[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 248 (Tuesday, December 29, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68911-68912]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-30724]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

RIN 2130-AB74


Richmond-Hampton Roads Passenger Rail Project

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

ACTION: Notice of availability of the Tier I Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement and public hearings for the Richmond-Hampton Roads Passenger 
Rail Project (Project).

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SUMMARY: The Federal Railroad Administration announces the availability 
of the Richmond-Hampton Roads Passenger Rail Project Draft Tier I 
Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for public review and comment. 
The DEIS was prepared pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act 
of 1969 (NEPA), as amended, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq., the Council on 
Environmental Quality NEPA implementing regulations, 40 CFR parts 1500-
1508, and the FRA NEPA procedures, 64 FR 28545 (May 26, 1999). FRA is 
the lead Federal agency and the Virginia Department of Rail and Public 
Transportation (DRPT) is the lead State agency. The Environmental 
Protection Agency (EPA) included the DEIS in the Notice of Availability 
(NOA) published on December 11, 2009.

DATES: FRA invites interested Members of Congress, state and local 
governments, other Federal agencies, Native American tribal 
governments, organizations, and members of the public to provide 
comments on the DEIS. The public comment period began with EPA's 
publication of the NOA on December 11, 2009. Because of the anticipated 
interest in the Project, the comment period will continue until 
February 11, 2010. Written and oral comments will be given equal 
weight, and FRA and DRPT will consider all comments received or 
postmarked by that date in preparing the Final EIS. Comments received 
or postmarked after that date will be considered to the extent 
practicable.
    Dates and locations for the public hearings are:
    1. Richmond: January 26, 2010 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Eastern Standard 
Time.

[[Page 68912]]

Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, 2300 West Broad Street, 
Richmond, VA 23269.
    2. Newport News: January 27, 2010 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Eastern 
Standard Time. City Center Conference Facilities, James and Warwick 
Rooms, 700 Town Center Drive, Newport News, VA 23606.
    3. Norfolk: January 28, 2010 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Eastern Standard 
Time. Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center, One Waterside Drive, 
Norfolk, VA 23510.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted at the public hearings both 
verbally and in writing. Written comments may be submitted via the 
project Web site at http://www.rich2hrrail.info or mailed to VDRPT at 
the Commonwealth of Virginia, Department of Rail & Public 
Transportation, 600 East Main Street, Suite 2102, Richmond, VA 23219, 
Attention: Public Information Office.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information regarding the 
DEIS or the Project, please contact: Ms. Christine Fix, Department of 
Rail & Public Transportation, 600 East Main Street, Suite 2102, 
Richmond, VA 23219 (telephone 804 786-1052); or by e-mail at 
[email protected] with ``Richmond-Hampton Roads Passenger 
Rail Project'' in the subject heading, or Mr. John Winkle, 
Transportation Industry Analyst, Office of Passenger Programs, Federal 
Railroad Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE., Room W38-311, 
Washington, DC 20590 (telephone 202 493-6067), or by e-mail at 
[email protected] with ``Richmond-Hampton Roads Passenger Rail 
Project'' in the subject heading.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DEIS evaluates the environmental impacts 
of the Richmond-Hampton Roads Passenger Rail Project, which proposes 
passenger rail service improvements between the City of Richmond, VA 
and the Hampton Roads region. As a Tier I document, the DEIS focuses on 
program level decisions affecting potential passenger rail service in 
the Richmond-Hampton Roads corridor. The DEIS analyzes a Status Quo 
Alternative, the No Action Alternative and three Build Alternatives. 
The Build Alternatives focus on two rail routes to implement passenger 
rail service improvements: the Peninsula/CSX Route and the Southside/NS 
Route. The Build Alternatives examine a combination of conventional 
(79-mph) and higher speed (90 and 110-mph) passenger rail services with 
varying service frequencies over the two routes. This rail service 
would serve as an extension of the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor, 
providing rail connections to the Southeast, Northeast, and Mid-
Atlantic Regions. Potential environmental impacts of the Build 
Alternatives include increased noise and vibration, local traffic 
impacts associated with stations, impacts on historic properties and 
archeological sites, impacts on parks and recreation resources, impacts 
on sensitive biological resources and wetlands, and use of energy. 
Mitigation strategies are described to avoid or minimize potential 
impacts. Such strategies would be further refined in subsequent 
environmental review.

Availability of the DEIS

    DRPT has placed copies of the Draft EIS and appendices at the 
following libraries:

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Blackwater Regional Library                 Chesapeake Public Library
Chesterfield County Public Library          Colonial Heights Public
                                             Library
Gloucester Public Library                   Hampton Main Public Library
Maude Langhorne Nelson Library              Newport News Main Public
                                             Library
York County Public Library/Tabb Library     Norfolk Main Library
Pamunkey Regional Library                   Petersburg Central Public
                                             Library
Portsmouth Main Public Library              Richmond Main Public Library
Suffolk Morgan Memorial Public Library      Virginia Beach Central
                                             Library
Williamsburg Regional Library/Williamsburg
 Library
Henrico County Municipal Government and
 Law Library
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    Commenters are advised to check the project website for a complete 
list of library locations and addresses.
    The document is also available at the Virginia Department of Rail 
and Public Transportation Office in Richmond, 600 East Main Street, 
Suite 2102, Richmond, VA; the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning 
Organization Office in Chesapeake, The Regional Building, 723 Woodlake 
Drive, Chesapeake, VA; the Richmond Area Metropolitan Planning 
Organization, located at the Richmond Regional Planning District 
Commission, 9211 Forest Hill Avenue, Suite 200, Richmond, VA; and the 
Tri-Cities Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, located at the 
Crater District Planning Commission, 1964 Wakefield Street, Petersburg, 
VA. In addition, electronic versions of the Draft EIS and appendices 
are available through FRA's Web site at http://www.fra.dot.gov/us/content/2316, on the VDRPT Web site at http://www.drpt.virginia.gov/projects/hamptonpassenger.aspx, and the project Web site at http://www.rich2hrrail.info.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on December 18, 2009.
Mark E. Yachmetz,
Associate Administrator for Railroad Development.
[FR Doc. E9-30724 Filed 12-28-09; 8:45 am]
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