Action
Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
Summary
FRA is issuing this notice to advise the public that FRA with the Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) will jointly prepare a Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate potential passenger rail improvements for the Chicago, Illinois to Omaha, Nebraska regional passenger rail system in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). The Tier 1 EIS will evaluate environmental and related impacts for reasonable corridor-level passenger rail route alternatives between Chicago, Illinois and Omaha, Nebraska. The route alternatives will support proposed conventional locomotive-hauled, passenger train service, operating on track used jointly with freight trains, at an initial maximum speed of seventy- nine (79) to ninety (90) miles per hour (mph). The Tier 1 EIS will also examine passenger rail service levels. FRA is issuing this Notice to alert interested parties, including the public and resource agencies about the EIS, to provide information on the nature of the proposed action, including the purpose and need for the proposed action, and possible route alternatives to be considered in the preparation of the Tier 1 EIS. To ensure all significant issues are identified and considered, all interested parties are invited to comment on the proposed scope of environmental review. Comments on the scope of the EIS, including the proposed action's purpose and need, the route alternatives to be considered, the impacts to be evaluated, and the methodologies to be used in the evaluations will be accepted online and in writing up to thirty (30) days following the publication of this Notice.