NEWS RELEASE: High-Speed Rail Authority and Grassland Water District Reach Settlement Agreement
August 30, 2024
SAN JOSE, Calif. – The California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) and the Grassland Water District, Grassland Resource Conservation District, and Grassland Fund (Grassland) have reached an agreement that releases Grassland’s potential California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) claims regarding the Authority’s adoption of environmental review documents for the San Jose to Merced portion of the high-speed rail project.
The agreement fosters a collaborative partnership between Grassland and the Authority as it works to connect the high-speed rail system from the Central Valley to the Bay Area while further building on its commitments to avoid and reduce impacts in the sensitive Grassland Ecological Area.
“This settlement reflects the hard work of state and local public agencies striving to protect natural resources and provide the public with new, state-of-the-art transportation that is clean, sustainable, and reduces our collective carbon footprint. This agreement further reflects our organizations’ understanding that the best way to deliver these services is through collaboration.”
– Brian Kelly, Authority CEO
“The Grassland entities have worked with the High-Speed Rail Authority for almost two decades to better anticipate and reduce the effects of the project on our important wetland complex. This settlement reflects an important milestone in achieving acceptable mitigation.”
– Ric Ortega, Grassland’s General Manager
In sensitive wildlife areas along the planned high-speed rail corridor, such as Coyote Valley, Pacheco Pass, and the Grassland Ecological Area, the Authority has incorporated project elements to allow for wildlife movement and protect the natural environment in its Final Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS) (approved in 2022), which included wildlife crossings, an avian enclosure, and noise barriers.
The settlement further commits the Authority and Grassland to a collaborative process during advanced design and construction in the Grassland Ecological Area, consistent with commitments in the Authority’s Final EIR/EIS. The agreement provides additional environmental protections by including measures to address the impact of noise, visual disturbances, and wildlife movement by adding an extended sound wall near the Volta Wildlife Area, additional measures to reduce disturbance of wildlife during construction, and a process to consider the placement of the avian enclosure during advanced design.
The Authority and Grassland will also work in good faith to identify opportunities for conservation easements and other areas where mutual support would be beneficial, including, but not limited to, the pursuit of grant or legislative funding opportunities.
The Authority has begun work to extend the 119 miles under construction to 171 miles of electrified high-speed rail from Merced to Bakersfield. Since the start of construction, the Authority has created nearly 14,000 construction jobs, with more than 70 percent going to residents from disadvantaged communities.
센트럴 밸리에서 진행 중인 25개 이상의 작업 현장을 포함하여 고속철도 건설에 대한 최신 정보를 보려면 다음을 방문하세요. buildhsr.com.
다음 링크에는 최근 비디오, 애니메이션, 사진, 프레스 센터 리소스 및 최신 렌더링이 포함되어 있습니다. https://hsra.app.box.com/s/vyvjv9hckwl1dk603ju15u07fdfir2q8
이 파일은 모두 캘리포니아 고속철도국(California High-Speed Rail Authority)에서 무료로 사용할 수 있습니다.
연사 국
California High-Speed Rail Authority Speakers Bureau는 Communications Office에서 관리하며 High-Speed Rail 프로그램에 대한 정보 프레젠테이션을 제공합니다.
접촉
반 티우
408-874-8962 (w)
916-502-3726 (c)
Van.Tieu@hsr.ca.gov
캘리포니아 고속철도 당국은 웹 사이트와 그 콘텐츠가 캘리포니아 주에서 규정 한 웹 콘텐츠 접근성 지침 2.0 레벨 AA 표준에 따라 의무적 ADA 요구 사항을 충족하도록 모든 노력을 기울이고 있습니다. California High-Speed Rail Authority 웹 사이트에없는 특정 문서를 찾고있는 경우, Public Records Act 페이지를 통해 Public Records Act에 따라 문서를 요청할 수 있습니다. 웹 사이트 나 그 내용에 대한 질문이 있으시면 당국에 연락하십시오. info@hsr.ca.gov.