Bay Area to Central Valley High-Speed Train Partially Revised Draft Program EIR

Bay Area to Central Valley High-Speed Train Partially Revised Draft Program EIR

The California High-Speed Rail Authority, jointly with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), completed the Final Bay Area to Central Valley High-Speed Train (HST) Prgram EIR/EIS in May 2008 that evaluated alternatives-at a programmatic level of analysis-of the proposed HST system within the broad corridor between and including the Altamont Pass and Pacheco Pass. The Authority and FRA identified the Pacheco Pass serving San Francisco and San Jose termini as the preferred HST Network Alternative, as well as mitigation strategies, design practices, and further measures to guide the system's development and avoid and minimize potential adverse environmental impacts. The Authority approved the project and issued a CEQA NOD on July 9, 2008. The FRA issued a National Environmental Policy Act Record of Decision on December 2, 2008. The Authority's compliance with CEQA was challenged in litigation titled Town of Atherton, et al., v. California High-Speed Rail Authority, Sacramento Superior Court No. 34-2008-80000022. In the final judgement for the litigation, entered on November 3, 2009, the superior court concluded that the Authority's certified Final Bay Area to Central Valley HST Program EIR failed to comply fully with CEQA and identified three areas that required additional analysis in a recirculated EIR. To comply with the court judgement, the Authority rescinded its certification of the Final Bay Area to Central Valley HST Program EIR, its approval of the Pacheco Pass Network Alternative serving San Francisco via San Jose, and related documents. The Authority is now circulating this Revised Draft Program EIR Material as part of its compliance with the court judgement.

Merced, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Stanislaus

California Department of Conservation (DOC), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Bay Delta Region 3 (CDFW), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Central Region 4 (CDFW), California Department of Parks and Recreation, California Department of Transportation, Division of Transportation Planning (DOT), California Highway Patrol, California Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC), California State Lands Commission (SLC), Department of Toxic Substances Control, Department of Water Resources, Office of Emergency Services, California, Resources Agency, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Water Quality, California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)

California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)

Transportation:Rail (High-Speed Train)

State Agency Approval

Aesthetics, Cultural Resources, Land Use/Planning, Transportation, rail interface