[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 110 (Monday, June 9, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33036-33038]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-13318]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration


Environmental Impact Statement for the Baltimore & Potomac (B&P) 
Tunnel Project Along the Northeast Corridor (NEC) in Baltimore, MD

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

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

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SUMMARY: FRA is issuing this notice to advise the public that an EIS 
for the B&P Tunnel Project (Project) is being prepared pursuant to the 
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). The Project is 
intended to address transportation deficiencies associated with the 
existing rail tunnel and is located on the NEC in the area of Baltimore 
that surrounds the existing B&P Tunnel. The EIS will evaluate the 
potential environmental impacts of alternatives that address 
transportation deficiencies.
    To ensure significant issues are identified and considered, the 
public and all interested parties are invited to comment on the 
proposed scope of environmental review, the project purpose and need, 
alternatives to be considered, environmental effects to be considered 
and evaluated, and methodologies to be used for evaluating effects.

DATES: An open house for the public will be held on Thursday, June 19, 
2014, between 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Written comments should be 
provided to FRA by July 30, 2014 using the email address or physical 
mailing address listed below. Comments may also be provided orally or 
in writing at the June 19, 2014 public meeting.

ADDRESSES: The public and other interested parties are encouraged to 
comment on-line at the B&P Tunnel Project's Web site 
(www.bptunnel.com), via email at [email protected], in

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person or by hard copy during the June 19, 2014 public meeting at 
Coppin State University, Talon Center, 2nd floor Atrium, 2500 West 
North Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21216 or by mailing hard copy comments to 
the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT noted below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michelle W. Fishburne, Environmental 
Protection Specialist, USDOT Federal Railroad Administration, Office of 
Program Delivery, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., MS-20, Washington, DC 
20590; (202) 294-0398.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Maryland Department of Transportation 
(MDOT) in cooperation with the National Railroad Passenger Corporation 
(Amtrak) was awarded a grant from FRA to complete an engineering and 
environmental study (Study) for the B&P Tunnel as part of the High-
Speed Intercity Passenger Rail (HSIPR) Program. The B&P Tunnel opened 
in 1873 and is approaching the end of its useful life. The tunnel 
currently serves Amtrak passenger rail and Maryland Commuter Rail 
(MARC) trains, as well as Norfolk Southern freight trains. The purpose 
of the Study is to develop and evaluate alternatives that would improve 
the deficient tunnel and related rail infrastructure, which 
significantly hampers train movement and creates a low-speed bottleneck 
on this high traffic section of the NEC. The area for the Study 
includes the existing B&P Tunnel in Central Baltimore and will 
encompass an area needed to identify potential alternatives and the 
evaluation of potential environmental effects.
    FRA as the lead federal agency will be responsible for the 
environmental review of alternatives and the EIS process in 
coordination with MDOT as the grantee, Amtrak as the owner of the B&P 
Tunnel, and other stakeholders. The EIS will evaluate alternatives 
based on project needs, potential environmental impacts, and input 
received from the public and all interested parties. The EIS will be 
developed in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969 (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321 et. seq.), the Council on Environmental 
Quality (CEQ) regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), FRA Procedures for 
Considering Environmental Impacts (64 Federal Register [FR] 28545, [May 
26, 1999]), and FRA's Update to NEPA Implementing Procedures (78 FR 
2713, [January 14, 2013]).

Purpose and Need

    The B&P Tunnel is important not only for Baltimore, but also the 
NEC, which connects the five major metropolitan areas of Boston, New 
York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, DC. The NEC is the most 
active passenger rail corridor in the nation and carries intercity 
passenger, commuter, and freight trains. FRA is preparing NEC FUTURE: A 
Rail Investment Plan for the Northeast Corridor, which is a 
comprehensive planning effort to define, evaluate and prioritize future 
investments in the NEC and is available at www.necfuture.com.
    Amtrak and MARC operate approximately 140 daily passenger trains 
through the B&P Tunnel, including Acela Express and Northeast Regional 
service. As intercity travel demand increases within the region, there 
will be additional need for passenger service on the NEC. The potential 
for future high speed rail on the NEC is also an important 
consideration for improvements to the B&P Tunnel, as well as support of 
freight service. The B&P Tunnel hosts approximately 5 to 10 through-
freight trains daily, serving ports in Baltimore.
    The B&P Tunnel is comprised of a series of three sequential, two-
track tunnels: The John Street Tunnel, the Wilson Street Tunnel, and 
the Gilmor Street Tunnel. According to the NEC Infrastructure and 
Operations Advisory Commission's report, Critical Infrastructure Needs 
on the Northeast Corridor (2013), the B&P Tunnel's tight curvature and 
aged structural conditions limit train speeds to 30 mph (down from 60 
mph or higher on its approach tracks).
    Previous studies and plans examined the broader railroad network 
and identified the B&P Tunnel as a primary chokepoint in Baltimore. In 
November 2001, Congress requested that FRA conduct a comprehensive 
study to assess problems in the freight and passenger rail 
infrastructure in the vicinity of Baltimore, Maryland. The study 
comprised two reports: Baltimore's Railroad Network: Challenges and 
Alternatives (2005) and Baltimore's Railway Network: Analysis and 
Recommendations (2011). The 2005 and 2011 reports assessed Baltimore's 
railroad network, identified the need to improve deficient track 
geometry and tunnel conditions, and reviewed multiple alternatives 
associated with the B&P Tunnel. The Northeast Corridor Infrastructure 
Master Plan (2010), prepared by the NEC Master Plan Working Group, 
states that the B&P Tunnel has exceeded its useful life and is a major 
chokepoint for intercity, commuter, and freight operations in the 
northeast. The 2005 and 2011 reports and the 2010 Master Plan are 
available on the project Web site at www.bptunnel.com. Additional need 
elements for the project will be documented and evaluated as part of 
the NEPA process.

Alternatives To Be Considered

    Alternatives will be developed based on the purpose of and need for 
the project, information obtained through the scoping process, and 
previous reports. The EIS will consider a range of reasonable 
alternatives based on the need to improve capacity and travel time 
through the corridor, improve reliability, and maintain safety for 
commuter, freight and intercity passenger rail services on the NEC. 
Alternatives will include the No Action Alternative as well as Build 
Alternatives such as rehabilitation of the existing tunnel and a new 
tunnel at a different location.

Possible Effects

    FRA in coordination with MDOT will evaluate direct, indirect, and 
cumulative changes to the human and natural environment resulting from 
the alternatives, including: Land use and socioeconomics, Environmental 
Justice, public safety, cultural resources, recreational resources, 
ecological resources (including terrestrial and aquatic habitat and 
species), wetland areas, water quality, flood hazards and floodplain 
management, hazardous contamination, transportation, construction 
issues, air quality, noise and vibration, and aesthetics. The analysis 
and environmental review will be documented in the EIS consistent with 
NEPA, CEQ regulations, Section 106 of the NHPA, the Endangered Species 
Act, the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, FRA Environmental 
Procedures, Executive Order 12898 and USDOT Order 5610.2(a) on 
Environmental Justice, and Section 4(f) of the USDOT Act of 1966, along 
with other applicable Federal and State regulations.

Scoping Process

    The FRA and MDOT are inviting comments and suggestions from the 
public and all interested parties regarding the scope of the EIS to 
ensure that all relevant issues, applicable planning efforts, 
constraints, and reasonable alternatives are addressed in the EIS. FRA 
and MDOT will directly contact appropriate Federal, State, and local 
agencies, Native American tribes and private organizations that have 
previously expressed or that are known to have an interest in this 
Project.
    Public meetings, open houses, and other public involvement 
initiatives, including newsletters and outreach, will

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be held and used throughout the course of this Study. Dates, times and 
locations for the scoping meetings and other opportunities for public 
participation will be announced on the B&P Tunnel Project's Web site 
(www.bptunnel.com) and through mailings, public notices, advertisements 
and press releases.
    Comments will be accepted on the scope of the EIS at the public 
meeting, through the project Web site (www.bptunnel.com) and by 
submitting written comments to Michelle Fishburne according to FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT above. The formal comment period for 
scoping will be as described in DATES above.

    Authority: National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) (42 
U.S.C. 4321 et. seq.)

    Issued in Washington, DC, on June 4, 2014.
Corey W. Hill,
Director, Office of Program Delivery.
[FR Doc. 2014-13318 Filed 6-6-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P