Notice2021-18657
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Buffalo-Amherst-Tonawanda Corridor Transit Expansion, Erie County, New York
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Published
August 30, 2021
Issuing agencies
Transportation DepartmentFederal Transit Administration
Abstract
The Federal Transit Administration, as lead Federal agency, and the Niagara Frontier Transit Metro System, Inc. (Metro), as local project sponsor and joint lead agency intend to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate potential benefits and impacts of the NFTA proposed Buffalo-Amherst-Tonawanda Corridor Transit Expansion project (the Proposed Project). The Proposed Project to be evaluated in the EIS would expand high quality transit service in Buffalo, New York to Tonawanda and Amherst, New York. FTA, in coordination with Metro will prepare the EIS in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act), and the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act, Article 8 of the Environmental Conservation Law and its implementing regulations (SEQR). This Notice of Intent (NOI) initiates public scoping for the EIS, and provides information on the Proposed Project, the Project's purpose and need and the alternatives being considered for evaluation in the EIS. This NOI invites public comments on environmental impacts that may be associated with the Proposed Project and alternatives. Interested members of the public, tribes, and agencies are invited to submit comments on the proposed scope of the EIS, Metro's purpose and need, the identification of alternatives to be considered, the environmental benefits and impacts to be evaluated, and any other project-related issues or analysis. In consideration of the Federal Government's COVID-19 Emergency Declaration dated March 13, 2020, FTA has determined that virtual public meetings and hearings are a permissible and useful tool to provide for public involvement in the NEPA process.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 165 (Monday, August 30, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 165 (Monday, August 30, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48468-48471]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-18657]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for
the Buffalo-Amherst-Tonawanda Corridor Transit Expansion, Erie County,
New York
AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, Department of Transportation
(DOT).
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.
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[[Page 48469]]
SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration, as lead Federal agency,
and the Niagara Frontier Transit Metro System, Inc. (Metro), as local
project sponsor and joint lead agency intend to prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate potential benefits and
impacts of the NFTA proposed Buffalo-Amherst-Tonawanda Corridor Transit
Expansion project (the Proposed Project). The Proposed Project to be
evaluated in the EIS would expand high quality transit service in
Buffalo, New York to Tonawanda and Amherst, New York. FTA, in
coordination with Metro will prepare the EIS in accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Fixing America's Surface
Transportation Act (FAST Act), and the New York State Environmental
Quality Review Act, Article 8 of the Environmental Conservation Law and
its implementing regulations (SEQR). This Notice of Intent (NOI)
initiates public scoping for the EIS, and provides information on the
Proposed Project, the Project's purpose and need and the alternatives
being considered for evaluation in the EIS. This NOI invites public
comments on environmental impacts that may be associated with the
Proposed Project and alternatives. Interested members of the public,
tribes, and agencies are invited to submit comments on the proposed
scope of the EIS, Metro's purpose and need, the identification of
alternatives to be considered, the environmental benefits and impacts
to be evaluated, and any other project-related issues or analysis. In
consideration of the Federal Government's COVID-19 Emergency
Declaration dated March 13, 2020, FTA has determined that virtual
public meetings and hearings are a permissible and useful tool to
provide for public involvement in the NEPA process.
DATES: The 45-day public scoping period will begin on the date of
publication of this Notice and continue through October 14, 2021.
Written comments may be submitted in hard copy via mail, electronically
via email, and through the project website to the addresses listed in
ADDRESSES below. Although the public can send comments through the
mail, due to the COVID-19 national emergency, we recommend using the
other communication methods to provide any scoping comments.
Metro will conduct one scoping meeting for this project to provide
an opportunity for public comment. A livestreamed virtual public
scoping meeting will be held on September 15, 2021, 6:30 p.m. to 8:00
p.m. Registration information and instructions for participating in the
livestream virtual scoping meeting are available at <a href="http://www.nftametrotransitexpansion.com">http://www.nftametrotransitexpansion.com</a> along with the scoping information
report. Individuals who require special assistance, such as
translation, captioning, or signing services, to participate in the
scoping meetings should make the request by calling (716) 855-7382 or
emailing <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#3e4e525f505750597e50584a5f105d5153"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="8afae6ebe4e3e4edcae4ecfeeba4e9e5e7">[email protected]</span></a> by September 7, 2021.
To ensure consideration during the development of the EIS, written
comments on the scope of the EIS must be submitted by 4:00 p.m. on
October 14, 2021.
ADDRESSES: Please send written comments to: Expansion Project, c/o
Service Planning, Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, 181
Ellicott Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, by email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#82f2eee3ececebece5c2ece4f6e3ace1edef"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="651509040b0b0c0b02250b0311044b060a08">[email protected]</span></a> or
through the project website: <a href="http://www.nftametrotransitexpansion.com">http://www.nftametrotransitexpansion.com</a>.
Information about the Proposed Project, scoping, and the EIS will be
available on the project's website.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Donald Burns, FTA Director of Planning
and Program Development, Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a2e6cdccc3cec68ce0d7d0ccd1e2c6cdd68cc5cdd4"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="74301b1a1518105a3601061a0734101b005a131b02">[email protected]</span></a>; Telephone: (212)
668-2203.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Proposed Project. Metro is proposing to expand high quality transit
in the Buffalo-Amherst-Tonawanda Corridor. The build alternatives being
considered include a light rail transit (LRT) extension and a bus rapid
transit (BRT) system. Both alternatives would essentially follow the
same alignment and would be primarily at-grade. Ten stations, two with
park & ride facilities and an overnight storage and light maintenance
facility are proposed for both alternatives. Metro intends to seek
financial support for the project from the United States Department of
Transportation, including FTA funding. The Project is included in the
Greater Buffalo and Niagara Regional Transportation Council's (GBNRTC)
2050 long-range plan as regionally significant.
Purpose of and Need for the Proposed Project. The Proposed
Project's primary purpose is to provide a fast, reliable, safe, and
convenient transit ride and link established and emerging activity
centers along the existing Metro Rail line in Buffalo with existing and
emerging activity centers in Amherst and Tonawanda. The Project would
serve existing Metro riders, attract new transit patrons, improve
regional connections between Buffalo, Amherst, and Tonawanda, and
support redevelopment and other economic development opportunities.
Additionally, the Proposed Project would improve livability by
increasing mobility and accessibility in communities throughout the
region. The need for enhanced, equitable and sustainable transit
service has three main components: (1) To serve existing and future
travel demand generated by recent, pending, and future regional
development; (2) to provide high-quality regional transit service; and
(3) to better serve transit-dependent population segments.
Scoping. The NEPA scoping process has specific objectives, one of
which is to identify the build alternatives' significant issues that
will be examined in detail in the EIS. Previously, consistent with NEPA
and in accordance with FTA guidance, in 2017, Metro conducted an
Amherst-Buffalo Alternatives Analysis (AA) to identify a Locally
Preferred Alternative (LPA), a light rail extension in 2017.
Subsequently, Metro, as lead agency, completed an environmental review
process on the LPA in accordance with the SEQR in 2020. A scoping
process designed to meet NEPA requirements was conducted in 2018 and a
SEQR Draft EIS (SEQR DEIS) was released in January 2020. Metro
conducted two public hearings in February 2020 to provide an
opportunity for the public and local agencies to provide comments and
input to the SEQR DEIS. The findings of the SEQR DEIS, the written and
oral comments received during the SEQR public hearings and comments
received during the SEQR DEIS 60-day public comment period will inform
the development of the NEPA DEIS and be considered by FTA during the
NEPA scoping process. For this phase of the Proposed Project, the NEPA
Scoping Information Packet released with the NOI can be found on the
project website.
Screening of Potential Alternatives. As described in the previous
section, potential alternatives were developed and evaluated through a
local planning process including the GBNRTC's metropolitan long-range
transportation plan, the AA, and previously published SEQR DEIS. The AA
involved a three-tiered screening and evaluation methodology that
started with 36 alignment and mode alternatives. The modes considered
were LRT, BRT, preferential bus and enhanced bus. The LPA was adopted
by Metro's Board of Commissioners and the GBNRTC based on the technical
analysis results and feedback from stakeholders and the public. The LPA
and further refined during the development of the SEQR DEIS.
[[Page 48470]]
The NEPA documentation will consider the alternatives and
evaluations conducted to date, and the public outreach efforts
conducted under SEQR, including a scoping period/meeting and a 60-day
comment period for the SEQR DEIS. During the comment period for the
SEQR DEIS, FTA requested lead agency participation in a NEPA
environmental review, and that Metro consider a BRT system along the
Buffalo-Amherst-Tonawanda Corridor as a reasonable alternative.
The results of the alternatives planning and SEQR DEIS, as well as
other background information, are summarized in the Buffalo-Amherst-
Tonawanda Corridor Transit Expansion Scoping Information Report, which
is available at NFTA's office located at 181 Ellicott Street, Buffalo,
NY 14203 and on the project website: <a href="http://www.nftametrotransitexpansion.com">http://www.nftametrotransitexpansion.com</a>.
Proposed Alternatives. Two build alternatives, an LRT extension and
a BRT system have been identified for the Proposed Project, as well as
a no-build alternative, as required under NEPA. The no-build
alternative serves as a baseline against which to assess the impacts of
the proposed build alternatives. Proposed LRT build alternative is an
approximately 7-mile extension of Metro's existing light rail transit
(Metro Rail) and was developed incorporating public and stakeholder
comments from Metro's planning process and SEQR DEIS scoping process.
The LRT extension would be primarily at-grade, except for a 0.8-mile
underground segment from the existing Metro Rail University Station to
Niagara Falls Boulevard and at the intersection of Maple Road and Sweet
Home Road. Ten stations are proposed, two with park & ride facilities,
and an overnight storage and light maintenance facility located near
the end of the line. The trackway would be configured with two tracks--
one for northbound service and one for southbound service. The project
would generally be within existing roadway right-of-way. The proposed
BRT build alternative would provide transit service north from the
existing Metro Rail University Station for approximately 7 miles along
the same at-grade alignment as the LRT build alternative with the same
number of stations in the same locations, however, a transfer would be
required between the existing Metro Rail operations at University
Station to the BRT service. A new BRT vehicle storage and maintenance
facility would also be required. More details of the proposed build
alternatives can be found in the Scoping Information Report and on the
project's website.
EIS Process and Role of Participating Agencies and the Public. FTA
and Metro are proposing a Study Area for the EIS to include an area
approximately \1/4\ mile from the proposed transit expansion alignment
and \1/2\ mile around proposed stations. This is the area where
potential primary direct or indirect impacts may be experienced.
Consistent with NEPA, FTA and Metro will evaluate, with input from
the public, and other Federal, State, and local agencies, the potential
for impacts of the proposed alternatives on the natural, built, and
social environments from both construction and operation. The EIS will
evaluate the potential for impacts in at least the following areas:
Land use, zoning and public policy, community facilities, open space,
socioeconomic conditions, environmental justice, air quality (including
consideration of greenhouse gas emissions and climate change), historic
properties and cultural resources, visual resources, transportation,
noise and vibration, natural resources, water quality, utilities,
energy, contaminated materials, construction and safety and security.
Measures to avoid, minimize and mitigate any significant adverse
impacts will be identified.
An Agency Coordination Plan (Plan) will be developed within 90 days
of this NOI's publication date to guide a comprehensive public outreach
program, and once available, it will be published on the project's
website and the Federal Permitting Dashboard at <a href="http://www.permits.performance.gov/">http://www.permits.performance.gov/</a>. The Plan will outline outreach to local
and county officials and community and civic groups; a public scoping
process to define the issues of concern among all parties interested in
the Proposed Project; establishment of a Technical Advisory Committee
and periodic meetings with that committee; a public hearing on the
release of the NEPA Draft EIS; and relevant updates to the project
website. Cooperating and Participating agencies may include the United
States Environmental Protection Agency, the Advisory Council on
Historic Preservation, the United States Department of the Interior,
the United States Fishing and Wildlife Services, the Federal Highway
Administration, and the New York State Department of Transportation
along with other agencies.
FTA invites comments on the Metro's statement of purpose and need
for the Proposed Project, as well as the alternatives proposed for
consideration. Suggestions for modifications to the statement of
purpose and need, and any other reasonable alternatives that meet the
purpose and need for the project, are welcome and will be given serious
consideration. Comments on significant environmental impacts that may
be associated with the Proposed Project and alternatives are also
welcome, as are the identification of information and analyses relevant
to the proposed Project.
FTA Procedures. Public comments will be received through those
methods explained earlier in this Notice and will be incorporated into
the final NEPA Scoping Information Packet. This document will detail
the scope of the EIS and the potential environmental effects that will
be considered during the NEPA process. After the completion of the
Draft EIS, a public and agency review period, including a public
hearing, will allow for input on the Draft EIS. These public comments,
as well as any public comments received during the scoping process,
along with responses to them, will be incorporated into the Draft EIS
for the Proposed Project.
Anticipated Permits and Approvals. The NEPA Scoping process and
agency coordination will identify any permits and approvals required
from Federal, State, and local agencies. Federal agency consultations
required by the Clean Air Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the
National Historic Preservation Act will be undertaken.
Anticipated Schedule for Decision-Making Process. FTA and Metro
anticipate the following environmental review schedule, which is
subject to change:
<bullet> Scoping Process: September-October 2021.
<bullet> Official Notice of Availability of the Draft EIS published
in the Federal Register: Summer 2022.
<bullet> Public Hearings on the Draft EIS: Fall 2022.
<bullet> Federal Register Notice of Availability of a Final EIS/
Record of Decision (ROD): Winter 2023.
Combined Final EIS and ROD. In accordance with 23 U.S.C. 139, FTA
may consider combining the Final EIS and ROD. If FTA combines the Final
EIS and ROD, it is anticipated that those documents will serve as the
basis for Federal and State environmental findings and determinations
needed to conclude the environmental review process, unless statutory
criteria preclude issuance of a combined document (i.e., the Final EIS
makes substantial changes to the proposed action that are relevant to
environmental or safety concerns or there is a significant new
circumstance or information relevant to
[[Page 48471]]
environmental concerns that affect the proposed action or its impacts).
Michael L. Culotta,
Deputy Regional Administrator, Federal Transit Administration--Region
II.
[FR Doc. 2021-18657 Filed 8-27-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-57-P
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