Document ID: FRA-2009-0031-0027
Agency: fra
Document Type: Rule
Title: Draft Findings of No Significant Impact: Washington State Portion of the Pacific Northwest Rail Corridor Upgrades
Posted Date: 2010-07-08T04:00Z

[Federal Register: July 8, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 130)]
[Notices]               
[Page 39325-39326]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr08jy10-149]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

 
Notice of Draft Finding of No Significant Impact for the 
Washington State Portion of the Pacific Northwest Rail Corridor 
Upgrades Tier-1 Environmental Assessment

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

ACTION: Notice of availability; Request for comments on draft Finding 
of No Significant Impact.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969 (NEPA) and the FRA's Procedures for Considering Environmental 
Impacts (FRA Environmental Procedures) (64 F.R. 28545 (May 26, 1999)), 
the FRA and the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) 
prepared a Tier-1 Environmental Assessment (Tier-1 EA) that evaluates 
the impacts of a corridor improvements program to the Washington State 
portion of the Pacific Northwest Rail Corridor (PNWRC Program). Based 
on the Tier-1 EA, the FRA has prepared a draft finding of no 
significant impact (draft FONSI) and is inviting the public to comment 
on the draft.

DATES: Written comments will be accepted on or before August 9, 2010. 
Any substantive comments received before the close of the comment 
period will be considered and addressed in the final FONSI. Copies of 
both the Tier-1 EA and draft FONSI are available on FRA's Web site at: 
http://www.fra.dot.gov/Pages/3006.shtml and WSDOT's Web site at http://
www.wsdot.wa.gov/Freight/publications/PassengerRailReports.htm.

ADDRESSES: Please submit written comments on the draft FONSI to 
Elizabeth Phinney, Rail Environmental Manager, Washington State 
Department of Transportation, State Rail and Marine Office, 310 Maple 
Park Ave., SE., P.O. Box 47407, Olympia, WA 98504-7407. Comments may 
also be submitted in writing to Melissa DuMond, Environmental 
Protection Specialist, ATTN: PNWRC FONSI, Federal Railroad 
Administration, 1200 New

[[Page 39326]]

Jersey Ave., SE., Stop 20, Washington, DC 20590.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information regarding the 
draft FONSI please contact Melissa DuMond, Environmental Protection 
Specialist, Federal Railroad Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE., 
Stop 20, Washington, DC 20590, telephone: (202) 493-6366.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of the PNWRC Program in 
Washington State is to improve intercity passenger rail service by 
reducing travel times, achieving greater schedule reliability, and 
creating capacity for additional trip frequencies in order to 
accommodate growing intercity travel demand. To achieve these goals 
WSDOT applied for federal funding through the High Speed Intercity 
Passenger Rail Program (HSIPR Program) administered by the FRA and 
funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act). 
WSDOT's application under the Recovery Act was split into three Service 
Blocks, and identified incremental service benefits including increased 
service levels, improved on-time performance and schedule reliability, 
and reduced travel times. The FRA intends to provide funding under the 
HSIPR Program for projects contained in two of the three service 
blocks.
    In June 2009, the FRA released the HSIPR Program Guidance (Interim 
Guidance) that described the eligibility requirements and procedures 
for obtaining funding under the HSIPR Program. (74 FR 29901 (June 23, 
2009)). The Interim Guidance split the funding opportunities into four 
separate tracks. The PNWRC improvements were submitted by Washington 
State for consideration for Track 2 funding. The Interim Guidance 
required Track 2 applicants to submit, with their application, a 
``corridor-wide `service' NEPA study, such as a programmatic or Tier I 
EIS.'' (Interim Guidance Section 1.6.2). The Interim Guidance went on 
to define Service NEPA as an environmental document, either an 
Environmental Impact Statement or an EA, that ``[a]ddresses actions at 
a broad level, such as a program concept for an entire corridor.'' 
(Interim Guidance Section 2.2).
    In order to comply with the requirements of the Interim Guidance, 
WSDOT prepared a Tier-1 or ``service'' NEPA document that included the 
analysis of two alternatives; the ``No Build'' and the ``Corridor 
Service Expansion Alternative.'' The No Build Alternative analyzes what 
would happen if there are no further improvements on the PNWRC. The 
Corridor Service Expansion Alternative analyzes the effect on the human 
and natural environments of the service improvements that involve 23 
individual projects that build on one another and collectively meet the 
goals of the PNWRC Program to expand and improve service along the 
PNWRC. The Tier-1 EA was completed in September, 2009 and was made 
available for comment between October 2, 2009 and October 23, 2009 on 
the WSDOT Web site. Thirteen agencies submitted written comments. No 
individual written comments were received.
    Based on the Tier-1 EA and contingent upon successful completion of 
mitigation measures detailed in the draft FONSI, FRA has determined 
that the improvements will not have a significant impact on the quality 
of the human or natural environment. Therefore, FRA has drafted a FONSI 
for the proposed program of improvements. This FONSI based on the Tier-
1 EA has been prepared to comply with NEPA and the FRA's Environmental 
Procedures. FRA has concluded that the award of Federal funds to 
implement the program of improvements to the Washington State segment 
of the PNWRC that are described as Service Blocks 1, 2, and 3 in the 
EA, constitute a major Federal action within the meaning of Section 
102(c) of NEPA (43 U.S.C. 4321). Prior to release of construction 
funding for individual projects, WSDOT will successfully complete 
applicable mitigation measures detailed in the draft FONSI and complete 
appropriate project-level NEPA evaluations, documentation, and required 
determinations for the individual project.
    FRA Environmental Procedures require that a FONSI be made available 
to the public for not less than 30 days when the ``nature of the 
proposed action is one without precedent.'' Because this is the first 
Tier-1 EA and draft FONSI that FRA will issue, this notice invites the 
public to comment on the draft FONSI.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on July 2, 2010.
Mark E. Yachmetz,
Associate Administrator for Railroad Policy and Development.
[FR Doc. 2010-16664 Filed 7-7-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P