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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 165 / Monday, August 30, 2021 / Notices
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-AmherstTonawanda Corridor Transit Expansion Scoping Information Report, which is available at NFTAs office located at 181
Ellicott Street, Buffalo, NY 14203 and on the project website: http
www.nftametrotransitexpansion.com.
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 Metros existing light rail transit Metro Rail and was developed incorporating public and stakeholder comments from Metros 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 tracksone 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 projects website.

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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 14 mile from the proposed transit expansion alignment and 12 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 NOIs publication date to guide a comprehensive public outreach program, and once available, it will be published on the projects website and the Federal Permitting Dashboard at http www.permits.performance.gov/.
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 Metros 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
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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 DecisionMaking Process. FTA and Metro anticipate the following environmental review schedule, which is subject to change:
Scoping Process: September October 2021.
Official Notice of Availability of the Draft EIS published in the Federal Register: Summer 2022.
Public Hearings on the Draft EIS:
Fall 2022.
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
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