NEWS RELEASE: California High-Speed Rail Authority Announces Public Scoping Process for Environmental Review of the Central Valley PV/BESS Project

February 21, 2025

FRESNO, Calif. – The California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) invites the public to participate in the scoping process for the preparation of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Central Valley Photovoltaic and Battery Energy Storage System (PV/BESS) Project. The Authority also intends to publish a Notice of Intent for initiating public scoping under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and needed for preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). This proposed project aims to develop renewable energy infrastructure in the Central Valley to support high-speed rail operations with clean, sustainable energy.

About the Central Valley PV/BESS Project The project involves the construction of PV facilities that will generate electricity from sunlight and a BESS to store the energy. The project will:

• generate electricity from solar photovoltaic (PV) panels
• store energy in battery systems to ensure uninterrupted rail operations
• enhance energy resilience, lower operational costs, and reduce reliance on the traditional power grid

Public Input & Scoping Meetings

As part of the environmental review, the Authority will collect public and agency input about whether there are areas of environmental concern with potential site-specific significant impacts associated with the construction, maintenance and operation of the PV/BESS Project. Public and agency comments received during the scoping period will be incorporated into the environmental document to ensure community, stakeholder and public agency concerns are addressed.

The Authority is gathering public and agency input on environmental concerns to ensure a comprehensive review of impacts on communities, wildlife, air quality, and the environment. Three public scoping meetings will be held in March 2025, where attendees can learn about the PV/BESS Project, ask questions and provide feedback through written or verbal comments. Members of the community were previously noticed these would be joint meetings for the Central Valley Heavy Maintenance Facility (HMF) and for the Photovoltaic and Battery Energy Storage System Projects. However, the scoping process for the Central Valley Heavy Maintenance Facility Project has been changed. The scheduled meetings will ONLY feature information and opportunities to comment on the Central Valley Photovoltaic and Battery Energy Storage System Project.

Tuesday, March 11, 2025	Wednesday, March 12, 2025	Thursday, March 13, 2025
5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. (PV/BESS Presentation at 5:30  p.m.) California High-Speed Rail Authority Central Valley Regional Office (Boardroom) 1111 H Street, Fresno, CA	5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. (PV/BESS Presentation 5:30 p.m.) Wasco Veterans Hall (Room 1) 1202 Poplar Avenue, Wasco, CA	5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. (PV/BESS Presentation 5:30 p.m.) Hanford Civic Auditorium 400 N. Douty Street, Hanford, CA

The scoping process is crucial to ensuring that all potential environmental issues are considered as the Authority prepares the EIR/EIS. Public input will guide the development of the analysis, covering areas like the impact on local ecosystems, air and water quality, agricultural land impacts, traffic patterns, community health and more.

Written comments can also be submitted to the Authority by mail or email by April 8, 2025. All feedback will be reviewed and incorporated into the project’s environmental analysis.

For more information and to submit written comments on the PV/BESS Project, please contact:

Stefan Galvez-Abadia
Director of Environmental Services
California High-Speed Rail Authority
770 L Street, Suite 620, MS-2
Sacramento, CA 95814
Email: PV-BESS@hsr.ca.gov
Hotline: 1-559-425-4438

To learn more about the project and view additional scoping materials, visit: hsr.ca.gov

Spanish, Hmong, and ASL interpreters will be available. All requests for reasonable accommodation must be made 72 hours before the meeting date. For additional information, please contact us at (916) 324-1541.

Since the start of high-speed rail construction, the project has created more than 14,700 construction jobs, mostly going to Central Valley residents. The Authority has full environmental clearance on 463 miles of the high-speed rail program from the Bay Area to downtown Los Angeles.

For the latest on high-speed rail construction, visit: www.buildhsr.comExternal Link

• Interviews in Spanish are available upon request. For more information, contact the Authority’s media relations office at: news@hsr.ca.gov
• Se ofrecen entrevistas en español bajo solicitud. Para obtener más información, contacte a la Oficina de Relaciones con los Medios por correo electrónico: news@hsr.ca.gov

The following link contains recent video, animations, photography, press center resources and latest renderings: https://hsra.app.box.com/s/vyvjv9hckwl1dk603ju15u07fdfir2q8External Link

Files are all available for free use, courtesy of the California High-Speed Rail Authority.