Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 184 / Thursday, September 24, 2009 / Notices 48813 

using the www.regulations.gov Web site, 

please consult the resources provided 

on the website by clicking on the 

‘‘Help’’ tab.) 

The www.regulations.gov Web site 

provides the option of making 

submissions by filling in a comments 

field, or by attaching a document. USTR 

prefers submissions to be provided in an 

attached document. If a document is 

attached, please identify the name of the 

country to which the submission 

pertains in the ‘‘Comments’’ field. For 

example: ‘‘See attached comment for 

(name of country)’’. If the comment is 

related to SPS or standards-related 

measures, type ‘‘See attached comment 

on SPS measures for (name of country)’’ 

or ‘‘See attached comment on standardsrelated measures for (name of country)’’. 

USTR prefers submissions in Microsoft 

Word (.doc) or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf). If 

the submission is in an application 

other than those two, please indicate the 

name of the application in the 

‘‘Comments’’ field. 

For any comments submitted 

electronically containing business 

confidential information, the file name 

of the business confidential version 

should begin with the characters ‘‘BC’’. 

The top of any page containing business 

confidential information must be clearly 

marked ‘‘BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL’’. 

Any person filing comments that 

contain business confidential 

information must also file in a separate 

submission a public version of the 

comments. The file name of the public 

version of the comments should begin 

with the character ‘‘P’’. The ‘‘BC’’ and 

‘‘P’’ should be followed by the name of 

the person or entity submitting the 

comments. If a comment contains no 

business confidential information, the 

file name should begin with the 

character ‘‘P’’, followed by the name of 

the person or entity submitting the 

comments. 

Please do not attach separate cover 

letters to electronic submissions; rather, 

include any information that might 

appear in a cover letter in the comments 

themselves. Similarly, to the extent 

possible, please include any exhibits, 

annexes, or other attachments in the 

same file as the submission itself, not as 

separate files. 

Carmen Suro-Bredie, 

Chair, Trade Policy Staff Committee. 

[FR Doc. E9–23012 Filed 9–23–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3190–W9–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Railroad Administration 

Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement 

for the Empire Corridor High Speed 

Rail Program From New York City to 

Niagara Falls, NY 

AGENCY: Federal Railroad 

Administration (FRA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an 

environmental impact statement. 

SUMMARY: FRA is issuing this notice to 

advise the public that FRA with the 

New York State Department of 

Transportation (NYSDOT) will jointly 

prepare a Tier 1 Environmental Impact 

Statement (EIS) for the Empire Corridor 

High Speed Rail (HSR) Program in 

compliance with relevant State and 

Federal laws, in particular the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and 

the State Environmental Quality Review 

Act (SEQR). FRA is also issuing this 

notice to solicit public and agency input 

into the development of the scope of the 

Empire Corridor HSR Program EIS and 

to advise the public that outreach 

activities conducted by the NYSDOT 

and its representatives will be 

considered in the preparation of the EIS. 

The objective of the tiered EIS is to 

evaluate alternatives and make corridor 

level decisions regarding the level of 

intercity passenger rail service provided 

in the corridor, including variations in 

train frequency, trip time, and on-time 

performance. 

DATES: Letters describing the proposed 

project and soliciting comments were 

sent to appropriate Federal, State, and 

local agencies, and appropriate 

railroads. Written comments on the 

scope of the Empire Corridor HSR 

Program EIS should be provided to 

NYSDOT by October 30, 2009. A public 

scoping meeting is scheduled for 

September 24, 2009, from 1:30 to 2:30 

p.m., at 50 Wolf Road, Conference 

Rooms A, B and C on the first floor, 

Albany, NY 12232 for the purpose of 

introducing the proposed project to 

regulatory agencies and other interested 

parties. No formal NEPA scoping 

meeting is planned. A series of public 

information meetings will be held in 

Eastern and Western New York in 

November and December 2009. Public 

notices will be given of the time and 

place of the meetings. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the 

scope of this EIS should be addressed 

to: Ann R. Purdue, High Speed Rail 

Program Manager, New York State 

Department of Transportation, 50 Wolf 

Road POD 6–4, Albany, NY 12232, or 

via e-mail with the subject line, ‘‘Empire 

Corridor HSR’’ to: 

apurdue@dot.state.ny.us. Comments 

may also be provided orally or in 

writing at the scoping meeting on 

September 24, 2009, at 50 Wolf Road, 

Conference Rooms A, B and C, Albany, 

New York 12232. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. 

Melissa Elefante DuMond, 

Environmental Protection Specialist, 

Office of Railroad Development, Federal 

Railroad Administration, 1200 New 

Jersey Avenue, SE. (Mail Stop 20), 

Washington, DC 20590; Telephone (202) 

493–6366, or Ann R. Purdue, High 

Speed Rail Program Manager, New York 

State Department of Transportation, 50 

Wolf Road POD 6–4, Albany, NY, 

Telephone (518) 457–0607. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FRA, 

in cooperation with the New York State 

Department of Transportation 

(NYSDOT), will prepare a tiered 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

that will study and document proposed 

improvements to intercity passenger rail 

services along the 463-mile Empire 

Corridor, beginning at Penn Station in 

New York City, New York County and 

proceeding north to Poughkeepsie 

(Dutchess County) and Albany (Albany 

County) then turning west to 

Schenectady (Schenectady County), 

Utica (Oneida County), Syracuse 

(Onondaga County), Rochester (Monroe 

County), Buffalo (Erie County) and 

terminating at Niagara Falls (Niagara 

County). 

Purpose and Need: In 2008, Amtrak 

carried 315.79 million passenger miles 

along the Empire Corridor. However, 

overall on-time performance (OTP) for 

Amtrak in 2008 was poor, with 68% 

OTP for trains operating between Penn 

Station and Albany-Rensselaer, and 

OTP of 41% for trains operating 

between Penn Station and Niagara Falls. 

Trip times are competitive with 

automobile and air travel between Penn 

Station and Albany-Rensselaer, but are 

considerably slower in the Penn Station 

to Niagara Falls market. Mobility 

choices were limited, primarily west of 

Albany, due to limited train frequency. 

Poor on-time performance, noncompetitive trip times, and infrequent 

service are all factors known to 

adversely affect passenger rail ridership. 

The 2009 New York State Rail Plan 

identified a need for improvements to 

passenger rail services as a means to 

reduce highway congestion, reduce 

airport congestion, reduce greenhouse 

gas emissions, and limit the 

consumption of fossil fuels, and to 

support economic growth and smart 

land use development. The New York 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
48814 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 184 / Thursday, September 24, 2009 / Notices 

State Rail Plan also identified several 

potential investments to expand, 

enhance and grow intercity passenger 

rail services in the Empire HSR corridor. 

The FRA and NYSDOT will establish 

specific goals for train frequency, trip 

time, and on-time performance on a 

corridor-wide basis and identify the 

operational changes and investments in 

infrastructure and equipment necessary 

to achieve those goals. 

Environmental Review Process: The 

EIS will be developed in accordance 

with the National Environmental Policy 

Act of 1969 (NEPA), 42 U.S.C. 4321, and 

the New York State Environmental 

Quality Review Act (SEQR), 17 NYCRR 

Part 15. The FRA and the NYSDOT will 

use a tiered process, as provided for in 

40 CFR 1508.28 and in accordance with 

FRA regulations, in the completion of 

the environmental review of the Project. 

‘‘Tiering’’ is a staged environmental 

review process applied to 

environmental reviews for complex 

projects. The initial phase (‘‘Tier 1 EIS’’) 

of this process will address broad 

corridor-level issues and proposals. 

Subsequent phases or tiers will analyze, 

at a greater level of detail, narrower sitespecific proposals based on the 

decisions made in Tier 1. 

Tier 1: Although open to refinement 

based on public and agency review and 

comment, the Tier 1 assessment will 

result in a NEPA and SEQR document 

with the appropriate level of detail for 

corridor-level decisions and will 

address broad overall issues of concern, 

including but not limited to: 

• Confirm the purpose and need for 

the proposed action. 

• Define the study area appropriate to 

assess reasonable alternatives. 

• Identify a comprehensive set of 

goals and objectives for the corridor in 

conjunction with Stakeholders and 

Steering Committee members. These 

goals and objectives will be crafted to 

allow comprehensive evaluation of all 

aspects of the project necessary to 

achieve the goals, including train 

operations, vehicles and infrastructure. 

• Identify the range of reasonable 

alternatives to be considered, consistent 

with the current and planned use of the 

corridor and the existing services within 

and adjacent to the study area. 

• Develop criteria and screen 

alternatives to eliminate those that do 

not meet the purpose and need of the 

proposed action. 

• Identify the general alignment(s) of 

the reasonable alternatives. 

• Identify right-of-way requirements 

for the reasonable alternatives. 

• Identify the infrastructure and 

equipment investment requirements for 

the reasonable alternatives. 

• Identify the operational changes 

required for the reasonable alternatives. 

• Describe the environmental impacts 

associated with proposed changes in 

passenger rail train frequency, speed, 

and on-time performance. 

• Characterize the environmental 

consequences of the reasonable 

alternatives. 

• Establish the timing and sequencing 

of independent actions to maintain a 

state of good repair and to implement 

the proposed action. 

Tier 2: The second tier assessment 

will address component projects to be 

implemented within the general 

corridor identified in the Tier 1 EIS, and 

incorporate by reference the data and 

evaluations included in the Tier 1 EIS. 

Subsequent evaluations will concentrate 

on the issues specific to the component 

of the selected alternative identified in 

the Tier 1 EIS; determine the project 

alternative that best meets the purpose 

and need for each proposed action; and 

identify the environmental 

consequences and measures necessary 

to mitigate environmental impacts at a 

site-specific level of detail. 

Scoping and Comments: FRA 

encourages broad participation in the 

EIS process during scoping and review 

of the resulting environmental 

documents. Comments and suggestions 

are invited from all interested agencies 

and the public at large to insure the full 

range of issues related to the proposed 

action and all reasonable alternatives 

are addressed and all significant issues 

are identified. In particular, FRA is 

interested in determining whether there 

are areas of environmental concern 

where there might be the potential for 

significant impacts identifiable at a 

corridor level. Letters describing the 

proposed project and soliciting 

comments were sent to appropriate 

Federal, State, and local agencies, and 

appropriate railroads. Public agencies 

with jurisdiction are requested to advise 

the FRA and NYSDOT of the applicable 

environmental review requirements of 

each agency, and the scope and content 

of the environmental information that is 

germane to the agency’s statutory 

responsibilities in connection with the 

proposed project. 

A public scoping meeting is 

scheduled for September 24, 2009, from 

1:30 to 2:30 p.m., at 50 Wolf Road, 

Conference Rooms A, B and C on the 

first floor, Albany, NY 12232 for the 

purpose of introducing the proposed 

project to regulatory agencies and other 

interested parties. No formal NEPA 

scoping meeting is planned. A series of 

public information meetings will be 

held in Eastern and Western New York 

in November and December 2009. 

Public notices will be given of the time 

and place of the meetings. 

Persons interested in providing 

comments on the scope of the Tier 1 EIS 

should do so by October 30, 2009. 

Comments can be sent in writing to Ms. 

Melissa Elefante DuMond at the FRA 

address identified above. Comments 

may also be addressed to Ms. Ann R. 

Purdue, of NYSDOT, at the address 

identified above. 

Issued in Washington, DC, on September 

18, 2009. 

Mark E. Yachmetz, 

Associate Administrator for Railroad 

Development, Federal Railroad 

Administration. 

[FR Doc. E9–23002 Filed 9–23–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–06–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Railroad Administration 

Environmental Impact Statement for 

the California High-Speed Train Project 

From Los Angeles to San Diego via the 

Inland Empire, CA 

AGENCY: Federal Railroad 

Administration (FRA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement. 

SUMMARY: This notice is to advise the 

public that FRA and the California 

High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) 

will jointly prepare a project 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

and project Environmental Impact 

Report (EIR) for the Los Angeles to San 

Diego (LA–SD) Section of the 

Authority’s proposed California HighSpeed Train (HST) System in 

compliance with relevant State and 

Federal laws, in particular the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and 

the California Environmental Quality 

Act (CEQA). 

In 2001, the Authority and FRA 

started a tiered environmental review 

process for the HST system and in 2005, 

completed the first tier California HighSpeed Train Program EIR/EIS 

(Statewide Program EIR/EIS) and 

approved the statewide HST System for 

intercity travel in California between the 

major metropolitan centers of 

Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay 

Area in the north, through the Central 

Valley, to Los Angeles and San Diego in 

the south. The approved HST System 

would be about 800 miles long, with 

electric propulsion and steel-wheel-onsteel-rail trains capable of maximum 

operating speeds of 220 miles per hour 

(mph) on a mostly dedicated steelVerDate Nov<24>2008 16:27 Sep 23, 2009 Jkt 217001 PO 00000 Frm 00106 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\24SEN1.SGM 24SEN1

srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES