[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 50 (Thursday, March 15, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12250-12252]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-4710]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration


Environmental Impact Statement for the California High Speed 
Train System From Los Angeles to Orange County, CA

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

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: FRA is issuing this notice to advise the public that FRA and 
the California High Speed Rail Authority (Authority) will jointly 
prepare a project level Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and 
project level Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the section of the 
Authority's proposed California High-Speed Train (HST) System from the 
City of Los Angeles (Union Station) to Orange County (Anaheim) in 
compliance with relevant State and federal laws, in particular the 
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
    FRA is issuing this notice to solicit public and agency input into 
the development of the scope of the EIS and to advise the public that 
outreach activities conducted by the Authority and its representatives 
will be considered in the preparation of the combined EIR/EIS. The 
Authority and FRA completed a Program EIR/EIS for the California HST 
System in 2005 as the first-phase of a tiered environmental review 
process for the proposed California HST System. The Authority certified 
the Final Program EIR and issued a decision, and FRA issued a Record of 
Decision in November 2005 on the Final Program EIS, selecting the HST 
Alternative for further project level environmental review and 
selecting corridor alignments and potential station locations, 
including a corridor between Los Angeles and Orange County. The 
preparation of this project level Los Angeles-Orange County HST EIR/EIS 
will involve development of preliminary engineering designs and 
assessment of environmental effects associated with the construction, 
operation, and maintenance of the HST system, including track, 
ancillary facilities and stations, along the previously selected Los 
Angeles-Orange County corridor.

DATES: Written comments on the scope of the Los Angeles-Orange County 
HST EIR/EIS should be provided to the Authority by April 24, 2007. 
Public scoping meetings are scheduled from April 5-April 12, 2007, as 
noted below.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the scope should be sent to Mr. Dan 
Leavitt, Deputy Director, ATTN. Los Angeles--Orange County, California 
High-Speed Rail Authority, 925 L Street, Suite 1425, Sacramento, CA 
95814, or via e-mail with the subject line ``Los Angeles-Orange County 
HST'' to: [email protected]. Comments may also be provided orally or 
in writing at the scoping meetings scheduled at the following 
locations:
     Union Station/METRO (Los Angeles), METRO Board Room, One 
Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012, on April 5, 2007, from 3 p.m. to 
5 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
     Anaheim, Gordon Hoyt Conference Room, City Hall West, 201 
S. Anaheim Boulevard, Anaheim, CA on April 11, 2007, from 3 p.m. to 5 
p.m. and from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m..
     Norwalk, Arts & Sports Complex Community Meeting Center 
(Sproul Room), 13000 Clarkdale Avenue, Norwalk, CA 90651 on April 12, 
2007, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m..

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. David Valenstein, Environmental 
Program Manager, Office of Railroad Development, Federal Railroad 
Administration, 1120 Vermont Avenue (Mail Stop 20), Washington, DC 
20590; Telephone (202) 493-6368, or Mr. Leavitt at the above noted 
address.

[[Page 12251]]


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The California High-Speed Rail Authority 
(Authority) was established in 1996 and is authorized and directed by 
statute to undertake the planning for the development of a proposed 
statewide HST network that is fully coordinated with other public 
transportation services. The Legislature has granted the Authority the 
powers necessary to oversee the construction and operation of a 
statewide HST network once financing is secured. As part of the 
Authority's efforts to implement a high-speed train system, the 
Authority adopted a Final Business Plan in June 2000, which reviewed 
the economic feasibility of a 700-mile long HST system capable of 
speeds in excess of 200 miles per hour on a dedicated, fully grade-
separated state-of-the art track.
    The FRA has responsibility for oversight of the safety of railroad 
operations, including the safety of any proposed high-speed ground 
transportation system. For the proposed HST, it is anticipated that FRA 
would need to take certain regulatory actions prior to operation.
    In 2005, the Authority and FRA completed a Final Program EIR/EIS 
for the Proposed California High-Speed Train System (statewide program 
EIR/EIS), as the first-phase of a tiered environmental review process. 
The Authority certified the Final Program EIR under CEQA and approved 
the proposed HST System, and FRA issued a Record of Decision under NEPA 
on the Final Program EIS. This statewide program EIR/EIS established 
the purpose and need for the HST system, analyzed a HST alternative, 
and compared it with a No Project/No Action Alternative and a Modal 
Alternative. In approving the statewide program EIR/EIS, the Authority 
and FRA selected the HST Alternative and selected certain corridors/
general alignments and general station locations, incorporated 
mitigation strategies and design practices, and specified further 
measures to guide the development of the HST System at the site-
specific project level of environmental review to avoid and minimize 
potential adverse environmental impacts.
    The Los Angeles-Orange County HST EIR/EIS will be developed as a 
second-tier, site-specific environmental document. It is one of a 
number of second-tier environmental reviews for sections of the HST 
system that FRA and the Authority intend to undertake. It will be 
tiered from and incorporate by reference the certified statewide 
program EIR/EIS in accordance with Council on Environmental Quality 
(CEQ) regulations (40 CFR 1508.28) and State CEQA Guidelines (14 C.C.R. 
Sec.  15168[b]). Tiering will ensure that the Los Angeles-Orange County 
HST EIR/EIS builds upon all previous work prepared for and incorporated 
in the statewide program EIR/EIS. The EIR/EIS will be carried out in 
accordance with FRA's Procedures for Considering Environmental Impacts 
(64 FR 28545 [May 26, 1999]) and will address not only NEPA and CEQA, 
but other applicable statutes, regulations and executive orders, 
including the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, Section 404 of the Clean 
Water Act, the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, Section 4(f) 
of the Department of Transportation Act, the Endangered Species Act, 
and Executive Order 12898 on Environmental Justice. This EIR/EIS 
process will also continue the NEPA/Clean Water Act Section 404 merger 
process established through the statewide program EIR/EIS process.
    The Los Angeles-Orange County HST EIR/EIS and other project level 
EIR/EISs will examine a range of project alternatives for portions of 
the proposed HST system within corridors selected in the statewide 
program EIR/EIS, as well as a no action alternative. This and other 
project level EIR/EISs will fully describe site-specific environmental 
impacts and will identify specific mitigation measures to address those 
impacts and will incorporate design practices to avoid and minimize 
potential adverse environmental impacts. The FRA and the Authority will 
assess the site characteristics, size, nature, and timing of proposed 
site-specific projects to determine whether the impacts are potentially 
significant and whether impacts can be avoided or mitigated. This and 
other project EIR/EISs will identify and evaluate reasonable and 
feasible site-specific alignment alternatives, evaluate the impacts 
from construction, operation, and maintenance of the HST system, and 
identify mitigation measures. Information and documents regarding the 
HST environmental review process will be made available through the 
Authority's Internet site: http://www.cahighspeedrail.gov/.
    Purpose and Need: The need for a HST system is directly related to 
the expected growth in population, and increases in intercity travel 
demand in California over the next twenty years and beyond. With growth 
in travel demand, there will be an increase in travel delays arising 
from the growing congestion on California's highways and at airports. 
In addition, there will be negative effects on the economy, quality of 
life, and air quality in and around California's metropolitan areas 
from a transportation system that will become less reliable as travel 
demand increases. The intercity highway system, commercial airports, 
and conventional passenger rail serving the intercity travel market are 
currently operating at or near capacity, and will require large public 
investments for maintenance and expansion to meet existing demand and 
future growth. The purpose of the proposed HST system is to provide a 
new mode of high-speed intercity travel that would link the major 
metropolitan areas of the state; interface with international airports, 
mass transit, and highways; and provide added capacity to meet 
increases in intercity travel demand in California in a manner 
sensitive to and protective of California's unique natural resources.
    Alternatives: The Los Angeles-Orange County HST EIR/EIS will 
consider a No Action or No Project Alternative and HST Alternatives for 
the Los Angeles to Orange County corridor.
    No Action Alternative: The take no action (No Project or No Build) 
alternative is defined to serve as the baseline for assessment of the 
HST Alternative. The No Build Alternative represents the region's 
transportation system (highway, air, and conventional rail) as it 
existed in 2006, and as it would exist after completion of programs or 
projects currently planned for funding and implementation by 2030. The 
No Build Alternative defines the existing and future intercity 
transportation system for the Los Angeles to Orange County corridor 
based on programmed and funded improvements to the intercity 
transportation system through 2030, according to the following sources 
of information: State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP), 
Regional Transportation Plans (RTPs) for all modes of travel, airport 
plans, and intercity passenger rail plans.
    HST Alternative: The Authority proposes to construct, operate and 
maintain an electric-powered steel-wheel-on-steel-rail HST system, over 
700-mile long (1,126-kilometer long), capable of speeds in excess of 
200 miles per hour (mph) (320 kilometers per hour [km/h]) on dedicated, 
fully grade-separated tracks, with state-of-the-art safety, signaling, 
and automated train control systems. The Los Angeles to Orange County 
corridor that was selected by the Authority and FRA with the statewide 
program EIR/EIS follows the existing BNSF/Metrolink rail corridor (also 
known as the LOSSAN Corridor) from Los Angeles Union Station as far 
south as Irvine. The Los Angeles-Orange County HST EIR/EIS

[[Page 12252]]

will consider HST service from Los Angeles to Anaheim. The HST system 
can provide service to Orange County with a terminus in Anaheim. Beyond 
Anaheim right-of-way is constrained and environmental conditions are 
different. HST service beyond Anaheim to Irvine may be considered 
separately in the future.
    Further engineering studies to be undertaken as a part of this EIR/
EIS process will examine and refine alignments in the selected 
corridor, including the alignment option identified in the statewide 
program EIR/EIS that shares tracks with other passenger services 
separated from freight trains with 4 total tracks (2 for passenger rail 
service and 2 for freight service) between Los Angeles and Fullerton 
and 2 total tracks with additional passing tracks South of Fullerton. 
With this alignment option, the electrified HST would share tracks (at 
reduced speeds) with non-electric Metrolink commuter rail, Amtrak 
Surfliner intercity services and occasional freight trains (there are 
fewer freight operations south of Fullerton). This alignment option is 
based on the premise that the capacity and compatibility issues 
associated with the shared operations with existing non-electric 
service (Surfliners, Metrolink, and freight) can be resolved. 
Additional alignment options will be considered that involve dedicated 
HST tracks that may be exclusive to HST service or that may also 
accommodate Metrolink express services.
    Station location options were selected by the Authority and FRA 
with the statewide program EIR/EIS considering travel time, train 
speed, cost, local access times, potential connections with other modes 
of transportation, ridership potential, and the distribution of 
population and major destinations along the route, and local planning 
constraints/conditions. Alternative station sites at the selected 
general station locations will be identified and evaluated in this 
project level EIR/EIS. Station area development policies to encourage 
transit-friendly development near and around HST stations that would 
have the potential to promote higher density, mixed-use, pedestrian-
oriented development will be prepared in coordination with local and 
regional planning agencies. Potential station locations to be evaluated 
in the Los Angeles-Orange County HST EIR/EIS include: City of Los 
Angeles-Union Station; City of Norwalk-Norwalk Transportation Center; 
and City of Anaheim-Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center 
(ARTIC). In addition, potential sites for turnback/layover train 
storage facilities and a main HST repair and heavy maintenance facility 
will be evaluated in the Los Angeles-Orange County HST EIR/EIS.
    Probable Effects: The purpose of the EIR/EIS process is to explore 
in a public setting the effects of the proposed project on the 
physical, human, and natural environment. The FRA and the Authority 
will continue the tiered evaluation of all significant environmental, 
social, and economic impacts of the construction and operation of the 
HST system. Impact areas to be addressed include: Transportation 
impacts; safety and security; land use and zoning; secondary 
development; land acquisition, displacements, and relocations; cultural 
resource impacts, including impacts on historical and archaeological 
resources and parklands/recreation areas; neighborhood compatibility 
and environmental justice; natural resource impacts including air 
quality, wetlands, water resources, noise, vibration, energy, wildlife 
and ecosystems, including endangered species. Measures to avoid, 
minimize, and mitigate all adverse impacts will be identified and 
evaluated.
    Scoping and Comments: FRA encourages broad participation in the EIS 
process during scoping and review of the resulting environmental 
documents. Comments and suggestions are invited from all interested 
agencies and the public at large to insure the full range of issues 
related to the proposed action and all reasonable alternatives are 
addressed and all significant issues are identified. In particular, FRA 
is interested in determining whether there are areas of environmental 
concern where there might be a potential for significant impacts 
identifiable at a project level. Public agencies with jurisdiction are 
requested to advise FRA and the Authority of the applicable permit and 
environmental review requirements of each agency, and the scope and 
content of the environmental information that is germane to the 
agency's statutory responsibilities in connection with the proposed 
project. Public agencies are requested to advise FRA if they anticipate 
taking a major action in connection with the proposed project and if 
they wish to cooperate in the preparation of the project level EIR/EIS. 
Public scoping meetings have been scheduled as an important component 
of the scoping process for both the State and Federal environmental 
review. The scoping meetings described in this Notice will also be 
advertised locally and included in additional public notification.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on March 9, 2007.
Mark E. Yachmetz,
Associate Administrator for Railroad Development.
[FR Doc. E7-4710 Filed 3-14-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P