[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 29 (Tuesday, February 12, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8106-8109]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-2562]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

[STB Finance Docket No. 35095]


The Alaska Railroad Corporation--Petition for Exemption To 
Construct and Operate a Rail Line Extension to Port MacKenzie, AK

AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement; 
Notice of Availability of the Draft Scope of Study for the 
Environmental Impact Statement; Notice of Scoping Meetings; and Request 
for Comments on Draft Scope.

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SUMMARY: The Alaska Railroad Corporation (ARRC) plans to file a 
petition with the Surface Transportation Board (Board) pursuant to 49 
U.S.C. 10502 for authority to construct and operate approximately 30 to 
45 miles of new rail line connecting the Matanuska-Susitna Borough's 
Port MacKenzie (or Port) in south-central Alaska to a point on the ARRC 
main line between Wasilla and north of Willow, Alaska. The proposed 
Port MacKenzie Rail Extension (or Project) would provide freight 
services between the Port and Interior Alaska and would support the 
Port's continuing development as an intermodal and bulk material 
resources export and import facility. The Port is owned by the 
Matanuska-Susitna Borough (MSB) and MSB is a co-sponsor of the Project. 
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 
pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as 
amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). The purpose of this Notice of Intent 
is to notify individuals and agencies interested in or affected by the 
proposed Project of the decision to prepare an EIS. SEA will hold 
public scoping meetings as part of the NEPA process associated with the 
development of the EIS. Additionally, as part of the scoping process, 
SEA has developed a draft Scope of Study for the

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EIS for review and comment. Public meeting dates and locations, along 
with the draft Scope of Study, are provided herein.
    Dates and Locations: The public scoping meetings will be held at 
the following locations:
     March 3, 2008, 5-8 p.m. at Knik Elementary School, 6350 
West Hollywood, Wasilla, AK.
     March 4, 2008, 5-8 p.m. at Big Lake Elementary School, 
3808 South Big Lake Road, Big Lake, AK.
     March 5, 2008, 5-8 p.m. at Willow Area Community Center, 
Mile 70 Parks Highway, Willow, AK.
     March 6, 2008, 5-8 p.m. at Houston Middle School, 12801 W. 
Hawk Lane, Houston, AK.
     March 10, 2008, 5-8 p.m., at Wasilla Multi-Use Sports 
Complex, 1001 S. Mack Drive, Wasilla, AK.
     March 11, 2008, 5-8 p.m. at Anchorage Senior Center, 1300 
East 19th Avenue, Anchorage, AK.
    The scoping meetings will be held in an informal workshop format 
during which interested persons may ask questions about the proposed 
Project and the Board's environmental review process, and advise SEA 
staff about potential environmental effects of the Project. No formal 
presentations will be made by agency representatives. SEA staff will be 
available to answer questions and receive comments individually.
    The meeting locations comply with the Americans with Disabilities 
Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.). Persons that need special 
accommodations should telephone SEA's toll-free number for the Project 
at 1-888-257-7560.
    Interested parties are invited to submit written comments on the 
draft Scope of Study, alternative routes for the proposed rail line, 
and other environmental issues and concerns by March 21, 2008, to 
assure full consideration during the scoping process. SEA will issue a 
final Scope of Study after the close of the scoping comment period.
    Summary of the Board's Environmental Review Process: The NEPA 
process is intended to assist the Board and the public in identifying 
and assessing the potential environmental consequences of a proposed 
action before a decision on the proposed action is made. SEA is 
responsible for ensuring that the Board complies with NEPA and related 
environmental statutes. The first stage of the EIS process is scoping. 
Scoping is an open process for determining the scope of environmental 
issues to be addressed in the EIS. As part of the scoping process, SEA 
has developed, and has made available in this notice, a draft Scope of 
Study for the EIS. Concurrently, scoping meetings will be held to 
provide further opportunities for public involvement and input during 
the scoping process. In addition to the Scope of Study, interested 
parties are also encouraged to comment on potential routes for the 
proposed Project. SEA is currently considering eight alternative routes 
that have been identified by MSB and ARRC. At the conclusion of the 
scoping and comment period, SEA will issue a final Scope of Study for 
the EIS.
    After issuing the final Scope of Study, SEA will prepare a Draft 
EIS for the Project. The Draft EIS will address the environmental 
issues and concerns identified during the scoping process. It will also 
contain SEA's preliminary recommendations for environmental mitigation 
measures. The Draft EIS will be made available upon its completion for 
review and comment by the public, government agencies, and other 
interested parties. SEA will prepare a Final EIS that considers 
comments on the Draft EIS. In reaching its decision in this case, the 
Board will take into account the Draft EIS, the Final EIS, and all 
environmental comments that are received.
    SEA has recently invited several agencies to participate in this 
EIS process as cooperating agencies on the basis of their special 
expertise or jurisdiction by law. These agencies include: U.S. Army 
Corps of Engineers--Alaska District; Alaska Department of Natural 
Resources; and U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad 
Administration.
    Filing Environmental Comments: Comments submitted by mail should be 
addressed to: David Navecky, Surface Transportation Board, 395 E 
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20423-0001, Attention: Environmental 
Filing, STB Finance Docket No. 35095.
    Comments may also be filed electronically on the Board's Web site, 
http://www.stb.dot.gov, by clicking on the ``E-FILING'' link.
    Please refer to STB Finance Docket No. 35095 in all correspondence, 
including e-filings, addressed to the Board.
    Comments are due by March 21, 2008.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Navecky, Section of 
Environmental Analysis, Surface Transportation Board, 395 E Street, 
SW., Washington, DC 20423, or call SEA's toll-free number for the 
Project at 1-888-257-7560. Assistance for the hearing impaired is 
available through the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-
800-877-8339. The Web site for the Board is http://www.stb.dot.gov. 
Project specific information on the Board's Web site may be found by 
placing your cursor on the ``Environmental Matters'' button, then 
clicking on the ``Key Cases'' button in the drop down menu.

Draft Scope of Study for the EIS

Purpose and Need

    The purpose of the Project is to establish a rail link between the 
Port and the ARRC rail system, providing Port customers and shippers 
with rail transportation between the Port and Interior Alaska. The Port 
is a deepwater facility on the north side of Knik Arm in upper Cook 
Inlet, located in south-central Alaska. Presently, the only surface 
mode of freight transport available to the Port is trucking. The 
construction of a rail line would satisfy the need for an additional 
mode of transportation for the movement of bulk materials, intermodal 
containers, and other freight to and from the Port.
Proposed Action and Alternatives
    The proposed rail line would extend approximately 30 to 45 miles, 
depending on the route selected, from the Port to ARRC's existing main 
line between Wasilla and north of Willow. Other major elements of the 
proposed Project would include a 200-foot-wide right-of-way; crossings 
of local roads, streams, trails, and utility corridors; sidings; and 
ancillary facilities. The anticipated train traffic would be two trains 
daily on average, with one train per day traveling in each direction. 
The EIS will analyze the potential impacts of alternative routes and a 
no-action alternative.
    The reasonable and feasible alternatives that will be evaluated in 
the EIS are: (1) Construction and operation of the proposed rail line 
along several alternative alignments, (2) other route alternatives that 
might be identified during the scoping process, and (3) the no-action 
alternative.

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 analyze potential direct and indirect impacts for each 
alternative of the proposed construction and operation of new rail 
facilities on the human and natural environment, or in

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the case of the no-action, of the lack of these activities. Impact 
areas addressed will include the categories of land use, recreation, 
biological resources, water resources including wetlands and other 
waters of the U.S., navigation, geology and soils, air quality, noise, 
energy resources, socioeconomics as they relate to physical changes in 
the environment, safety, grade crossing delay, cultural and historic 
resources, and environmental justice. Other categories of impacts may 
also be included as a result of comments received during the scoping 
process or the draft EIS. The EIS will include a discussion of each of 
these categories as they currently exist in the Project area and will 
address the potential direct and indirect impacts of each alternative 
on each category as described below:

1. Safety

    The EIS will:
    a. Describe existing road/rail grade crossing safety and analyze 
the potential for an increase in accidents related to the new rail 
operations, as appropriate.
    b. Describe existing rail operations and analyze the potential for 
increased probability of train accidents, as appropriate.
    c. Evaluate the potential for disruption and delays to the movement 
of emergency vehicles.
    d. Propose mitigative measures to minimize or eliminate potential 
Project impacts to safety, as appropriate.

2. Land Use

    The EIS will:
    a. Evaluate potential impacts of each alternative on existing land 
use patterns within the Project area and identify those land uses that 
would be potentially impacted by new rail line construction.
    b. Analyze the potential impacts associated with each alternative 
to land uses identified within the Project area. Such potential impacts 
may include incompatibility with existing land use and conversion of 
land to railroad use.
    c. Determine if the proposed rail line is consistent with Alaska's 
coastal management program.
    d. Propose mitigative measures to minimize or eliminate potential 
impacts to land use, as appropriate.

3. Recreation

    The EIS will:
    a. Evaluate existing conditions and the potential impacts of the 
alternatives, including the various new rail line construction 
alignments and their operation, on recreational trails and other 
opportunities provided in the Project area.
    b. Propose mitigative measures to minimize or eliminate potential 
Project impacts on recreational opportunities, as appropriate.

4. Biological Resources

    The EIS will:
    a. Evaluate the existing biological resources within the Project 
area, including vegetative communities, wildlife, anadromous and other 
fisheries, wetlands, and Federal and state threatened or endangered 
species and the potential impacts to these resources resulting from 
each alternative.
    b. Describe any wildlife sanctuaries, refuges, national or state 
parks, forests, or grasslands and evaluate the potential impacts to 
these resources resulting from each alternative.
    c. Propose mitigative measures to avoid, minimize, or compensate 
for potential impacts to biological resources, as appropriate.

5. Water Resources

    The EIS will:
    a. Describe the existing surface water and groundwater resources 
within the Project area, including lakes, rivers, streams, stock ponds, 
wetlands, and floodplains and analyze the potential impacts on these 
resources resulting from each alternative.
    b. Describe the permitting requirements for the various 
alternatives with regard to wetlands, stream and river crossings, water 
quality, floodplains, and erosion control.
    c. Propose mitigative measures to avoid, minimize or compensate for 
potential Project impacts to water resources, as appropriate.

6. Navigation

    The EIS will:
    a. Identify existing navigable waterways within the Project area 
and analyze the potential impacts on navigability resulting from each 
alternative.
    b. Describe the permitting requirements for the various 
alternatives with regards to navigation.
    c. Propose mitigative measures to minimize or eliminate potential 
impacts to navigation, as appropriate.

7. Geology and Soils

    The EIS will:
    a. Describe the geology, soils and seismic conditions found within 
the Project area, including unique or problematic geologic formations 
or soils, prime farmland, and hydric soils, and analyze the potential 
impacts on these resources resulting from the various alternatives for 
construction and operation of a new rail line.
    b. Evaluate potential measures employed to avoid or construct 
through unique or problematic geologic formations or soils.
    c. Propose mitigative measures to minimize or eliminate potential 
Project impacts to geology and soils, as appropriate.

8. Air Quality

    The EIS will:
    a. Evaluate rail operation air emissions, if the alternative would 
affect a Class I or non-attainment or maintenance area as designated 
under the Clean Air Act.
    b. Describe the potential air quality impact resulting from new 
rail line construction activities.
    c. Propose mitigative measures to minimize or eliminate potential 
Project impacts to air quality, as appropriate.

9. Noise

    The EIS will:
    a. Describe the potential noise impacts during new rail line 
construction.
    b. Describe the potential noise impacts of new rail line operation.
    c. Propose mitigative measures to minimize or eliminate potential 
Project impacts to sensitive noise receptors, as appropriate.

10. Energy Resources

    The EIS will:
    a. Describe and evaluate the potential impact of the new rail line 
on the distribution of energy resources in the Project area for each 
alternative, including petroleum and gas pipelines and overhead 
electric transmission lines.
    b. Propose mitigative measures to minimize or eliminate potential 
Project impacts to energy resources, as appropriate.

11. Socioeconomics

    The EIS will:
    a. Analyze the effects of a potential influx of construction 
workers and the potential increase in demand for local services 
interrelated with natural or physical environmental effects.
    b. Propose mitigative measures to minimize or eliminate potential 
Project adverse impacts to social and economic resources, as 
appropriate.

12. Transportation Systems

    The EIS will:
    a. Evaluate the potential impacts of each alternative, including 
new rail line construction and operation, on the existing 
transportation network in the Project area, including vehicular delays 
at grade crossings.

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    b. Propose mitigative measures to minimize or eliminate potential 
Project impacts to transportation systems, as appropriate.

13. Cultural and Historic Resources

    The EIS will:
    a. Analyze the potential impacts to historic structures or 
districts previously recorded and determined potentially eligible, 
eligible, or listed on the National Register of Historic Places within 
or immediately adjacent to the right-of-way for the proposed rail 
alignments.
    b. Evaluate the potential impacts of each alternative to 
archaeological sites previously recorded and either listed as 
unevaluated or determined potentially eligible, eligible, or listed on 
the National Register of Historic Places within the right-of-way for 
the alternative rail alignments and the no-action alternative.
    c. Propose mitigative measures to minimize or eliminate potential 
Project impacts to cultural and historic resources, as appropriate.

14. Environmental Justice

    The EIS will:
    a. Evaluate the potential impacts of each alternative, including 
construction and operation of the rail lines, on local and regional 
minority populations and low-income populations.
    b. Propose mitigative measures to minimize or eliminate potential 
Project impacts on environmental justice issues, as appropriate.

15. Cumulative Impacts

    The EIS will address the impact on the environment which results 
from the incremental impact of the action when added to other past, 
present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions regardless of what 
agency (Federal or non-federal) or person undertakes such actions.

    By the Board, Victoria Rutson, Chief, Section of Environmental 
Analysis.
Anne K. Quinlan,
Acting Secretary.
 [FR Doc. E8-2562 Filed 2-11-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915-01-P