Federal Transit Administration November 27, 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is issuing this Notice of Intent (NOT) to advise other agencies and the public that it will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Lake Tahoe Passenger Ferry Project. The project consists of a cross- lake ferry service with a South Shore Ferry Terminal at the Ski Run Marina in South Lake Tahoe, El Dorado County, California, and a North Shore Ferry Terminal at the Grove Street Pier just west of the Tahoe City Marina in Tahoe City, Placer County, California. The project area encompasses the proposed ferry route on Lake Tahoe, the two ferry terminals, and a vessel assembly and maintenance location using existing facilities at Tahoe Keys Marina, City of South Lake Tahoe, El Dorado County, California. The EIS will evaluate alternatives to the proposed action, including, additional terminal locations, if they are adequate for operations. The EIS will be prepared in accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and its implementing regulations with FTA as the lead agency. The EIS will be prepared as a joint document that includes an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) prepared pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) with Tahoe Transportation District (TTD) as the CEQA lead agency, and an EIS for the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) prepared pursuant to the Tahoe Regional Planning Compact (Public Law 96-551), Code of Ordinances, and Rules of Procedure. The purpose of this notice is to alert interested parties regarding the intent to prepare the EIS; to provide information on the nature of the proposed action and possible alternatives; to invite public participation in the EIS process, including providing comments on the scope of the Draft EIS/EIR/EIS; and to announce that public scoping meetings will be conducted.