[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 4 (Thursday, January 7, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 848-850]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-00048]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement on NJ 
Transitgrid Traction Power System in Hudson County, New Jersey

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: The FTA, as the federal lead agency, and the New Jersey 
Transit Corporation (NJ TRANSIT), as joint lead agency, are planning to 
prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the NJ TRANSITGRID 
TRACTION POWER SYSTEM, which will provide a reliable electric power 
generation system (called a microgrid) to provide electricity to 
operate trains on a portion of the NJ TRANSIT and Amtrak rail systems, 
including some sections of the Northeast Corridor and Morris & Essex 
line, and the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail System. The microgrid, which is 
needed to enhance the resiliency of the public transportation system, 
will also provide electricity for some signal power and tunnel 
ventilation, pumping, and lighting on the Main Line and Northeast 
Corridor. NJ TRANSITGRID consists of two projects with independent 
utility from each other: The TRACTION POWER SYSTEM and the DISTRIBUTED 
GENERATION SOLUTIONS, which will provide power to train and bus 
stations and other transportation facilities in northeastern New Jersey 
with sustainable energy sources such as fuel cells, photovoltaic 
panels, and combined heat and power units. The EIS, which will be 
prepared only for the NJ TRANSITGRID TRACTION POWER SYSTEM, will be in 
accordance with Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and FTA 
regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), 
as well as expedited project delivery provisions of the Moving Ahead 
for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21). DISTRIBUTED GENERATIONS 
SOLUTIONS is a project with independent utility from the TRACTION POWER 
SYSTEM and will progress in a separate process to comply with NEPA and 
MAP-21.

DATES: Written comments on the scope of the EIS should be sent to Mr. 
Nick Marton or Mr. Chris Jeter by February 29, 2016. A public scoping 
meeting will be held on February 3, 2016 between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. at 
the location indicated under ADDRESSES below.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the scope of the EIS should be sent to: 
Mr. Nick Marton, Project Manager, NJ TRANSIT, River Line Office, 800 
Lemuel Avenue, Camden, NJ 08105 or Mr. Chris Jeter, NJ TRANSIT, One 
Penn Plaza East, 8th Floor, Newark, NJ 07105-2246. Comments may also be 
offered at the public scoping meeting. The date, time, and address for 
the public scoping meeting is as follows:

February 3, 2016 4 p.m.-8 p.m.

St. Peter's University, 2641 John F. Kennedy Blvd., Center Room, Jersey 
City, NJ 07306

    This location is accessible to persons with disabilities. If 
special translation or signing service or other special accommodations 
are needed, please contact the Project Manager, Mr. Nick Marton at 
(856) 614-7003 or Mr. Chris Jeter at (973) 491-7707 at least 48 hours 
before the meeting. A Draft Scoping Document for the NJ TRANSITGRID 
TRACTION POWER SYSTEM is available on NJ TRANSIT's Web site at: http://njtransitresilienceprogram.com/documents. or by calling the project 
manager, Mr. Nick Marton, at (856) 614-7003 or Mr. Chris Jeter at (973) 
491-7707. Copies will also be available at the scoping meeting.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Nancy Danzig, Director of Planning 
and Program Development, FTA Region 2, One Bowling Green, Room 429, New 
York, NY 10004. (212) 668-2177.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Scoping: The scoping process provides agencies and the public with 
the opportunity to review and comment on the purpose and need 
identified for the proposed project, alternatives considered, and the 
proposed methodologies that will be used to assess the potential 
social, economic, and environmental impacts of the project in the Draft 
EIS. Comments received during this process will be reviewed by FTA and 
NJ TRANSIT and incorporated into a Final Scoping Document, which will 
initiate the preparation of the Draft EIS.
    Project Need: The purpose of the proposed project is to enhance the

[[Page 849]]

resiliency of the electricity supply to the NJ TRANSIT and Amtrak 
infrastructure that serves key commuter markets in New York and New 
Jersey to minimize public transportation service disruptions. The 
region's public transportation infrastructure is vulnerable to power 
outages due to the nature of the existing centralized power 
distribution system and the intensity and frequency of severe weather 
events.
    Project Description and Alternatives: The proposed microgrid will 
be a state-of-the-art electric power generating facility that will be 
scaled to provide emergency power for NJ TRANSIT and Amtrak service 
operating between New York's Penn Station and northeastern New Jersey 
as well as other transit service as indicated above. It is anticipated 
that the new facility will be able to generate approximately 104 
megawatts (MW) of electricity. Natural gas-fired generation was 
identified as the most cost-effective choice to serve the identified 
traction power loads (i.e., the power needed to operate trains). At the 
present time, four types of conventional generation are under 
consideration:
     A simple-cycle reciprocating engine plant, with multiple 
reciprocating engines;
     A combined-cycle reciprocating engine plant, configured 
with multiple reciprocating engines and one steam turbine;
     A simple-cycle combustion-turbine plant, with three 
combustion turbines; and
     A combined-cycle gas turbine plant, configured with two 
combustion turbines and one steam turbine.
    The preferred generation system could be one of the four listed 
above or a combination of reciprocating engine and gas turbine 
technologies. Clean-burning natural gas will provide fuel for the 
combustion turbines and/or engines. A no action alternative, which 
contemplates roadway and transit facility improvements (other than the 
proposed project) planned for and programmed to be implemented by the 
year 2021 (the proposed project's completion year) will be defined to 
serve as a baseline for comparison to the build alternative options.
    A project site for the approximate 104 MW power plant was 
identified in Kearny, Hudson County, New Jersey based on a site 
screening analysis that evaluated properties on the Kearny Peninsula 
near NJ TRANSIT's Mason and Amtrak's Kearny (Sub 41) substations. The 
NJ Transit Site Screening Analysis can be found on the projects Web 
page at http://njtransitresilienceprogram.com/documents.
    These two substations will receive the highest electrical loads 
from the microgrid to supply power to the Morris & Essex Line and 
Northeast Corridor via transmission lines that run from the generation 
site to the substations. Transmission lines will also run from the 
proposed project site to NJ TRANSIT's Henderson substation in Hoboken, 
New Jersey to supply power to the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail.
    EIS Process and Role of Participating Agencies and the Public: The 
purpose of the EIS process is to explore in a public setting 
potentially significant effects of implementing the proposed project on 
the physical, human, and natural environment. Areas of investigation 
will include, but are not limited to: Land use, community facilities, 
socioeconomic conditions, air quality (including consideration of 
greenhouse gas emissions and climate change), cultural resources, 
aesthetic conditions, transportation, noise and vibration, natural 
resources, water quality, electromagnetic fields, utilities, 
contaminated materials, and safety and security. Measures to avoid, 
minimize, and mitigate any significant adverse impacts will be 
identified. An Agency and Public Coordination Plan (Plan) has been 
developed to guide a comprehensive outreach program. It can be found on 
the project's Web page at http://njtransitresilienceprogram.com/documents.
    The Plan outlines outreach to local and county officials and 
community and civic groups; a public scoping process to define the 
issues of concern among all parties interested in the project; 
establishment of a Technical Advisory Committee and periodic meetings 
with that committee; a public hearing on release of the Draft EIS; and 
development and distribution of project newsletters.
    The purpose of and need for the proposed project has been 
preliminarily identified in this notice. We invite the public and 
participating agencies to consider the preliminary statement of purpose 
and need for the project, as well as the alternatives proposed for 
consideration. Suggestions for modifications to the statement of 
purpose and need and any other reasonable alternatives that meet the 
purpose and need for the project are welcomed and will be given serious 
consideration. Comments on significant environmental impacts that may 
be associated with the proposed project and alternatives are also 
welcomed. There will be additional opportunities to participate in the 
scoping process at the public meeting announced in this notice.
    FTA Procedures: The proposed NJ TRANSITGRID project has been 
identified by the FTA as a project eligible for Federal funding through 
FTA's Emergency Relief Program that was promulgated in response to 
Hurricane Sandy. Prior to providing funding, the FTA must review the 
proposed project in accordance with NEPA as well as other related 
statutes and regulations. In accordance with 23 CFR 771.105(a) and 
771.133, FTA will comply with all Federal environmental laws, 
regulations, and executive orders applicable to the proposed project 
during the environmental review process to the maximum extent 
practicable. These requirements include, but are not limited to, the 
regulations of the CEQ and FTA implementing NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-
1508 and 23 CFR part 771), the project-level air quality conformity 
regulation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (40 CFR 
part 93), the Section 404(b)(1) guidelines of EPA (40 CFR part 230), 
the regulation implementing Section 106 of the National Historic 
Preservation Act (36 CFR Part 800), the regulation implementing Section 
7 of the Endangered Species Act (50 CFR part 402), Section 4(f) of the 
DOT Act (23 CFR 771.135), and Executive Orders 12898 on environmental 
justice, 11988, as amended, on floodplain management, 11990 on 
wetlands, and 13186 on migratory birds.
    Public comments will be received through those methods explained 
earlier in this NOI and will be incorporated into a Final Scoping 
Document. The Final Scoping Document will detail the scope of the EIS 
and the potential environmental effects that will be considered during 
the NEPA process. After the completion of the Draft EIS, a public and 
agency review period will allow for input on the Draft EIS and these 
comments will be incorporated into the Final EIS for the proposed 
project. In accordance with Section 1319 of the Moving Ahead for 
Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) (Pub. L. 112-114), 
Accelerated Decision-making in Environmental Reviews, FTA may consider 
the use of errata sheets attached to the DEIS in place of a in place of 
a traditional Final EIS and/or development a single environmental 
decision document that consists of a Final EIS and a Record of Decision 
(ROD), if certain conditions exist following the conclusion of the 
public and agency review period for the project's Draft EIS.

[[Page 850]]

    The Paperwork Reduction Act seeks, in part, to minimize the cost to 
the taxpayer of the creation, collection, maintenance, use, 
dissemination, and disposition of information. Consistent with this 
goal and with principles of economy and efficiency in government, it is 
FTA policy to limit insofar as possible distribution of complete 
printed sets of NEPA documents. Accordingly, unless a specific request 
for a complete printed set of the NEPA document is received before the 
document is printed, FTA and NJ Transit will distribute only electronic 
copies of the NEPA document. A complete printed set of the 
environmental document will be available for review at the NJ Transit 
offices and elsewhere; an electronic copy of the complete environmental 
document will be available on the project's Web page http://njtransitresilienceprogram.com/documents.

Marilyn G. Shazor,
Regional Administrator, FTA, Region 02.
[FR Doc. 2016-00048 Filed 1-6-16; 8:45 am]
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