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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Dale: December 11, 2001 <br />AMlon Agenda <br />Item No. Ib"d <br />SU9JEOT: Southeast Hiph Speed Rell Tler I Daft Environmental Imoact Satement <br />DEPARTMENT: Planning antl Inspections PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br />- <br />ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION DONTADT: <br />1) Tables of Benefits and Impacts for Orange Karen Lincoln, ext. 2584 <br />County Craip Benedict ext. 2592 <br />2) Tables of Environmental Information Summary antl TELEPHONE NUMBERS: <br />Operational Cheracteris[ics Summary for Hillsborough T32-8181 <br />Slutly Area Attematives Chapel Hill 968-0501 <br /> Ourham 688-T331 <br /> Mebane (338)22]-2031 <br />PURPOSE: To receive a report on the Southeast Hgh Speetl Rail (SEHSR) and potential impec5 <br />far Orange County. <br />BACKGROUND: The North Caroina Oepadment of Transportation (NCDOT) Rail Division has <br />releasetl [he Southeast High Speed Rail (SEHSR) Tler I Drak Environmental Impact Statement <br />(EIS). NCDOT contluctetl eleven (11) public hearings in North Carolina (September 77 though <br />November e) to encoua9e Wblic comment regarding the project. In addNon, complete tlafts of <br />the EIS ea available far public review and wmrnents m various locations. Nearby locations where <br />the tlak EIS can be reviewed inclutle the NCDOT Dietdct 1 Office in Raleigh, the NCDOT Division <br />5 Office in Durham, and the Lee County Managels Office in SanfoN. NCDOT will consider <br />comments submitted during [his process in making the Study Area Recommendation Report, which <br />is to be mmpletatl by the end of this year. <br />TM1e EIS process for Mis protect is tlivitled Into two tiers. The purpcae of the Tier I EIS is b <br />consider regional impacts of [he inaemenial high speetl rail project in ortler to identify a general <br />comitlor loratloq antl b gather public input into the process. The Tier II phase of the protect will <br />provitle tletails of tack locations (relocations), smfion aoangementa and other final design <br />elements. <br />The Tier I Drak EIS compares potential environmental impacts and engineering concerns for nine <br />(9) alternative routes throughout [he s[utly area. Six of those eltematives use the North Carolina <br />Railroad (NCRR) mmtlor that [averses Oange County. NCDOT will use Ne comparison of <br />impacts In Tler I Oaft EIS, along with public comments, to determine attematives [o be cenietl <br />forwartl into a Final Tier I EIS. The Fetleal Highway Adminietatipn (FHA) antl Fetleral Railroad <br />Administration (FRA)will then issue a Recortl of Decision (ROD) for the protect. If the ROD selects <br />e build alternative, the project will begin the Tier II phase. <br />The Tier I EIS uses sewntlary data sources and general trentls w8hin the s[utly area to wmpare <br />environmental impacts of the nine alternatives. The cenrAUSions, therefore, are based one "big <br />picture" perspeMive antl not based on actual surveys and precise impacts. Specifc impacts, <br />