[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 142 (Monday, July 24, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45647-45648]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-18603]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration


Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the Maglev 
Deployment Program

AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice of Availability.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Council of Environmental Quality's regulations 
and FRA's Procedures for Considering Environmental Impacts, the FRA 
announces the availability of the Draft Programmatic Environmental 
Impact Statement (DPEIS) for the Magnetic Levitation Transportation 
Technology Deployment Program (Maglev Deployment Program). This DPEIS 
has been prepared to satisfy the requirements of the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Magnetic levitation (Maglev) is an 
advanced transportation technology in which magnetic forces lift, 
propel, and guide a vehicle over a specially designed guideway. The 
Maglev Deployment Program was established in the Transportation Equity 
Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) with the purpose of demonstrating the 
feasibility of maglev technology. Through a nation-wide competition, 
FRA selected seven states or state designated authorities, from a pool 
of eleven, to receive grants for pre-construction planning. The 
projects proposed by those seven participants are considered the action 
alternatives in this DPEIS. This document has been prepared to afford 
the public an opportunity to comment on the potential for environmental 
impact associated with each of the seven action-alternatives as well as 
for the no-action alternative.

DATES: A 45-day public review period on the DPEIS will begin on July 
21, 2000 and conclude on September 5, 2000. A public information 
meeting is being scheduled at each of the seven project locations as 
described in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section. A public hearing 
will be held in Washington, DC on August, 24, 2000, at 9 AM in FRA's 
Offices, 1120 Vermont Avenue, NW, Seventh Floor, Washington, DC.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the DPEIS should include docket number 
``FRA-2000-7472'' at the top of the first page and be addressed to the 
Docket Clerk, DOT Central Docket Management Facility, 400 Seventh 
Street, SW, Plaza-401, Washington, D.C. 20590-0001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. David Valenstein at the FRA, 1120 
Vermont Avenue, NW, Mailstop-20, Washington, DC 20590, telephone (202) 
493-6368. Please note comments on the DPEIS should be sent to the 
Docket Clerk. Copies of the DPEIS have been distributed to federal, 
state and local agencies, interested individuals, and to libraries in 
the vicinity of the seven Maglev projects. The document is also 
available on the internet at: http://www.fra.dot.gov/s/env/MagPEIS.htm. 
Requests for a copy of the DPEIS may be addressed to Mr. Valenstein at 
the address above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    As directed by the enabling legislation, the FRA has initiated a 
competition to select a project for the purpose of demonstrating the 
use of Maglev technology to the American public. After receiving and 
evaluating eleven initial applications, the Secretary of Transportation 
on May 24, 1999 announced financial assistance grants to seven states 
and authorities (California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, 
Nevada, and Pennsylvania) for pre-construction planning for Maglev 
high-speed ground transportation. FRA entered into cooperative 
agreements with each of the selected states. These agreements required 
each participating state or authority to prepare and submit to the FRA 
a technical review of environmental considerations affecting their 
proposed project. The participants incorporated the results of these 
technical reviews into individual documents referred to as 
Environmental Assessments. The purpose of these technical documents was 
to provide the baseline environmental data to be used by FRA in the 
preparation of this DPEIS. FRA has analyzed and synthesized these 
documents in this DPEIS. After completing this environmental review, 
FRA will administer a selection process to pick a project for 
authorized construction funding. The participants are continuing to 
engage in planning, design, engineering, and further environmental 
studies. FRA will prepare a project-specific environmental impact 
statement for any Maglev system proposed for construction.

Participants

    The action-alternatives are the seven projects proposed by the 
seven applicants, as follows:
     California--The initial corridor study area extends from 
Los Angeles International Airport through to Union Station in downtown 
Los Angeles and further east to Ontario International Airport and on to 
March Air Reserve Base, a distance of approximately 137 km (85 mi). The 
California Business, Transportation, and Housing Agency is the project 
sponsor.
     Florida--The initial study corridor includes a 32 km (20 
mi) project linking Port Canaveral to the Kennedy Space Center and the 
Space Coast Regional Airport. The Florida Department of Transportation 
is the project sponsor.
     Georgia--The initial study area is a 51 km (32 mi) 
corridor extending from Hartsfield-Atlanta International Airport to a 
multi-modal station north of Atlanta. The project sponsor is the 
Atlanta Regional Commission. Additional information is available at: 
[http://www.acmaglev.com/]
     Louisiana--The initial study corridor extends from 
downtown New Orleans through to the New Orleans International Airport, 
across Lake Pontchartrain, and ends on the northern side of the lake, a 
distance of approximately 77 km (48 mi). The Greater New Orleans 
Expressway Commission is the project sponsor. Additional information is 
available at: [http://www.gulfcoastmaglev.com/]
     Maryland--The initial study corridor is approximately 64 
km (40 mi) in length, and extends from Baltimore, MD, south to the 
Baltimore-Washington International Airport and then to Union Station in 
Washington, D.C. Additional information is available at: [http://www.bwmaglev.com/]
     Nevada--The 68 km (42 mi) initial study corridor links 
Primm, located on the Nevada-California state border, with downtown Las 
Vegas. The California-Nevada Super Speed Train Commission is the 
project sponsor.
     Pennsylvania--The initial study area extends from 
Pittsburgh International Airport to the City of Greensburg, passing 
through downtown Pittsburgh and Monroeville, a distance of about 72 km 
(45 mi). The Port Authority of Allegheny County is the project sponsor. 
Additional information is available at: [http://www.maglevinc.com/]

[[Page 45648]]

Public Information Meetings

    FRA will conduct a public information meeting with each of the 
seven participants during August 2000. The public information meetings 
will include information on the Maglev Deployment Program, the DPEIS, 
and on the local action-alternative. The location and time of the first 
two meetings have been set and are provided below. The location and 
time of other meetings will be announced by the participant and 
advertised locally. FRA will post the time and location of all of the 
meetings on FRA's web site at http://www.fra.dot.gov/s/env/MagPEIS.htm. 
The public information meetings are scheduled as follows:
     Maryland, August 1, 2000, from 4:30 PM to 7:00 PM, 
Baltimore City Hall, Curran Room,100 North Holliday Street, Baltimore, 
MD 21202.
     Georgia, August 8, 2000, from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM, 
Loudermilk Center, 40 Courtland Street, Atlanta, GA 30303.
     Louisiana, August 9, 2000.
     Florida, August 10, 2000.
     Pennsylvania, August 16, 2000.
     California, August 21, 2000.
     Nevada, August 22, 2000.

Public Hearing

    The FRA will hold a public hearing on the DPEIS on August 24, 2000, 
at 9:00 AM in the FRA's offices: 1120 Vermont Avenue, N.W., Seventh 
Floor, Washington, D.C. The public hearing will include a presentation 
on the program and the DPEIS, and an opportunity for public comment.
    The FRA invites interested individuals, organizations, and federal, 
state and local agencies to comment on the evaluated alternatives and 
associated social, economic, and environmental impacts related to the 
alternatives.

    Issued in Washington, D.C. on: July 17, 2000.
Mark E. Yachmetz,
Associate Administrator for Railroad Development.
[FR Doc. 00-18603 Filed 7-21-00; 8:45 am]
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