[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 248 (Tuesday, December 29, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68911-68912]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-30724]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
RIN 2130-AB74
Richmond-Hampton Roads Passenger Rail Project
AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), U.S. Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of availability of the Tier I Draft Environmental Impact
Statement and public hearings for the Richmond-Hampton Roads Passenger
Rail Project (Project).
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SUMMARY: The Federal Railroad Administration announces the availability
of the Richmond-Hampton Roads Passenger Rail Project Draft Tier I
Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for public review and comment.
The DEIS was prepared pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act
of 1969 (NEPA), as amended, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq., the Council on
Environmental Quality NEPA implementing regulations, 40 CFR parts 1500-
1508, and the FRA NEPA procedures, 64 FR 28545 (May 26, 1999). FRA is
the lead Federal agency and the Virginia Department of Rail and Public
Transportation (DRPT) is the lead State agency. The Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) included the DEIS in the Notice of Availability
(NOA) published on December 11, 2009.
DATES: FRA invites interested Members of Congress, state and local
governments, other Federal agencies, Native American tribal
governments, organizations, and members of the public to provide
comments on the DEIS. The public comment period began with EPA's
publication of the NOA on December 11, 2009. Because of the anticipated
interest in the Project, the comment period will continue until
February 11, 2010. Written and oral comments will be given equal
weight, and FRA and DRPT will consider all comments received or
postmarked by that date in preparing the Final EIS. Comments received
or postmarked after that date will be considered to the extent
practicable.
Dates and locations for the public hearings are:
1. Richmond: January 26, 2010 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Eastern Standard
Time.
[[Page 68912]]
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, 2300 West Broad Street,
Richmond, VA 23269.
2. Newport News: January 27, 2010 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Eastern
Standard Time. City Center Conference Facilities, James and Warwick
Rooms, 700 Town Center Drive, Newport News, VA 23606.
3. Norfolk: January 28, 2010 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Eastern Standard
Time. Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center, One Waterside Drive,
Norfolk, VA 23510.
ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted at the public hearings both
verbally and in writing. Written comments may be submitted via the
project Web site at http://www.rich2hrrail.info or mailed to VDRPT at
the Commonwealth of Virginia, Department of Rail & Public
Transportation, 600 East Main Street, Suite 2102, Richmond, VA 23219,
Attention: Public Information Office.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information regarding the
DEIS or the Project, please contact: Ms. Christine Fix, Department of
Rail & Public Transportation, 600 East Main Street, Suite 2102,
Richmond, VA 23219 (telephone 804 786-1052); or by e-mail at
christine.fix@drpt.virginia.gov with ``Richmond-Hampton Roads Passenger
Rail Project'' in the subject heading, or Mr. John Winkle,
Transportation Industry Analyst, Office of Passenger Programs, Federal
Railroad Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE., Room W38-311,
Washington, DC 20590 (telephone 202 493-6067), or by e-mail at
John.Winkle@DOT.Gov with ``Richmond-Hampton Roads Passenger Rail
Project'' in the subject heading.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DEIS evaluates the environmental impacts
of the Richmond-Hampton Roads Passenger Rail Project, which proposes
passenger rail service improvements between the City of Richmond, VA
and the Hampton Roads region. As a Tier I document, the DEIS focuses on
program level decisions affecting potential passenger rail service in
the Richmond-Hampton Roads corridor. The DEIS analyzes a Status Quo
Alternative, the No Action Alternative and three Build Alternatives.
The Build Alternatives focus on two rail routes to implement passenger
rail service improvements: the Peninsula/CSX Route and the Southside/NS
Route. The Build Alternatives examine a combination of conventional
(79-mph) and higher speed (90 and 110-mph) passenger rail services with
varying service frequencies over the two routes. This rail service
would serve as an extension of the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor,
providing rail connections to the Southeast, Northeast, and Mid-
Atlantic Regions. Potential environmental impacts of the Build
Alternatives include increased noise and vibration, local traffic
impacts associated with stations, impacts on historic properties and
archeological sites, impacts on parks and recreation resources, impacts
on sensitive biological resources and wetlands, and use of energy.
Mitigation strategies are described to avoid or minimize potential
impacts. Such strategies would be further refined in subsequent
environmental review.
Availability of the DEIS
DRPT has placed copies of the Draft EIS and appendices at the
following libraries:
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Blackwater Regional Library Chesapeake Public Library
Chesterfield County Public Library Colonial Heights Public
Library
Gloucester Public Library Hampton Main Public Library
Maude Langhorne Nelson Library Newport News Main Public
Library
York County Public Library/Tabb Library Norfolk Main Library
Pamunkey Regional Library Petersburg Central Public
Library
Portsmouth Main Public Library Richmond Main Public Library
Suffolk Morgan Memorial Public Library Virginia Beach Central
Library
Williamsburg Regional Library/Williamsburg
Library
Henrico County Municipal Government and
Law Library
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Commenters are advised to check the project website for a complete
list of library locations and addresses.
The document is also available at the Virginia Department of Rail
and Public Transportation Office in Richmond, 600 East Main Street,
Suite 2102, Richmond, VA; the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning
Organization Office in Chesapeake, The Regional Building, 723 Woodlake
Drive, Chesapeake, VA; the Richmond Area Metropolitan Planning
Organization, located at the Richmond Regional Planning District
Commission, 9211 Forest Hill Avenue, Suite 200, Richmond, VA; and the
Tri-Cities Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, located at the
Crater District Planning Commission, 1964 Wakefield Street, Petersburg,
VA. In addition, electronic versions of the Draft EIS and appendices
are available through FRA's Web site at http://www.fra.dot.gov/us/content/2316, on the VDRPT Web site at http://www.drpt.virginia.gov/projects/hamptonpassenger.aspx, and the project Web site at http://www.rich2hrrail.info.
Issued in Washington, DC, on December 18, 2009.
Mark E. Yachmetz,
Associate Administrator for Railroad Development.
[FR Doc. E9-30724 Filed 12-28-09; 8:45 am]
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