[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 240 (Monday, December 14, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 80888-80889]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-27441]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration


Notice of Final Agency Actions on Proposed Railroad Project in 
California, on Behalf of the California High-Speed Rail Authority

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

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The FRA, on behalf of the Authority, is issuing this notice to 
announce actions taken by the Authority that are final. By this notice, 
the FRA is advising the public of the time limit to file a claim 
seeking judicial review of the actions. The actions relate to a 
proposed railroad project, the California High-Speed Rail Project 
Merced to Fresno Project Section: Central Valley Wye in Merced, Madera, 
Fresno, and Stanislaus Counties, California. The Merced to Fresno 
Project Section: Central Valley Wye provides an approximately 51-mile 
portion of the larger 800-mile California High-Speed Rail (HSR) system 
planned throughout California. These actions grant approvals for 
project implementation pursuant to the National Environmental Policy 
Act (NEPA) and other laws, regulations, and executive orders.

DATES: A claim seeking judicial review of the agency actions on the 
railroad project will be barred unless the claim is filed on or before 
January 14, 2022. If Federal law authorizes judicial review of a claim 
that provides a time period of less than two years for filing such 
claim, then that shorter time period applies.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 
    For the Authority: Dan McKell, NEPA Assignment Manager, 
Environmental Services, California High-Speed Rail Authority, 
(telephone: 916-324-1541; email: [email protected]).
    For FRA: Stephanie Perez-Arrieta, Lead Environmental Protection 
Specialist, Federal Railroad Administration, (telephone: 202-493-0388; 
email: [email protected]).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: bEffective July 23, 2019, FRA assigned, and 
the State of California acting through the Authority assumed, its 
responsibilities for environmental review, consultation, and other 
actions required by applicable Federal environmental laws for this 
project pursuant to 23 U.S.C. 327. Notice is hereby given that the 
Authority has taken final agency actions subject to 49 U.S.C. 
24201(a)(4) and 23 U.S.C. 139(l)(1) by issuing approvals for the 
following railroad project in California: California High-Speed Rail 
Project Merced to Fresno Project Section: Central Valley Wye.
    The purpose of the California HSR System is to provide a reliable 
high-speed electric-powered train system that links the major 
metropolitan areas of California, delivering predictable and consistent 
travel times. A further objective is to provide an interface with 
commercial airports, mass transit, and the highway network and to 
relieve capacity constraints of the existing transportation system as 
increases in intercity travel demand in California occur, in a manner 
sensitive to and protective of California's unique natural resources.
    The FRA and the Authority published the Merced to Fresno Section 
Final Project Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIR/EIS) in April 2012. The FRA issued a Record of Decision 
(ROD) for the Merced to Fresno Project Section on September 18, 2012. 
The FRA's 2012 ROD deferred identification of a selected alternative 
for the Central Valley Wye. The Authority published the Merced to 
Fresno Section: Central Valley Wye Final Supplemental EIR/EIS (Final 
Supplemental EIR/EIS) on August 7, 2020. The Final Supplemental EIR/EIS 
was prepared as a supplement to the 2012 EIR/EIS for the Merced to 
Fresno Project Section. The Authority approved a Supplemental ROD for 
the Central Valley Wye portion of the Merced to Fresno Project Section 
on September 16, 2020. The Supplemental ROD is a

[[Page 80889]]

supplement to FRA's 2012 ROD for the Merced to Fresno Project Section. 
The Supplemental ROD does not change any determinations made in FRA's 
2012 ROD for the Merced to Fresno Project Section.
    In the Supplemental ROD, the Authority selected the State Route 
(SR) 152 (North) to Road 11 Wye Alternative, identified in the Final 
Supplemental EIR/EIS, for the Central Valley Wye portion of the Merced 
to Fresno Project Section. The selected alternative is located west-
southwest of the city of Chowchilla with the east-west axis along the 
north side of SR 152 and the north-south axis on the east side of Road 
11. As part of the California HSR System, the selected alternative will 
provide the public with electric-powered HSR service that provides 
predictable and consistent travel times between major urban centers and 
connectivity to airports, mass transit, and the highway network in the 
north San Joaquin Valley, and that connects the system in the Central 
Valley to system facilities in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 
Authority selected this alternative because: (1) It best satisfies the 
Purpose, Need, and Objectives for the proposed action; and (2) it 
minimizes impacts on the natural and human environment by utilizing an 
existing transportation corridor where practicable and incorporating 
mitigation measures.
    This conclusion does not alter, affect or change FRA's conclusions 
and decision in the 2012 Record of Decision (ROD) on the Merced to 
Fresno Final Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact 
Statement.
    The actions by the Authority, and the laws under which such actions 
were taken, are described in the Supplemental ROD and Final 
Supplemental EIR/EIS. The Supplemental ROD, the Final Supplemental EIR/
EIS, and other documents are available online in PDF format at the 
Authority website: www.hsr.ca.gov, and copies may be requested by 
contacting the Authority at the address above or by calling (916) 324-
1541.
    This notice applies to the Supplemental ROD, the Final Supplemental 
EIR/EIS, and all other Federal agency decisions with respect to the 
project as of the issuance date of this notice and all laws under which 
such actions were taken, including but not limited to:
    1. Council on Environmental Quality regulations;
    2. NEPA;
    3. Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act;
    4. Department of Transportation Act of 1966, Section 4(f);
    5. Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965, Section 6(f);
    6. Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990;
    7. Clean Water Act of 1977 and 1987;
    8. Endangered Species Act of 1973;
    9. Migratory Bird Treaty Act;
    10. National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, Section 
106;
    11. Executive Order 11990, Protection of Wetlands;
    12. Executive Order 11988, Floodplain Management;
    13. Executive Order 12898, Federal Actions to Address Environmental 
Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations; and
    14. Executive Order 13112, Invasive Species.

    Issued in Washington, DC.
Jamie P. Rennert,
Director, Office of Infrastructure Investment.
[FR Doc. 2020-27441 Filed 12-11-20; 8:45 am]
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