where there's a will: environmental review in current high-speed rail projects
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Transportation
§ Established in 1970 to inform and improve decision-making by federal government agencies.
§ Flexible for a range of approaches to tiering and lead agency roles.
§ Provides a framework to balance the needs of economic development and nature, involve stakeholders early in the process, and promote transparency about potential consequences.
Key Points about National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
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Where There’s a Will: Environmental Review in Current High-Speed Rail Projects
2/3 of Americans are likely to use high-speed rail for business or leisure travel
70% shorter trip times using high speed rail (186+
mph) over conventional rail.
“High-speed rail plays a critical role in a sustainable future—where we grow the economy, expand opportunity, and protect public health and the environment at the same time.”
– Administrator Gina McCarthy U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
NEPA flexibility for environment review is reflected in this sampling of current HSR projects in the United States:
California HSR (CAHSR)
APPROACH: California completed a program-level environmental review and is reviewing each proposed geographic segment individually.
FEDERAL LEAD AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) issues Record of Decision under NEPA.
STATUS: System-wide preferred alternative selected through programmatic EIR/EIS in 2005 with the FRA’s Record of Decision. Subsequently multiple project level environmental reviews are being conducted to enable phased construction. Construction is underway on the initial operating segment and environmental reviews for connecting segments are in progress.
APPROACH:Considers the whole Northeast corridor, not individual segments
FEDERAL LEAD AGENCY: FRA
STATUS: In compliance with NEPA, the FRA prepared a draft Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Service Development Plan (SDP). This environmental
review at the program level seeks to set the vision for transportation mode and project corridor alignment. The FRA received over 5,000 comments on the Tier 1 Draft EIS, which will help guide its development of a Preferred Alternative. The Tier 1 Final EIS is scheduled for release in the Fall of 2016, setting the corridor vision for mode and preferred alternative. Subsequent project-level environmental reviews will be conducted by corridor service operators.
Northeast Corridor (NEC) HSR
APPROACH:FRA, TCR, and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to develop and complete a project-level EIS for the Project.
FEDERAL LEAD AGENCY: FRA in partnership with TxDOT. No state-level review.
STATUS: A draft EIS is being prepared following completion of an independent evaluation of potential high-speed rail corridor alternatives. It is a project-level EIS addressing major issues of compliance with technical requirements, economic viability, and minimized impacts to the natural environment. The Final EIS will select the preferred alternative and allow the project to move forward toward construction.
Texas Central HSR
What does it all mean? For more background on each project and ICF’s expert analysis of these customized approaches to environmental review, see Complexity Simplified: A Survey of Current High-Speed Rail (HSR) Projects.
For more information, contact: David Freytag [email protected] +1.949.333.6616
Mike Davis [email protected] +1.415.677.7149
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