West Broadway Avenue or 21st Street
Avenue; Lyndale or a route east of I-94) to Target Field Station. The
Project would no longer be located in the City of Golden Valley with
the proposed modifications to the route alignment.
A No-Build option will be analyzed in the SEIS, as required by the
NEPA regulation (40 CFR 1502.14(c)). The SEIS will evaluate
environmental impacts within the locations where the modified alignment
is proposed. The SEIS will be prepared in accordance with the
requirements of NEPA, and its implementing regulations at 40 CFR parts
1500-1508, and in accordance with 23 CFR 771.130. The Council will also
prepare the SEIS in accordance with the requirements of the Minnesota
Environmental Policy Act (Minnesota Rules Chapter 4410.3000, Subp. 3).
The SEIS will evaluate the following changes since the 2016 Final
EIS and ROD:
West Broadway Avenue/Brooklyn Park
The proposed LRT elements (stations, a park and ride, an operations
and maintenance facility (OMF), and track) remain the same as in the
2016 Final EIS and ROD. However, the reconstruction and expansion of
West Broadway (from north of Brooklyn Boulevard to 93rd Avenue), which
was previously identified as a separate project, is being included in
the SEIS.
Bottineau Boulevard (County Road 81)/Southern Brooklyn Park and Crystal
In Southern Brooklyn Park and Crystal, the SEIS will evaluate a
proposed modified LRT alignment on Bottineau Boulevard. The SEIS will
evaluate proposed stations at 63rd Avenue and Bass Lake Road. The SEIS
will also evaluate changes to Bottineau Boulevard needed to accommodate
the proposed modified LRT alignment, including a conventional at-grade
intersection with a pedestrian bridge to access the station and a
grade-separate elevated structure carrying Bottineau Boulevard over
Bass Lake Road.
Bottineau Boulevard (County Road 81)/Robbinsdale
In Robbinsdale, the SEIS will evaluate the proposed modified LRT
alignment on Bottineau Boulevard. In addition, the SEIS will evaluate a
proposed station in downtown Robbinsdale in the median of Bottineau
Boulevard with a park-and-ride facility and a proposed station at Lowry
Avenue near North Memorial Hospital. The proposed station at Lowry
Avenue near North Memorial Hospital would be elevated over Oakdale
[[Page 56701]]
Avenue, Theodore Wirth Parkway, and the southbound lanes of Bottineau
Boulevard.
West Broadway Avenue or 21st Avenue/Minneapolis
In Minneapolis, the SEIS will evaluate a proposed modified LRT
alignment on West Broadway Avenue between Lowry Avenue and North Irving
Avenue. East of North Irving Avenue, the Project will evaluate two
proposed alignment options: an LRT option on West Broadway and an LRT
option on 21st Avenue.
Lyndale Avenue or I-94/Minneapolis
Further, two proposed modified alignment options to Target Field
Station will be evaluated in the SEIS. Both of the proposed route
options would connect to either 21st Avenue or West Broadway (see
above) and travel over I-94 on a bridge. After crossing the bridge, the
first proposed alignment would run on Lyndale Avenue to North 7th
Street. The other proposed alignment option would run along the east
side of I-94, parallel to Washington Avenue, and use 10th Avenue N to
North 7th Street.
III. Summary of Expected Impacts
The SEIS will focus on potentially significant impacts associated
with the Project's proposed modified alignment. The full range of
environmental, social, and economic impacts will be considered, but
those that are significant will be evaluated in depth in the SEIS. The
proposed modified alignment has potentially significant new impacts to
residents and businesses, as well as other social and community
impacts.
The SEIS will assist the Council, FTA, resource agencies, key
project partners, and the general public in understanding and resolving
project elements within the context of NEPA. The purpose of the SEIS
process is to explore, in a public setting, potentially significant
effects of implementing proposed changes to the proposed Project on the
physical, human, and natural environment. Specifically, it is
anticipated that the type and scale of impacts associated with this
change may include the need to acquire additional rights-of-way
(residences and businesses) and potential new impacts on parks,
historic properties, and communities and neighborhoods, in addition to
new impacts on traffic and roadway operations based on the proposed
modified alignment's use of surface streets and county roads.
Areas of investigation include, but are not limited to, land use;
historic and archaeological resources; visual and aesthetic qualities;
traffic and parking; modification to existing bridges; noise and
vibration; environmental justice; regulatory floodway/floodplain
encroachments; coordination with transportation and economic
development projects; and construction impacts. Other issues to be
addressed in the SEIS include natural areas; ecosystems; threatened and
endangered species; water resources; air/surface water and groundwater
quality; energy; potentially contaminated sites; displacements and
relocations; Section 4(f) requirements; Section 6(f) of the Land and
Water Conservation Fund Act; and secondary and cumulative effects.
Potential impacts will be evaluated for both the short-term
construction period and the long-term effects of operations. Potential
measures to avoid, minimize, or mitigate any significant adverse
impacts will be identified.
IV. Anticipated Permits and Other Authorizations
In addition to issuing an Amended ROD (FTA) at the conclusion of
the SEIS process, the following Federal permits and approvals are
anticipated:
Supplemental Section 4(f) Determination (FTA)
Amended Section 106 Memorandum of Agreement (FTA)
Amended 404 Wetland Permit (USACE)
Section 7 Concurrence (US Fish and Wildlife Service)
Letter of No Objection for Use Within Runway Protection Zone
(FAA)
Letter of Map Revision Approval (Federal Emergency Management
Agency)
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit
(Minnesota Pollution Control Agency [MPCA])
Section 401 Water Quality Certification (MPCA)
Various State and Local Approvals as needed
V. Schedule for the Decision-Making Process
The Agencies intend to complete the SEIS for the Project within two
years, measured from the date of the publication of this notice to the
date an Amended ROD is signed. The Agencies will accept public comments
on the scope of the SEIS (i.e., the information presented in this
notice and at https://metrocouncil.org/Transportation/Projects/Light-Rail-Projects/METRO-Blue-Line-Extension/Environmental.aspx through
September 18, 2023. The Agencies will then consider those comments as
they prepare the Draft SEIS. The Agencies will announce the
availability of the Draft SEIS in the Federal Register and via local
media outlets. The Council expects the Draft SEIS will be available for
a minimum 45-day public comment period by Spring 2024. The Draft SEIS
will be distributed and available for public and agency review and
comment prior to a public hearing. The Agencies will consider
substantive comments timely submitted during the public comment period
and then anticipate preparing a combined Final SEIS/Amended ROD by
early 2025. The Final SEIS will identify the NEPA preferred alternative
and any necessary mitigation commitments. The Agencies expect that all
Federal environmental authorization decisions for the construction of
the Project will be completed within a reasonable period following
issuance of the Amended ROD.
Notices of public meetings, including hearings, have been, and will
continue to be, given through a variety of media providing the time and
place of the meeting along with other relevant information. Information
regarding the proposed modifications to the Project will be provided at
upcoming public meetings. Meeting date, time, and location information
can be found on the Project website, Meetings and Events page, at:
https://metrocouncil.org/Transportation/Projects/Light-Rail-Projects/METRO-Blue-Line-Extension/Meetings-and-Materials.aspx. Public meeting
locations will comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Persons
needing special accommodations should contact Ms. Neha Damle,
Environmental Lead, using the contact information provided under the
Addresses section above, at least 48 hours prior to the meeting.
VI. Request for Identification of Potential Alternatives, Information,
and Analysis
The Agencies invite all State, Tribal, local governments, and the
public to comment on potential alternatives, information, and analyses
to be considered in the SEIS.
Kelley Brookins,
Regional Administrator, FTA Region V.
[FR Doc. 2023-17742 Filed 8-17-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-57-P
