[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 61 (Wednesday, March 30, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18460-18461]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-06703]


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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: FRA, on behalf of the California High-Speed Rail Authority 
(Authority), is issuing this notice to announce actions taken by the 
Authority that are final. By this notice, FRA is advising the public of 
the time limit to file a claim seeking judicial review of the actions. 
The actions relate to the California High-Speed Rail Burbank to Los 
Angeles Project Section (Project). 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 
Project will be barred unless the claim is filed on or before March 29, 
2024. If Federal law later authorizes a time period of less than 2 
years for filing such claim, then that shorter time period applies.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 
    For the Authority: Scott Rothenberg, NEPA Assignment Manager, 
Environmental Services, California High-Speed Rail Authority, 
telephone: (916) 403-6936; email: [email protected].
    For FRA: Andr[eacute]a Martin, Senior Environmental Protection 
Specialist, Office of Railroad Policy and Development (RPD), telephone: 
(202) 493-6201, email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Effective July 23, 2019, FRA assigned, and 
the State of California acting through the Authority assumed, 
environmental responsibilities for the California High-Speed Rail (HSR) 
System pursuant to 23 U.S.C. 327. Notice is given that the Authority 
has taken final agency actions subject to 23 U.S.C. 139(l)(1); 49 
U.S.C. 24201(a)(4) by issuing approvals for the Project.
    The purpose of the California HSR System \1\ 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

[[Page 18461]]

protective of California's unique natural resources. The Authority has 
selected the HSR Build Alternative with the Burbank Station and a 
modified Los Angeles Union Station, as identified in the Final 
Environmental Impact Statement (Final EIS) and Record of Decision 
(ROD), for the Burbank to Los Angeles Project because the Selected 
Alternative (1) best satisfies the Purpose, Need, and Objectives for 
the Project and (2) minimizes impacts on the natural and human 
environment by utilizing an existing transportation corridor where 
practicable and incorporating mitigation measures where practicable. 
The actions by the Authority, and the laws under which such actions 
were taken, are described in the Project's Final EIS and ROD, approved 
on March 7, 2022. The ROD, Final EIS, and other documents will be 
available online in PDF at the Authority's website (www.hsr.ca.gov) and 
via CD-ROM by calling (916) 324-1541.
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    \1\ The California HSR System will be implemented in two phases. 
Phase 1 will connect San Francisco to Los Angeles and Anaheim via 
the Pacheco Pass and the southern Central Valley. Phase 2 will 
extend the HSR system from the Central Valley (starting at the 
Merced Station) to the state's capital in Sacramento and from Los 
Angeles to San Diego.
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    This notice applies to the ROD, Final 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. NEPA;
    2. Council on Environmental Quality regulations (1978); \2\
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    \2\ The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) issued new 
regulations on July 14, 2020, effective September 14, 2020, updating 
the NEPA implementing procedures at 40 CFR 1500 through 1508. 
However, this project initiated NEPA before the effective date and 
relies on the CEQ regulations as they existed prior to September 14, 
2020. All subsequent citations to the CEQ regulations in the ROD and 
Final EIS refer to the 1978 regulations, consistent with 40 CFR 
1506.13 (2020) and the preamble at 85 FR 43340.
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    3. Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act);
    4. Department of Transportation Act of 1966, Section 4(f);
    5. Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) 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;
    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;
    14. Executive Order 13112, Invasive Species.

    Issued in Washington, DC.
Jamie P. Rennert,
Director, Office of Infrastructure Investment.
[FR Doc. 2022-06703 Filed 3-29-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P