[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 205 (Thursday, October 23, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63483-63485]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-25219]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration


Environmental Impact Statement for the Southeast High Speed Rail 
Project From Washington, DC to Richmond, VA

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 the FRA 
and the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) 
will be preparing a Tier II Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a 
123-mile portion of the Southeast High Speed Rail (SEHSR) Corridor from 
Washington, DC to Richmond, Virginia. The EIS will evaluate 
environmental and related impacts of upgrading the rail system and 
associated infrastructure between the Long Bridge over the Potomac 
River in Arlington, Virginia and Centralia, Virginia, to implement 
higher speed passenger rail service, increase rail capacity, and 
improve passenger train reliability. 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 and DRPT will be considered in the preparation of the EIS. To 
ensure all significant issues are identified and considered, the public 
is invited to comment on the scope of the EIS, including the purpose 
and need, alternatives to be considered, impacts to be evaluated, and 
methodologies to be used in the evaluation.

DATES: The public, governmental agencies, and all other interested 
parties are invited to comment on the scope of the EIS. All such 
comments should be provided to DRPT, in writing, within thirty (30) 
days of the publication of this notice, at the address listed below. 
Comments may also be provided in writing at the scoping meetings for 
the Project. Scoping meeting dates, times and locations, in addition to 
Project information can be found online on the FRA Web site at 
www.fra.dot.gov and on the Project Web site at www.DC2RVArail.com. An 
agency scoping meeting will take place on November 3, 2014. Four public 
scoping meetings will also be held in November 2014. See the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for the public scoping meeting dates.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the scope of the EIS may be mailed or

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emailed within thirty (30) days of the publication of this notice to 
Ms. Emily Stock, DRPT Project Manager, Virginia Department of Rail and 
Public Transportation (DRPT), 600 East Main Street, Suite 2102, 
Richmond, VA 23219, [email protected]. Additionally, see 
the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for the public scoping meeting 
locations.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. John Winkle, Transportation 
Industry Analyst, Office of Railroad Policy and Development, Federal 
Railroad Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., MS-20, Room W38-
311, Washington, DC 20590, [email protected], or Ms. Emily Stock, 
DRPT Project Manager, Virginia Department of Rail and Public 
Transportation (DRPT), 600 East Main Street, Suite 2102, Richmond, VA 
23219, [email protected]. Information and documents 
regarding the EIS process will also be made available through the FRA 
Web site at www.fra.dot.gov and on the Project Web site at 
www.DC2RVArail.com.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: FRA, in cooperation with the Virginia 
Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT), is beginning a 
Tier II Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the 123-mile portion 
of the SEHSR Corridor from Washington, DC to Richmond, VA. The 
environmental study area begins at the southern terminus of the Long 
Bridge over the Potomac River in Arlington, Virginia and continues 
south to Centralia, Virginia at the CSXT A-Line/CSXT S-Line junction. 
This study will evaluate alternatives and environmental impacts within 
the preferred corridor described in the Tier I Record of Decision for 
the SEHSR Corridor from Washington, DC to Charlotte, North Carolina. 
The Tier II EIS will be prepared in accordance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) and will also address 
compliance under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, 
Section 4(f) of the U.S. Department of Transportation Act of 1966, and 
Section 6(f) of the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act.
    The Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor, one of eleven Federal high 
speed passenger rail corridors, was designated by the U.S. Department 
of Transportation (DOT) in 1992. The corridor was designated as running 
from Washington, DC through Richmond, VA and Raleigh, NC to Charlotte, 
NC, with maximum speeds of 110 mph. It is part of an overall plan to 
extend service from the existing high speed rail on the Northeast 
Corridor (Boston to Washington) to points in the Southeast. In 1995, 
DOT extended the SEHSR corridor to Hampton Roads, VA. In 1998, DOT 
created two more extensions: (1) From Charlotte through Spartanburg and 
Greenville, SC to Atlanta, GA and on through Macon, GA to Jacksonville, 
FL; and (2) from Raleigh through Columbia, SC and Savannah, GA to 
Jacksonville, FL and from Atlanta to Birmingham, AL.
    A ``tiered'' approach was adopted for the SEHSR environmental 
studies because of the length of the corridor. The original SEHSR Tier 
I EIS and Record of Decision (2002) (available at: http://www.fra.dot.gov/Page/P0427) covered the entire Washington, DC to 
Charlotte, NC corridor at a program level, establishing the overall 
project purpose and need and modal alternative along with the preferred 
corridor. A separate Tier I EIS was completed in 2012 for the Richmond 
to Hampton Roads extension (available at: http://www.fra.dot.gov/Page/P0481).
    Several Tier II environmental documents will examine the various 
segments of the preferred corridor on a more detailed, local level. A 
Tier II EIS is currently underway for the Richmond to Raleigh portion 
of the SEHSR corridor. The Tier II EIS that is the subject of this 
notice will examine the Washington, DC to Richmond portion of the SEHSR 
corridor and will include preliminary engineering in addition to the 
Tier II EIS.
    Additionally, this project will include preliminary engineering and 
environmental analyses for related capacity improvements on the CSXT 
Peninsula Subdivision in the Richmond area between AM Junction and 
Beulah to the east, and on the Buckingham Branch Railroad from AM 
Junction through Doswell, VA, to the north, as well as two localities 
where specific improvements have not been identified: Elmont to North 
Doswell (through Ashland, VA) and Fredericksburg to Dahlgren (through 
Fredericksburg, VA and the Rappahannock River Bridge). These areas will 
be evaluated for station, track, and safety improvements as well as the 
feasibility of a third track.
    This project will involve further analysis of the alignment of the 
route selected through the 2002 Tier I EIS and Record of Decision, 
including the Buckingham Branch Railroad and the CSXT S-Line and A-Line 
routes from Greendale north of Richmond to Centralia south of Richmond.
    This Tier II environmental process has four basic goals: (1) Update 
and confirm the purpose and need as established in the Tier I EIS for 
the Washington, DC to Richmond, VA portion of the SEHSR corridor; (2) 
Develop site-specific rail alternatives for placement of a third track 
and other improvements; (3) Conduct a detailed evaluation of 
environmental impacts for the alternatives; and (4) Select a preferred 
alternative. The project also will include preliminary engineering for 
projects from Arlington to Centralia that are required to deliver SEHSR 
service at a maximum authorized speed (MAS) of 90 miles per hour (mph) 
along the corridor, as well as updating the existing service 
development plan (SDP) for operations along the corridor.

Environmental Review Process

    The Tier II EIS will be developed in accordance with the Council on 
Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations (40 CFR part 1500 et seq.) 
implementing the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 
321 et seq.) (NEPA) and FRA's Procedures for Considering Environmental 
Impacts (64 FR 28545, May 26, 1999). In addition to NEPA, the EIS will 
address other applicable statutes, regulations and executive orders, 
including the 1980 Clean Air Act Amendments, Section 404 of the Clean 
Water Act, the National Historic Preservation Act, Section 4(f) of the 
Department of Transportation Act, the Endangered Species Act, and 
Executive Order 12898 on Environmental Justice.
    The purpose of the Tier II EIS will be to provide the FRA, 
reviewing and cooperating agencies, and the public with information to 
assess alternatives that will meet the Project's purpose and need; to 
evaluate the potential environmental impacts; and to identify potential 
avoidance/mitigation measures, associated with the proposed Project 
alternatives.
    The Project may affect historic properties and may be subject to 
the requirements of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation 
Act of 1966 (NHPA) (16 U.S.C. 470(f)). In accordance with regulations 
issued by the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (36 CFR part 
800), FRA intends to coordinate compliance with Section 106 of the NHPA 
with the preparation of the EIS, beginning with the identification of 
consulting parties through the scoping process, in a manner consistent 
with the standards set out in 36 CFR 800.8.

Scoping and Public Involvement

    FRA encourages broad participation in the Tier II EIS process 
during scoping and review of the resulting environmental documents. 
Comments are invited from all interested agencies

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and the public to ensure the full range of issues related to the 
Project are addressed, reasonable alternatives are considered, and 
significant issues are identified. In particular, FRA is interested in 
identifying areas of environmental concern where there might be a 
potential for significant impacts. Public agencies with jurisdiction 
are requested to advise FRA and DRPT 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 
Project. Letters describing the proposed action and soliciting comments 
will be sent to appropriate Federal, State, and local agencies in 
Virginia. Public agencies are requested to advise FRA if they 
anticipate taking a major action in connection with the proposed 
Project and if they wish to cooperate in the preparation of the EIS.
    Public scoping opportunities and meetings will be scheduled as 
described below and are an important component of the scoping process 
for Federal environmental review. FRA is seeking participation and 
input of interested Federal, State, and local agencies, Native American 
groups, and other concerned private organizations and individuals on 
the scope of the EIS. A continual public involvement/information 
program will support the process. The program will involve newsletters, 
a project hotline, informational workshops, small group meetings, 
social media, and other methods to solicit and incorporate public input 
throughout the EIS process. Comments and questions concerning the 
proposed action should be directed to DRPT or to FRA at the addresses 
provided above. Additional information can be obtained by visiting the 
project Web site at www.DC2RVArail.com or calling the toll-free project 
number 1-888-832-0900.

Public Scoping Meeting Dates and Locations

    The public scoping meetings will be advertised locally and are 
scheduled for the following locations on the dates indicated below from 
5:00-7:30 p.m.

November 5, 5:00-7:30 p.m., Hanover Arts and Activities Center, 500 
South Center Street, Ashland, VA
November 6, 5:00-7:30 p.m., Department of Motor Vehicles, 2300 W. Broad 
Street, Richmond, VA
November 12, 5:00-7:30 p.m., National Museum of the Marine Corps-
Quantico, 18900 Jefferson Davis Highway, Quantico, VA
November 13, 5:00-7:30, Westin Crystal City, 1800 Jefferson Davis 
Highway, Arlington, VA

In addition, an online meeting will also be available from October 27, 
2014 through December 5, 2014. The public can review materials at the 
meetings or online and provide comments by December 5, 2014.

    Authority:  42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on October 17, 2014.
Corey W. Hill,
Director, Office of Program Delivery.
[FR Doc. 2014-25219 Filed 10-22-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P