[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 247 (Wednesday, December 24, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 74708-74710]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-31718]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

[STB Finance Docket No. 34075]


Six County Association of Governments--Construction and Operation 
Exemption--Rail Line Between Juab and Salina, UT

ACTION: Notice of availability of draft Scope of Analysis for the 
Environmental Impact Statement.

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SUMMARY: On July 30, 2001, the Six County Association of Governments 
(SCAOG), a regional association representing Juab, Millard, Sevier, 
Sanpete, Piute, and Wayne counties in central Utah, filed a Petition 
for Exemption with the Surface Transportation Board (Board) pursuant to 
49 U.S.C. 10502 for authority for construction and operation of a new 
rail line between Juab and Salina, Utah. The project would involve 
approximately 43 miles of new rail line and ancillary facilities to 
serve shippers in central Utah, particularly Southern Utah Fuels 
Company (SUFCO) coal operations. Because the construction and operation 
of this project has the potential to result in significant 
environmental impacts, the Board's Section of Environmental Analysis 
(SEA) has determined that the preparation of an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) is appropriate. SEA held public scoping meetings as 
part of the EIS process, as discussed in the Notice of Scoping Meetings 
and Request for Comments published by the Board on October 20, 2003. As 
part of the scoping process, SEA has developed a draft Scope of 
Analysis for the EIS.
    SEA has made available for public comment the draft Scope of 
Analysis contained in this notice. SEA will issue a final Scope of 
Analysis shortly after the close of the comment period. Written 
comments on the Scope of Study are due January 26, 2004.
    Filing Environmental Comments: Interested persons and agencies are 
invited to participate in the EIS scoping process. A signed original 
and 10 copies of comments should be submitted to: Surface 
Transportation Board, Case Control Unit, STB Finance Docket No. 34075, 
1925 K Street, NW., Washington, DC 20423-0001, with the following 
designation written in the lower left-hand corner of the envelope: 
Attention: Phillis Johnson-Ball, Environmental Project Manager, 
Environmental Filing.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Phillis Johnson-Ball, Section of 
Environmental Analysis, Surface Transportation Board, 1925 K Street, 
NW., Washington, DC 20423-0001. The Web site for the Surface 
Transportation Board is www.stb.dot.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Draft Scope of Analysis for the EIS

Proposed Action and Alternatives

    The proposed action, known as the Central Utah Rail project, 
involves the construction and operation of approximately 43 miles of 
new rail line connecting the existing Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) 
line near Juab, Utah, to a proposed coal transfer terminal facility 
near Salina, Utah. Implementation of the proposed project would restore 
rail service to the Sevier Valley, providing a more direct connection 
to rail service for the coal industry (primarily SUFCO), provide rail 
service to other shippers in the Sevier Valley, and reduce the number 
of trucks on highways in the Sevier Valley.
    The reasonable and feasible alternatives that will be evaluated in 
the EIS are (1) construction and operation of the proposed project, (2) 
the no-action alternative, and (3) alternative alignments identified 
during the scoping process.

Environmental Impact Analysis

Proposed New Construction

    Analysis in the EIS will address the proposed activities associated 
with the construction and operation of new rail facilities and their 
potential environmental impacts, as appropriate.

Impact Categories

    The EIS will address potential impacts from the proposed 
construction and operation of new rail facilities on the human and 
natural environment. Impact areas addressed will include the categories 
of land use, biological resources, water resources, geology and soils, 
air quality, noise, energy resources, socioeconomics as they relate to 
physical changes in the environment, safety, transportation systems, 
cultural and historic resources, recreation, aesthetics, and 
environmental justice. The EIS will include a discussion of each of 
these categories as they currently exist in the project area and will 
address the potential impacts from the proposed project on each 
category as described below:
1. Land Use
    The EIS will:
    a. Describe existing land use patterns within the project area and 
identify those uses that would be potentially impacted by proposed rail 
line construction.
    b. Describe the potential impacts associated with the proposed new 
rail line construction on land uses identified in the project area. 
Such impacts may include impacts on farming and ranching activities, 
incompatibility with existing land uses, and conversion of land to 
railroad uses.
    c. Propose mitigative measures to minimize or eliminate potential 
project impacts on land use, as appropriate.
2. Biological Resources
    The EIS will:
    a. Describe existing biological resources within the project area, 
including vegetative communities, wildlife and fisheries, and federal 
and state threatened or endangered species, and the potential impacts 
on those resources resulting from construction and operation of 
proposed rail facilities.
    b. Describe any wildlife sanctuaries, refuges, and national or 
state parks, forests, or grasslands within the project area and 
potential impacts on these resources resulting from construction and 
operation of the proposed rail line and ancillary facilities.
    c. Propose mitigative measures to minimize or eliminate potential 
project impacts on biological resources, as appropriate.
3. Water Resources
    The EIS will:
    a. Describe the existing surface and groundwater resources within 
the project area, including lakes, rivers, streams, ponds, wetlands, 
and flood plains, and the potential impacts on these resources 
resulting from construction and operation of the proposed rail line and 
ancillary facilities.
    b. Describe the permitting requirements for the proposed new rail 
line construction regarding wetlands, stream and river crossings, water

[[Page 74709]]

quality, and erosion and sedimentation control.
    c. Describe the existing private water wells located within the 
project area and potential impacts, if any, to water quality due to 
vibration from haul trains.
    d. Describe current access to irrigation water within the project 
area and potential impacts due to alignment location.
    e. Propose mitigative measures to minimize or eliminate potential 
project impacts on water resources, as appropriate.
4. Geology and Soils
    The EIS will:
    a. Describe the geology and soils within the project area, 
including unique formations, problematic/hazardous geology or soils, 
prime or unique farmland soils, hydric soils, and the potential impacts 
on these resources resulting from the construction and operation of the 
proposed rail line.
    b. Propose mitigative measures to minimize or eliminate potential 
project impacts on geological resources and/or soils, as appropriate.
5. Air Quality
    The EIS will:
    a. Describe the attainment status of the project area, including 
proximity to any Class I or non-attainment area as designated under the 
Clean Air Act. Estimates of air emissions related to the construction 
and operation of the proposed new rail line will be prepared.
    b. Discuss and evaluate the potential air emissions changes from 
diversion of existing vehicle-related emissions to rail.
    c. Propose mitigative measures to minimize or eliminate potential 
impacts related to the construction and operation of the proposed rail 
line.
6. Noise
    The EIS will:
    a. Describe the potential noise impacts of new rail line 
construction and operation for those sensitive receptors (houses, 
schools, etc.) where the increase may exceed 3 dbA Ldn or exceed a 
total of 65 dbA Ldn.
    b. Propose mitigative measures to minimize or eliminate potential 
project impacts on noise receptors, as appropriate.
7. Energy Resources
    The EIS will:
    a. Describe the potential impact of the new rail line on the 
distribution of energy resources in the project area, including 
petroleum and gas pipelines and overhead electric transmission lines.
    b. Propose mitigative measures to minimize or eliminate potential 
project impacts on energy resources, as appropriate.
8. Socioeconomics
    The EIS will:
    a. Describe the potential environmental impacts on residences, 
residential areas, and communities within the project area as a result 
of new rail line construction and operation activities.
    b. Describe the potential environmental impacts on commercial and 
industrial activities and development in the project area as a result 
of new rail line construction and operation activities.
    c. Propose mitigative measures to minimize or eliminate potential 
project impacts on socioeconomic resources, as appropriate.
9. Safety
    The EIS will:
    d. Describe new at-grade rail crossings that would result from 
construction of the rail line and the potential for an increase in 
accidents related to the new rail line operations, as appropriate.
    e. Describe rail operations and the potential for increased 
probability of train accidents, as appropriate.
    f. Describe safety factors, as appropriate, for rail/pipeline 
crossings, if any exist in the project area.
    g. Describe existing trucking operations for coal hauling and the 
potential for accidents from those operations.
    h. Describe the potential for disruption and delays to the movement 
of emergency vehicles due to new rail line construction and operations.
    i. Propose mitigative measures to minimize or eliminate potential 
project impacts on safety, as appropriate.
9. Transportation Systems
    The EIS will:
    a. Describe the potential impacts of new rail line construction and 
operation on the existing transportation network in the project area, 
including vehicular delays at at-grade road/rail crossings.
    b. Describe potential impacts on navigation associated with 
proposed new bridges.
    c. Describe effects of current coal trucking operations on the 
existing road network and communities.
    d. Describe current access to recreation locations within the 
project area and potential impacts from rail line construction and 
operation.
    e. Propose mitigative measures to minimize or eliminate potential 
project impacts on transportation systems, as appropriate.
10. Cultural and Historic Resources
    The EIS will:
    a. Describe the potential impacts on historic structures or 
districts previously recorded and determined potentially eligible, 
eligible, or listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) 
that are within or immediately adjacent to the right-of-way for the 
proposed and alternative rail alignments.
    b. Describe the potential impacts on archaeological sites 
previously recorded and either listed as unevaluated or determined 
potentially eligible, eligible, or listed on the NRHP that are within 
or immediately adjacent to the right-of-way for the proposed and 
alternative rail alignments.
    c. Describe the potential impacts on historic structures or 
districts determined to be potentially eligible, eligible, or listed on 
the NRHP that are within the right-of-way for the proposed and 
alternative rail alignments.
    d. Describe the likelihood for unrecorded, buried archaeological 
sites to exist within the right-of-way for the proposed and alternative 
rail alignments, the potential that the sites are eligible for listing 
on the NRHP, and the potential impact of the rail construction on the 
sites.
    e. Describe the potential general impacts on paleontological 
resources in the project area due to project construction, if 
necessary.
    f. Propose mitigative measures to minimize or eliminate potential 
project impacts on cultural and historic resources, as appropriate.
11. Recreation
    The EIS will:
    a. Describe potential impacts of the proposed new rail line 
construction and operation on recreational opportunities provided in 
the project area.
    b. Propose mitigative measures to minimize or eliminate potential 
project impacts on recreation resources, as appropriate.
12. Aesthetics
    The EIS will:
    a. Describe the potential impacts of the proposed new rail line 
construction and operation on any areas determined to be of high visual 
quality.
    b. Describe the potential impacts of the proposed new rail line 
construction and operation on any waterways designated or considered 
for designation as wild and scenic.
    c. Propose mitigative measures to minimize or eliminate potential 
project impacts on aesthetics, as appropriate.

[[Page 74710]]

13. Environmental Justice
    The EIS will:
    a. Describe demographics in the project area and the immediate 
vicinity of the proposed new construction, including communities 
potentially impacted by the construction and operation of the proposed 
new rail line.
    b. Evaluate whether proposed new rail line construction or 
operation would have a disproportionately high and adverse impact on 
minority or low-income groups.
    c. Propose mitigative measures to minimize or eliminate potential 
project impacts on environmental justice communities, as appropriate.
14. Cumulative Impacts
    The EIS will address the cumulative impacts on the environment that 
may result from the proposed action when added to other past, present, 
and reasonably foreseeable future actions, regardless of what agency or 
individuals undertake such actions.

    By the Board, Victoria Rutson, Chief, Section of Environmental 
Analysis.
Vernon A. Williams,
 Secretary.
[FR Doc. 03-31718 Filed 12-23-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915-00-P