LOS ANGELES — The 114-mile segment of California's high speed rail project from Fresno to Bakersfield received the record of decision from U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Railroad Administration, enabling it to break ground on that segment.
The $68 billion project anticipated to connect Los Angeles with San Francisco faces challenges from multiple lawsuits. One filed by Kern County in mid-June alleges that the Rail Authority's environmental review does not comply with California Environmental Quality Act.
Litigants said in a lawsuit brought by Kings County, the Citizens for California High Speed Rail Accountability and the Kings County Farm Bureau that the Central Valley segment would ultimately cause extensive significant adverse impacts to Central Valley agriculture, air quality and impact hundreds of homes.
Rail authority officials said in a prepared statement that its environmental analysis is thorough; and, according to the ROD, federal authorities concur.
The ROD only applies to the stretch of Fresno to Bakersfield Section of the California High-Speed Train System. The ROD is the last step in the National Environmental Policy Act process.
"This represents a major step forward, both for the State of California and for high performance rail in the U.S.," U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a prepared statement. "It will create jobs, provide travelers with new options, and improve connectivity up and down the West Coast."
California High-Speed rail will provide a reliable high-speed electric-powered train system that links the major metropolitan areas of California, delivering predictable and consistent travel times that are competitive with air and highway travel, according to U.S. DOT officials. It also will connect airports, mass transit, and the highway network helping to alleviate congestion on the existing transportation network "in a manner sensitive to and protective of California's unique natural resources," officials said.
In its ROD, the FRA selects the preferred alternative outlined in its final environmental impact statement (FEIS), which was issued earlier this year.
"FRA selected this combination of route alignments because they are more compatible with the long-range development planning goals of the region, and will result in fewer potential impacts on wetlands and special-status species habitat," according to U.S. DOT officials. "The alignment will also reduce displacements and result in fewer impacts to religious facilities when compared to the other alignment alternatives."
The preferred alternative is comprised of the alignment alternative adjacent to the BNSF Railway bypasses of Corcoran, the Allensworth area, and the Bakersfield Hybrid alternative. The preferred alternative includes a downtown Fresno Station, a Kings/Tulare regional station, and a downtown Bakersfield station.
According to U.S. D.O.T., the FRA's decision reflects the balancing of multiple considerations including environmental, technical, economic, operational, as well as community and stakeholder input.
Between March 2007 and March 2014, more than 900 meetings in the project area were held and federal officials reviewed more than 2200 written comment letters and verbal comments related to the 2011 Draft EIR/EIS and the 2012 Revised Draft EIR/Supplemental Draft EIS. The ROD also includes a Mitigation Monitoring and Enforcement Plan that describes measures the Authority must implement as part of the project to reduce, avoid, and minimize potential adverse environmental impacts.
"This ROD represents a major milestone in the planning process, which included a rigorous analysis that thoroughly incorporated public input to recommend these routes," said FRA Administrator Joseph C. Szabo in a prepared statement. "Public feedback is an essential component of the environmental review process and we relied upon it heavily while conducting this review."
High speed rail is receiving funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The GROW AMERICA — or Generating Renewal, Opportunity, and Work with Accelerated Mobility, Efficiency, and Rebuilding of Infrastructure and Communities throughout America — Act, will further advance this goal by providing for predictable, dedicated investments that enhance safety and modernize our rail infrastructure to meet growing market demand, while promoting innovation and ensuring transparency and accountability.
The Act will invest $19 billion over four years to improve rail safety and invest in a National High-Performance Rail System, as states and local communities need the certainty of sustained funding to make the transportation investments necessary to improve our infrastructure and support our economic growth, according to U.S. D.O.T. officials.
