[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 236 (Thursday, December 9, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76778-76780]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-31013]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration


Environmental Impact Statement for the Milwaukee, WI (Milwaukee 
Intermodal Station) to Minneapolis, MN (Minneapolis Transportation 
Interchange) Rail Corridor

AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration, Department of Transportation.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.

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SUMMARY: FRA is issuing this notice to advise the public that a Tier I 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be prepared for the 
Milwaukee, WI to Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN (Milwaukee-Twin Cities) High-
Speed Rail Corridor Program. The project includes passenger stations, 
maintenance facilities, and the construction of a high-speed rail line 
between Milwaukee and the Twin Cities. This corridor is part of a 
larger network of high-speed passenger rail corridors in the Midwest, 
with a hub in Chicago, IL. The effort to develop these high-speed rail 
corridors and expand the passenger rail system in the Midwest is known 
as the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative (MWRRI). 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 FRA will be considered in the preparation of the EIS. 
Alternatives under consideration include taking no action (No Build), 
as well as several build alternatives along a variety of corridors 
between Milwaukee and the Twin Cities.

DATES: Locations, dates, and start and end times for public meetings 
involving the EIS are listed in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section 
of this notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Daniel Krom, Director, Passenger 
Rail Office, Minnesota Department of Transportation, 395 John Ireland 
Boulevard, MS 480, St. Paul, MN 55155, telephone (651)-366-3193; or Ms. 
Colleen Vaughn, Office of Railroad Policy and Development, Federal 
Railroad Administration (FRA), 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., MS-20/W38-
303, Washington, DC 20590, telephone (202) 493-6096.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: FRA, in cooperation with the Minnesota 
Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT), and the Wisconsin Department of 
Transportation (WisDOT), will prepare a Tier 1 EIS for the Milwaukee-
Twin Cities High-Speed Rail Corridor Program from the Milwaukee 
Intermodal Station in Milwaukee, WI to the Minneapolis Transportation 
Interchange in Minneapolis, MN. The objective of the tiered EIS is to 
evaluate potential intercity passenger rail route alternatives at the 
corridor level and will result in the creation of a Service Development 
Plan for the corridor.
    Objectives: The objectives of this MWRRI project are to meet 
current and future regional travel needs through significant 
improvements to the level and quality of passenger rail service and 
provide a stimulus for joint development in communities served by the 
system by:
     Using existing rail rights-of-way to connect rural, small 
urban, and major metropolitan areas;
     Improving safety, reliability and on-time performance;
     Providing a transportation choice for smaller communities 
which do not have or are under-served by commercial air service;
     Providing improved travel times that are competitive with 
the automobile mode; and
     Using modern train equipment operating at speeds up to 110 
mph.
    Environmental Review Process: The EIS will be developed in 
accordance with Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations (40 
CFR part 1500 et seq.) implementing the National Environmental Policy 
Act (NEPA), FRA's Procedures for Considering Environmental Impacts (64 
FR 28545; May 26, 1999). FRA, with Mn/DOT and WisDOT, will use a tiered 
process, as provided for in 40 CFR 1508.28 and in accordance with FRA 
guidance, in the completion of the environmental review of the Project. 
The Tier 1 EIS will address broad corridor-level issues and proposals. 
Subsequent phases or tiers will analyze, at a greater level of detail, 
narrower site-specific proposals based on the decisions made in Tier 1.
    Tier 1: The Tier 1 EIS will result in a NEPA document with the 
appropriate

[[Page 76779]]

level of detail for corridor-level decisions and will address broad 
overall issues of concern, including but not limited to:
     Confirming the purpose and need for the proposed action.
     Confirming the study area appropriate to assess reasonable 
and feasible alternatives.
     Identifying a comprehensive set of goals and objectives 
for the corridor in conjunction with the project sponsors and other 
stakeholders. These goals and objectives will be crafted to allow 
comprehensive evaluation of all aspects of the project necessary to 
achieve the goals, including train operations, vehicles and 
infrastructure.
     Identifying the reasonable and feasible alternatives to be 
considered including a no action/no build alternative, consistent with 
the current and planned use of the corridor and the existing services 
within and adjacent to the study area.
     Developing criteria and screen alternatives to eliminate 
those alternatives that do not meet the purpose and need of the 
proposed action.
     Identifying the general alignment(s) of the reasonable and 
feasible alternatives.
     Identifying right-of-way requirements for the reasonable 
and feasible alternatives.
     Identifying the infrastructure and equipment investment 
requirements for the reasonable and feasible alternatives.
     Identifying the operational changes required for the 
reasonable and feasible alternatives.
     Describing the environmental impacts associated with 
proposed changes in passenger rail train frequency, speed, and on-time 
performance.
     Characterizing the environmental consequences of the 
reasonable and feasible alternatives.
     Establishing the timing and sequencing of independent 
actions to maintain a state of good repair and to implement the 
proposed action.
     Identifying a preferred alternative for route alignment.
     Selecting component projects for Tier 2 NEPA 
documentation.
    Alternatives: A No-Build Alternative will be studied as the 
baseline for comparison with the proposed project. The No-Build 
Alternative represents other transportation modes such as auto, air 
travel, intercity bus, and existing rail and the physical 
characteristics and capacities as they exist at the time of the Tier 1 
EIS, with planned and funded improvements that will be in place at the 
time the project becomes operational. Several alternatives will be 
evaluated in the Tier 1 EIS including:
     Route A1: This alternative uses Canadian Pacific Railway 
(CP) right-of-way from Milwaukee, WI to Watertown, WI; right-of-way 
owned by the State of Wisconsin from Watertown to Junction A in 
Madison; Union Pacific Railroad Company (UP) right-of-way under lease 
to Wisconsin & Southern Railroad (WSOR) from Junction A to Johnson 
Street Yard in Madison, WI; CP right-of-way from Johnson Street Yard in 
Madison through Portage, WI and La Crosse, WI to Red Wing, MN and to 
Hastings, MN; CP or BNSF Railway Co. (BNSF) right-of-way from Hastings, 
MN to St. Paul, MN; and CP and BNSF rights-of-way from St. Paul, MN to 
Minneapolis, MN.
     Route A2: This alternative uses CP right-of-way from 
Milwaukee, WI to Watertown, WI, through Portage, WI and La Crosse, WI 
to Red Wing, MN and to Hastings, MN; CP or BNSF right-of-way from 
Hastings, MN to St. Paul, MN; and CP and BNSF rights-of-way from St. 
Paul, MN to Minneapolis, MN.
     Route B1: This alternative uses CP right-of-way from 
Milwaukee, WI to Watertown, WI; right-of-way owned by the State of 
Wisconsin from Watertown to Junction A in Madison, WI; UP right-of-way 
under lease to WSOR from Junction A to Johnson Street Yard in Madison; 
CP right-of-way from Johnson Street Yard in Madison through Portage, WI 
to Winona, MN; Dakota, Minnesota, & Eastern Railroad Co. (DM&E) right-
of-way through Rochester, MN to Owatonna, MN; UP right-of-way to 
Northfield, MN; CP right-of-way to St. Paul, MN; and CP and BNSF 
rights-of-way from St. Paul to Minneapolis, MN.
     Route B2: This alternative uses CP right-of-way from 
Milwaukee, WI to Watertown, WI, through Portage, WI to Winona, MN; DM&E 
right-of-way through Rochester, MN to Owatonna, MN; UP right-of-way to 
Northfield, MN; CP right-of way to St. Paul, MN; and CP and BNSF 
rights-of-way from St. Paul to Minneapolis, MN.
     Route C1: This alternative uses CP right-of-way from 
Milwaukee, WI to Watertown, WI; right-of-way owned by the State of 
Wisconsin from Watertown to Junction A in Madison, WI; UP right-of-way 
under lease to WSOR from Junction A to Johnson Street Yard in Madison; 
CP right-of-way from Johnson Street Yard in Madison through Portage, WI 
to Camp Douglas, WI; UP right-of-way through Eau Claire, WI to St. 
Paul, MN; and CP and BNSF rights-of-way to Minneapolis, MN.
     Route C2: This alternative uses CP right-of-way from 
Milwaukee, WI to Watertown, WI, through Portage, WI to Camp Douglas, 
WI; UP right-of-way through Eau Claire, WI to St. Paul, MN; and CP and 
BNSF rights-of-way to Minneapolis, MN.
    Scoping and Comments: FRA encourages broad participation in the EIS 
process during scoping and subsequent review of the resulting 
environmental documents. Comments and suggestions are invited from all 
interested agencies and the public at large to ensure 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 the potential for 
significant impacts identifiable at a corridor level. Letters 
describing the proposed project and soliciting comments will be sent to 
appropriate Federal, State, and local agencies, and appropriate 
railroads. Public agencies with jurisdiction are requested to advise 
the FRA, Mn/DOT, and WisDOT 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 improvements.
    Agency scoping meetings have been and will be held for this project 
at the dates and times below. These meetings have been and will be 
advertised locally and held at the following cities and dates:
    1. St. Paul, MN on November 29, 2010 from 5 p.m.-7 p.m.
    2. La Crosse, WI/La Crescent, MN on November 30, 2010 from 5 p.m.-7 
p.m.
    3. Eau Claire, WI on December 1, 2010 from 5 p.m.-7 p.m.
    4. Fond du Lac, WI on December 2, 2010 from 5 p.m.-7 p.m.
    5. Rochester, MN on December 6, 2010 from 5 p.m.-7 p.m.
    6. Madison, WI on December 7, 2010 from 5 p.m.-7 p.m.
    7. Milwaukee, WI at a date and location to be determined.
    Scoping meetings will also take place after the publication of this 
Notice in the Federal Register. Two additional rounds of public 
meetings will be held in the same seven locations stated above during 
February 2011 and February 2012.
    Letters describing the proposed action alternatives and soliciting 
comments will be sent to appropriate Federal, State, and local agencies 
in Minnesota and Wisconsin. An iterative public involvement/information 
program will support the process. The program will involve newsletters, 
a project hotline,

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informational workshops, small group meetings, and other methods to 
solicit and incorporate public input throughout the planning process. 
To ensure that the full range of issues relating to the proposed action 
is addressed, comments and suggestions are invited from all interested 
parties. Comments and questions concerning the extension of the 
proposed action should be directed to Mn/DOT or to the FRA at the 
addresses provided above. Additional information can be obtained by 
visiting the project Web site at http://www.dot.state.mn.us/passengerrail/mwrri/phase7.html or sending an email to 
[email protected].

    Issued in Washington, DC, on December 6, 2010.
Mark E. Yachmetz,
Associate Administrator for Railroad Policy and Development.
[FR Doc. 2010-31013 Filed 12-8-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P