[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 174 (Thursday, September 8, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55728-55729]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-23015]



[[Page 55728]]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration


Notice of the Extension of the Comment Period for the Draft 
Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement for the 
California High-Speed Train Project Fresno to Bakersfield Section

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

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: FRA is issuing this notice to advise the public that the 
comment period for the Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR)/
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that has been prepared for the 
California High-Speed Train (HST) Project Fresno to Bakersfield Section 
(Project) has been extended and shall now end on October 13, 2011. This 
decision was made by the Authority and FRA in response to requests for 
an extension of the comment period. FRA is the lead federal agency and 
the California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) is the lead state 
agency for the environmental review process.
    The Authority plans to construct and operate a fully grade-
separated, dedicated double-track, electric powered, passenger rail, 
high-speed railroad along a 114-mile corridor between Fresno and 
Bakersfield, CA. The Project includes stations in downtown Fresno and 
Bakersfield, and a possible Kings/Tulare Regional Station east of 
Hanford, CA. A heavy maintenance facility for assembly, testing, and 
commissioning of trains, train inspection and service, and train 
overhaul may be constructed in the Fresno to Bakersfield Section.
    The Draft EIR/EIS presents the Project's purpose and need, 
identifies all reasonable alternatives including track alignments, 
stations, and heavy maintenance facilities as well as the no action 
alternative, describes the affected environment, analyzes the potential 
environmental impacts of all the reasonable alternatives and the no 
action alternative, and identifies appropriate mitigation measures to 
minimize the potential environmental impacts.

DATES: Written comments on the Draft EIR/EIS for the Fresno to 
Bakersfield Section should be provided to the Authority on or before 
October 13, 2011. Public hearings are scheduled on September 20, 
September 21, and September 22, 2011 in Fresno, CA, Hanford, CA, and 
Bakersfield, CA respectively at the times and dates listed in the 
ADDRESSES section below.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the Draft EIR/EIS should be sent to the 
California High-Speed Rail Authority, Fresno to Bakersfield EIR/EIS 
Comments, 770 L Street, Suite 800, Sacramento, CA 95814, through the 
Authority's Web site at http://www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov, or via e-
mail with the subject line ``Draft EIR/EIS'' at [email protected]. Comments may also be provided orally or in 
writing at the public hearings scheduled at the following locations:
     Fresno, CA, Tuesday, September 20, 2011, 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., 
Fresno Convention Center, 848 M Street, Fresno, CA;
     Hanford, CA, Wednesday, September 21, 2011, 3 p.m. to 8 
p.m., Civic Auditorium, 400 N. Douty Street, Hanford, CA; and
     Bakersfield, CA, Thursday, September 22, 2011, 3 p.m. to 8 
p.m., Beale Memorial Library, 701 Truxton Avenue, Bakersfield, CA.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. David Valenstein, Chief, 
Environment and Systems Planning Division, Office of Railroad Policy 
and Development, Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., MS-20, Washington, DC 
20590 (telephone: 202-493-6368), or Mr. Dan Leavitt, Deputy Director 
for Environmental Review and Planning, California High-Speed Rail 
Authority, 770 L Street, Ste. 800, Sacramento, CA 95814 (telephone: 
916-324-1541).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Once completed, the California HST system 
will provide intercity, high-speed passenger rail service on more than 
800 miles of tracks throughout California, connecting the major 
population centers of Sacramento, the San Francisco Bay Area, the 
Central Valley, Los Angeles, the Inland Empire, Orange County, and San 
Diego. It will use state-of-the-art, electrically powered, high-speed, 
steel-wheel-on-steel-rail technology, including contemporary safety, 
signaling, and automated train-control systems, with trains capable of 
operating up to 220 miles per hour (mph) over a fully grade-separated, 
dedicated double track alignment.
    The FRA and Authority certified a Statewide Program EIR/EIS (Tier 
1) for the California HST system in November 2005 as the first phase of 
a tiered environmental review process for the California HST system. In 
2008, the FRA and Authority certified another program EIR/EIS for the 
Bay Area to Central Valley portion of the HST system. The Fresno to 
Bakersfield Section Draft EIR/EIS (Tier 2) analyzes the environmental 
impacts and benefits of implementing the high-speed train in the more 
geographically limited area between Fresno and Bakersfield, and is 
based on more detailed project planning and engineering. This Draft 
EIR/EIS analysis builds on the earlier decisions and program EIR/EISs, 
and provides more site-specific and detailed analysis.
    The Authority plans to complete the California HST System in two 
phases. Phase 1 will connect San Francisco to Los Angeles/Anaheim via 
the Pacheco Pass and the Central Valley with a mandated express travel 
time of 2 hours and 40 minutes or less. Phase 2 will connect the 
Central Valley to the state's capital, Sacramento, and will extend the 
system from Los Angeles, CA to San Diego, CA. This Project is for one 
section in Phase 1 and is receiving funding from FRA for design and 
environmental review as well as for the construction of an initial 
Section in the Central Valley.
    The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act), 
enacted February 17, 2009, contained $8 billion to fund high-speed 
intercity passenger rail (HSIPR) projects. In response to the Recovery 
Act funding, FRA developed and began implementation of the HSIPR 
Program to fund projects to improve existing intercity passenger rail 
service and to develop new high speed intercity passenger rail 
corridors. FRA's HSIPR Program also received an additional $2.1 billion 
from the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development and Related 
Agencies Appropriations Act of 2010. The California High-Speed Rail 
Authority applied for and was selected to receive over $3.5 billion in 
HSIPR funds from FRA to complete preliminary engineering and NEPA 
reviews and associated documentation for all seven sections comprising 
Phase 1 of the California HST System and to construct an initial 
Central Valley Section from Madera County to Bakersfield (Kern County) 
California. Completion of the environmental review process marked by 
issuance of a Record of Decision (ROD) by FRA is a prerequisite for any 
construction related federal funding or approvals from FRA.
    The approximately 114-mile-long Fresno to Bakersfield Section is a 
critical Phase 1 link connecting Merced to Fresno and Bay Area HST 
Sections to the north and the Bakersfield to Palmdale and Palmdale to 
Los Angeles HST Sections to the south. The Fresno to Bakersfield 
Section includes HST stations in the cities of Fresno and Bakersfield, 
with a third potential

[[Page 55729]]

station located in the vicinity of Hanford (Kings/Tulare Regional 
Station) that would serve the Hanford, Visalia, and Tulare area. The 
Fresno and Bakersfield stations are this Section's beginning and ending 
points, or project termini.
    This Draft EIR/EIS has been prepared by the FRA and the Authority 
consistent with the provisions of Section 102(2)(c) of the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the 
Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations implementing NEPA 
(40 CFR parts 1500 et seq.), FRA's Procedures for Considering 
Environmental Impacts (64 FR 28545 (May 26, 1999)), the California 
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) (Public Resources Code Sec.  21000-
21178), and CEQA Guidelines (California Code of Regulations Title 14, 
Chapter 3 Sec.  15000-15387).
    The Draft EIR/EIS is available online at FRA's Web site: http://www.fra.dot.gov; the Authority's Web site: http://www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov. The Draft EIR/EIS is also available for 
viewing at the following locations near the planned rail system:
     Fresno County Public Library, Central Branch, Central 
Reference Department, 2420 Mariposa Street, Fresno, CA;
     Fresno County Public Library, Clovis Regional Library, 
1155 Fifth Street, Clovis, CA;
     Fresno County Public Library, Laton Branch, 6313 DeWoody 
Street, Laton, CA;
     Kern County Library, Beale Memorial Library, 701 Truxtun 
Avenue, Bakersfield, CA;
     Kern County Library, Corcoran Branch, 1001 Chittenden 
Avenue, Corcoran, CA;
     Kern County Library, Delano Branch, 925 10th Avenue, 
Delano, CA;
     Kern County Library, Shafter Branch, 236 James Street, 
Shafter, CA;
     Kern County Library, Wasco Branch, 1102 7th Street, Wasco, 
CA;
     Kings County Library, Hanford Branch (Main Library), 401 
N. Douty Street, Hanford, CA;
     Kings County Library, Lemoore Branch, 457 C Street, 
Lemoore, CA;
     Tulare County Library, Visalia Branch (Main Library), 200 
West Oak Avenue, Visalia, CA; and
     Tulare Public Library, 475 North M Street, Tulare, CA.

     Issued in Washington, DC, on August 31, 2011.
Paul Nissenbaum,
Director, Office of Passenger and Freight Programs.
[FR Doc. 2011-23015 Filed 9-7-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P