From: bm@bike2work.Eng.Sun.COM (Bill Michel)
Newsgroups: ba.transportation,alt.activism,ca.environment
Subject: CalTrans Sued over I-80 reconstruction
Keywords: transportation environment air pollution
Date: 29 Sep 92 17:00:48 GMT
Reply-To: bm@bike2work.Eng.Sun.COM (Bill Michel)
Distribution: ba
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Inc.  Mt. View, Ca.
NNTP-Posting-Host: bike2work


/** transport: 75.0 **/
** Topic: Urban Ecology Sues Caltrans **
** Written  7:05 pm  Sep 28, 1992 by urbanecology in cdp:transport **
                   Urban Ecology Leads Effort
          to Evaluate Alternatives to Freeway Widening
 
 
Urban Ecology, Inc., the Sierra Club (San Francisco Bay Chapter),
the Audubon Society (Golden Gate Chapter), and the Auto-Free Bay
Area Coalition have joined together to sue the California State
Department of Transportation (Caltrans) regarding the proposed
$318 million widening of the Interstate 80 freeway through an 18-
mile section of the East Bay.
 
The lawsuit, which was filed in early September 1992, is based
upon the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act
(CEQA).  It argues that Caltrans failed to properly update the
original environmental analysis (which was prepared in 1983) for
the freeway widening project.  The plaintiffs believe that
because underlying conditions and the project itself have changed
so dramatically since 1983, CEQA requires that a new
environmental impact report (EIR), known as a supplemental EIR,
must be prepared.
 
Urban Ecology and the other plaintiffs have argued that
alternatives to the extremely expensive freeway widening should
be evaluated in the new EIR.  The plaintiffs believe that
alternatives that focus on the provision of additional transit
service, particularly rail service, could increase mobility more
effectively than widening the freeway, at less cost and with
fewer adverse environmental impacts.  Caltrans has consistently
failed to analyze non-freeway alternatives to their project.
 
In addition to Caltrans, the suit was also filed against the
Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and the California
Transportation Commission (CTC).
 
Urban Ecology and its co-plaintiffs won the first round of legal
action when the court agreed to issue a "stay" on the
construction (which had been just about to begin) for a 6-week
period, during which the parties would submit their briefs on the
merits of the CEQA case.
 
Caltrans, however, has just struck back by appealing the court's
granting of the stay.  Also, Caltrans is being very difficult
regarding its determination of the "administrative record" for
the case.  They are claiming that it will cost as much as $39,000
just to gather the record for this case!  Consequently, Urban
Ecology and the other plaintiffs need to conduct rigorous
fundraising campaigns to continue the case.  Because we may need
to raise upwards of $40,000 to $50,000 in additional monies to
fight Caltrans' legal ploys, as well as their inept
transportation planning, we are seeking donations to help support
our efforts.  Please consider assisting us in our struggle to
have our region and state look more closely at cost-effective and
environmentally preferrable transit alternatives to freeway
widening.  Your contributions are tax deductible to the extent
allowed by law.  Send checks payable to Urban Ecology to:
 
     Urban Ecology
     P.O. Box 10144
     Berkeley, CA  94709
 

** End of text from cdp:transport **
--
Bill Michel			
bm@eng.sun.com		These views are my own, not Sun's.
Newsgroups: ba.transportation,rec.railroad