The EIS Process
The EIS is being prepared in full compliance with all federal, state and local regulations. It includes a discussion of the project's purpose and need for the alternatives under consideration; identification of affected areas; direct and indirect short- and long-term environmental consequences of the alternatives; and the public outreach process.
An extended Scoping Process was conducted that allowed for public input on the Draft Scoping Document. During this time, elected officials, New York City Borough Presidents and Community Boards, and Federal/New York State/New Jersey/New York City agencies throughout the region received briefings; in January 2001, seven Public Scoping Meetings were held in New York City, Elizabeth and Jersey City. Input from this process was incorporated into the Scope of Work the EIS. In addition, the EIS has continued to conduct an extensive agency and public outreach process as the EIS has been progressed.
The EIS process involves the analysis of all direct, indirect and cumulative environmental impacts associated with each of the proposed alternatives in a 10-county area, which include the five New York City counties; Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island; and Essex, Hudson and Union counties in New Jersey. In addition to the core EIS requirements, significant supporting analysis is conducted to refine the alternatives. This analysis will include an assessment of economic attraction and market impacts, transportation planning and preliminary engineering design. The engineering design will cover infrastructure included as part of the alternatives. The transportation analysis will cover a regional 30-county area.
Cross Harbor EIS Goals
- To improve the movement of goods into, out of and through the New York City/northern New Jersey region.
- To create a more modally-balanced goods movement system in the region.
- To improve environmental quality in the region by diverting freight movements to less polluting modes of transport.
- To promote economic development in the New York City region through a more efficient goods movement system.
- To provide strategic system redundancy to the region's vital Hudson River crossings.
Multiple issues to be examined include:
- Land Use, Social Conditions and Community Character—The alternatives will be examined to ensure compatibility of existing and expected future land uses with new rail projects, including where reactivation or expansion of rail yards and right-of-ways will occur. Examples of areas to be examined include those neighboring the Greenville Yard in Jersey City; the Staten Island Railroad; the Sunset Park waterfront in Brooklyn; the Bay Ridge Rail Line in Brooklyn and Queens; and Maspeth, Queens.
- Economic Conditions—The alternatives will be examined to determine their potential effects on the local and regional economy, focusing on how the project could support existing economic strengths in the region.
- Air Quality—The alternatives will be assessed based on their impacts on both regional and local air quality. This assessment will focus on balancing regional reductions in emissions due to decreased dependance on trucking, with potentially increased localized emissions near intermodal facilities or along heavily used trucking routes.
- Transportation—The alternatives will be evaluated based on their impacts on congestion and traffic patterns. As with air quality, the study will look closely at the tradeoffs between improved regional traffic movement, and potential local traffic problems surrounding intermodal terminals.
- Water Quality and Natural Resources—The study will explore the impacts associated with construction of a tunnel or operation of float services on water quality, and their related effects on aquatic resources of the harbor.
- Noise and Vibration—Alternatives will be assessed based on their impact on localized noise levels. As with air quality and transportation impacts, regional improvements must be weighed against localized increases in noise levels.
- Environmental Justice—All alternatives will be screened to ensure that they do not disproportionately impact disadvantaged or under-represented residents of the region.
- Construction and Construction Impacts—The study will identify any potential impacts of long-term construction activity on traffic, air quality, noise and vibration, water quality and economic conditions. The study will also identify where construction activities will be staged.
- Secondary and Cumulative Impacts—In addition to the direct impacts mentioned above, the study will determine how all alternatives affect secondary development, economic growth and possible changes in land use and neighborhood character over time.
Other issues that will be assessed in the EIS include visual and aesthetic considerations, historic resources, archaeological resources, natural resources, navigable waterways, floodplains and coastal zone management, displacement and relocation, contaminated materials and parkland.
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