federal_register: 2014-25464
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| 2014-25464 | Canaveral Port Authority-Petition for Exemption To Construct and Operate a Rail Line Extension to Port Canaveral, Florida | Notice | The Canaveral Port Authority (CPA) plans to file a request with the Surface Transportation Board (Board) pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 10502 for authority to construct and operate approximately 11 miles of new rail line to Port Canaveral (Port) in Brevard County, Florida. The proposed Port Canaveral Rail Extension (PCRE) would also utilize approximately 17 miles of existing rail line at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) to make a connection with a main line of the Florida East Coast Railway (FEC). The proposed PCRE would provide the Port with direct access to freight rail service. The new rail line would begin near the Port's North Cargo Area, extend west across the Banana River, enter KSC on Merritt Island south of Kars Park, and then turn north through KSC grounds where it would connect with KSC's existing rail line. The construction and operation of the proposed PCRE has the potential to result in significant environmental impacts; therefore, the Board's Office of Environmental Analysis (OEA) has determined that the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is appropriate to satisfy the Board's obligations under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). The purpose of this Notice of Intent is to inform stakeholders-- including members of the public; Tribes; federal, state, and local agencies; environmental groups; potential shippers and other parties-- interested in or potentially affected by the proposed project of the decision to prepare an EIS and to issue a Draft Scope of Study for the EIS for review and comment. OEA will hold public scoping meetings as part of the NEPA process. Written comments submitted during scoping will assist OEA in issuing a Final Scope of Study that defines the range of actions, alternatives, and impacts to be considered in the EIS. Public meeting dates and locations, along with the Draft Scope of Study, are provided below. This Notice of Intent initiates the EIS process and scoping. Dates and Locations: The public scoping meetings will be held at the following locations on the dates listed: <bullet> November 18, 2014; 5:00-8:00 p.m.; John Henry Jones Gymnatorium, Titusville Campus of Eastern Florida State College, 1311 North U.S. Route 1, Titusville, Florida; and <bullet> November 19, 2014; 5:00-8:00 p.m.; Convention Center, Radisson Resort at the Port, 8701 Astronaut Boulevard, Cape Canaveral, Florida. The scoping meetings will be held in an open house format for the first hour followed by a brief presentation by OEA. After the presentation, interested parties will be provided an opportunity for public comment at an open microphone for the balance of the three-hour scoping meeting, as needed. A court reporter will transcribe the public comments. The meeting locations comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.). Persons that need special accommodations should contact OEA's project manager listed below. Interested parties are invited to submit written comments on the Draft Scope of Study, potential alternative routes for the proposed rail line, and other environmental issues and concerns by December 19, 2014 to assure full consideration during the scoping process. OEA will issue a Final Scope of Study after the close of the scoping comment period. Summary of the Board's Environmental Review Process: The NEPA process is intended to assist the Board and the public in identifying and assessing the potential environmental consequences of a proposed action before a decision on the proposed action is made. OEA is responsible for ensuring that the Board complies with NEPA and related environmental statutes. The first stage of the EIS process is scoping. Scoping is an open process for determining the range of actions, alternatives and potential scope of environmental impacts or issues to be addressed in the EIS. As part of its scoping process, OEA has developed, and has made available for public comment in this notice, a Draft Scope of Study for the EIS. Scoping meetings will be held in the project area to provide further opportunities for public involvement and input during the scoping process. In addition to comments on the Draft Scope of Study, interested parties are encouraged to comment on potential alternative routes for the proposed rail line. At the conclusion of the scoping and comment period, OEA will issue a Final Scope of Study for the EIS. The Final Scope of Study will identify the alternative rail line routes to be carried forward for detailed analysis in the EIS. After issuing the Final Scope of Study, OEA will prepare a Draft EIS for the project. The Draft EIS will address the environmental issues and concerns identified during the scoping process and assess and compare alternatives, including the no-action alternative. The Draft EIS will also contain OEA's preliminary recommendations for environmental mitigation measures. Upon its completion, the Draft EIS will be made available for review and comment by the public, government agencies, and other interested parties. OEA will prepare a Final EIS that considers comments on the Draft EIS. In reaching its decision on this case, the Board will consider the Draft EIS, the Final EIS, all environmental comments, and OEA's recommendations regarding the environmental preferred alternative and environmental mitigation measures. OEA has invited several agencies to participate in this EIS process as cooperating agencies on the basis of their special expertise or jurisdiction by law. These agencies include but may not be limited to: NASA; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. OEA is also initiating government-to-government consultation with potentially affected tribes, including but not limited to: Seminole Tribe of Florida, Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, and Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida. Filing Environmental Comments: Scoping comments submitted by mail should be addressed to: Dave Navecky, Surface Transportation Board, 395 E Street SW., Washington, DC 20423-0001, Attention: Environmental Filing, Docket No. FD 35852. Scoping comments may also be submitted electronically on the Board's Web site, www.stb.dot.gov, by clicking on the "E-FILING" link on the home page and then selecting "Environmental Comments." Log-in accounts are not needed to file environmental comments electronically, and comments may be typed into the text box provided or attached as a file. If you have difficulties with the e-filing process, please call 202-245-0350. Please refer to Docket No. FD 35852 in all correspondence, including e-filings, addressed to the Board. Scoping Comments are due by December 19, 2014. | 2014-10-27 | 2014 | 10 | https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2014/10/27/2014-25464/canaveral-port-authority-petition-for-exemption-to-construct-and-operate-a-rail-line-extension-to | https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2014-10-27/pdf/2014-25464.pdf | Transportation Department; Surface Transportation Board | 492,481 | The Canaveral Port Authority (CPA) plans to file a request with the Surface Transportation Board (Board) pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 10502 for authority to construct and operate approximately 11 miles of new rail line to Port Canaveral (Port) in Brevard... |