80 FR 31453 - Environmental Impact Statement for Port Bienville Railroad Project

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 105 (June 2, 2015)

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is issuing this NOI to advise the public that the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) and Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission intend to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) to evaluate the impacts of construction and operation of the Port Bienville Railroad Project (Project). The EIS will evaluate route alternatives for freight rail service from the Port Bienville Short Line Railroad in Hancock County, Mississippi to Nicholson in Pearl River County, Mississippi.

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 105 (Tuesday, June 2, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31453-31454]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-13317]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration


Environmental Impact Statement for Port Bienville Railroad 
Project

AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS).

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SUMMARY: The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is issuing this NOI 
to advise the public that the Mississippi Department of Transportation 
(MDOT) and Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission intend to prepare 
an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) pursuant to the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) to evaluate the impacts of 
construction and operation of the Port Bienville Railroad Project 
(Project). The EIS will evaluate route alternatives for freight rail 
service from the Port Bienville Short Line Railroad in Hancock County, 
Mississippi to Nicholson in Pearl River County, Mississippi.

DATES: FRA invites the public, governmental agencies, and all other 
interested parties to comment on the scope of the EIS. All such 
comments should be provided in writing, within thirty (30) days of the 
publication of this notice, at the address listed below. Comments may 
also be provided orally or in writing at the scoping meetings. Once 
scheduled, scoping meeting dates, times and locations, in addition to 
information about the EIS for the Port Bienville Railroad Project can 
be found online https://www.fra.dot.gov/Page/P0214.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the scope of the EIS may be mailed or 
emailed within thirty (30) days of the publication of this notice to 
Melissa Hatcher, Environmental Protection Specialist, Office of Program 
Delivery, Federal Railroad Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., 
MS-20, Washington, DC 20590 or [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Melissa Hatcher, Environmental 
Protection Specialist, Office of Program Delivery, Federal Railroad 
Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., MS-20, Washington, DC 
20590, [email protected], or Kim Thurman, MDOT, Environmental 
Division, P.O. Box 1850, Jackson, MS 39215-1850, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EIS will be prepared in accordance with 
the NEPA and the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations for 
implementing NEPA and FRA's Procedures for Considering Environmental 
Impacts (64 FR 28545, May 26, 1999) (Environmental Procedures). The EIS 
will also address section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act 
(16 U.S.C. 470(f)), section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation 
Act of 1966 (49 U.S.C. 303), E.O. 12898 and USDOT Order 5610.2(a) on 
Environmental Justice, and other applicable Federal and state laws and 
regulations. The EIS will:
     Present the Purpose and Need for the Proposed Action.
     Identify the reasonable alternatives that satisfy the 
Purpose and Need for the Proposed Action.
     Establish the no-build or no-action alternative to serve 
as a baseline for comparison.
     Describe the environment likely to be affected by the 
Proposed Action.
     Describe the potential environmental impacts associated 
with the reasonable alternatives and propose mitigation measures to 
reduce significant impacts.
    FRA, in cooperation with MDOT, will prepare an EIS for the Project 
proposed by MDOT and Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission. The 
Proposed Action will connect the Port Bienville Short Line Railroad, 
located at the Port Bienville Industrial Park, Hancock County, with the 
Norfolk Southern Railroad, located in the vicinity of Nicholson in 
Pearl River County, to provide the Port with access to dual Class 1 
rail service. The Project is composed of approximately 24 miles of new 
railroad line. Dual Class I rail access is proposed to enable Hancock 
and Pearl River Counties and Stennis Space Center to attract new 
industries to this region that require this level of rail services, and 
encourage job creation and investment opportunities to help this area 
recover from recent hurricane disasters that have significantly 
affected local economies.
    The Project's new corridor may involve alteration and fill of 
``Waters of the United States,'' as that term is used in the Clean 
Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.), and thus, the EIS process will 
involve the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is expected to serve as 
a cooperating agency. The Project's corridor is expected to cross 
through the acoustical (noise) buffer zone of NASA's Stennis Space 
Center.

Project Background

    In 2008, the Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission received a 
$2.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic 
Development Administration to improve the railway at the Port Bienville 
Industrial Park. In 2013, a Feasibility Report was completed to 
determine the feasibility of constructing and operating a new rail line 
to connect the Port Bienville Short Line Railroad with the Norfolk 
Southern mainline in Nichols. The study included the development of 
reasonable alternative corridors; identification of the economic 
benefits and opportunities associated with the Project; and the 
recommendation as to the feasibility of the Project. Given the business 
case for dual Class I rail services, the demands of the existing and 
emerging business clusters in Hancock and Pearl River Counties, the 
future benefits to Stennis Space Center, the existing industrial land 
inventory, and the workforce and transportation assets supporting this 
region, the construction of this new rail line was determined feasible.
    The Project would provide existing businesses access to dual Class 
I rail service, improving transit time and reliability, and enabling 
Hancock and Pearl River Counties and the Stennis Space Center to 
attract new industries to the region. By improving the efficiency of 
goods movement in the area by rail, the Project would also improve 
regional air quality and reduce truck traffic on area roads and 
highways.

[[Page 31454]]

Scoping and Public Involvement

    In accordance with NEPA, the FRA and MDOT invite comments and 
suggestions regarding the scope of the EIS from all interested parties 
to ensure that all issues are addressed, all reasonable alternatives 
are considered, and any significant issues are identified. In 
particular, FRA is interested in identifying areas of environmental 
concern where there might be a potential for significant impacts. 
Public agencies with jurisdiction are requested to advise FRA and MDOT 
of the applicable permit and environmental review requirements of each 
agency, and the scope and content of the environmental information that 
is germane to the agency's statutory responsibilities in connection 
with the Project. Federal agencies with jurisdiction by law or special 
expertise with respect to potential environmental issues will be 
requested to act as a Cooperating Agency in accordance with 40 CFR 
1501.16.
    In coordination with FRA, MDOT will lead the outreach activities 
beginning with scoping meetings (dates to be determined). Public 
involvement initiatives including public meetings, access to a Web 
site, and outreach will continue throughout the EIS process. 
Opportunities for public participation will be announced through 
mailings, notices, advertisements, press releases, and a FRA-hosted EIS 
Web page, accessible at https://www.fra.dot.gov/Page/P0214. One or more 
public hearings will be held after the Draft EIS is released and made 
available for public and agency review. Public notice will be given for 
the time and place of public hearings.
    Comments or questions concerning the Proposed Action and the scope 
of the EIS are invited from all interested parties and should be 
directed to the FRA at the address provided above.

    Authority: 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.


    Issued in Washington, DC, on May 26, 2015.
Corey W. Hill,
Director, Office of Program Delivery.
[FR Doc. 2015-13317 Filed 6-1-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-06-P