Fresno to Bakersfield Draft Environmental Impact Report

The draft Environmental Impact Report/Statement (EIR/EIS) for the Fresno to Bakersfield section of the California High-Speed Train System has been released. The draft evaluates six High-Speed Train (HST) alignments. The BNSF Alternative is a single continuous route from Fresno to Bakersfield. The Allensworth Bypass is one of five bypasses being considered for this section of the HST. The Allensworth Bypass would diverge from the BNSF Alternative at Avenue 84 in Tulare County and swing west of Allensworth State Historic Park, rejoining the BNSF Alternative at Elmo Highway in Kern County.

“The BNSF Alternative would require the acquisition of property from Allensworth State Historic Park and the Allensworth Ecological Reserve. This alternative would also cause visual and noise impact on the park. The Allensworth Bypass Alternative would avoid these impacts and reduce the acreage of jurisdictional waters permanently affected by the project. However, the Allensworth Bypass Alternative would have a greater property tax revenue reduction, cause more agricultural business impacts, convert more acres of farmland to nonagricultural uses, and affect more acres of Williamson Act land than the BNSF Alternative.”

The California High-Speed Rail Authority is accepting public and agency comments on the Draft EIR/EIS until September 28, 2011. After reviewing the public comments the Rail Authority will issue a final project EIR/EIS that includes responses to the submitted comments and the preferred alternative route. According to the Next Steps Schedule (below) operation of the Fresno to Bakersfield section of the High-Speed Rail will begin in 2018.

  

Next Steps Schedule

The summary and highlights of the California HST EIR/EIS gives more details about which of the twenty-four alternative combinations will have a visual and noise impact, introduce a modern feature that is not consistent with the historic atmosphere or require the acquiescent of property from Allensworth State Historic Park.

Please attend one of the public workshops, public hearings or submit your comments to the California High-Speed Rail Authority; they could help determine how the California HST will affect Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park.



Send written comments to:

California High-Speed Rail Authority

Fresno to Bakersfield Draft EIR/EIS Comments

770 L Street, Suite 800

Sacramento, CA 95814

Send email comments to:

Fresno_Bakersfield@hsr.ca.gov

With subject line "Draft EIR/EIS Comment”

California High-Speed Rail Authority Website:

http://www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov/contact.aspx?cat=Fresno_-_Bakersfield

Stephen Hill, Sr.