Environmental

Latest: Residential Noise Insulation Program (RNIP)

Federal and state laws require the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) to formally review and analyze how BART Silicon Valley may affect the environment. The federal law, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), requires the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and the state law, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), requires the preparation of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR). On some projects, the VTA and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) can prepare a joint EIS/EIR document.

An EIS/EIR document presents alternatives for improving transit services and discloses the environmental impacts of those alternatives. It describes the project alternatives, existing environmental setting, impacts from construction and operation, and mitigation measures to reduce or eliminate impacts. Information contained within the document enables decision-makers, interested parties, and the public to evaluate and identify preferred alternatives and options for achieving the project purpose and need.

Analysis is conducted for the following categories of environmental impact:


• Transportation and Transit
• Air Quality
• Biological Resources and Wetlands
• Community Facilities,  
  Schools, and Religious 
  Institutions
• Construction
• Cultural and Historic Resources
• Electromagnetic Fields
• Energy
• Environmental Justice
• Geology, Soils, and Seismicity
• Hazardous Wastes
• Land Use
• Noise and Vibration
• Safety and Security
• Socioeconomics
• Utilities
• Visual Quality and Aesthetics
• Water Resources, Water Quality 
   and Floodplains

Timeline

2011 2nd Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (SEIR2)

VTA has prepared the Final SEIR2 for BART Silicon Valley Project, Phase I – Berryessa Extension, which includes the recommended project description, comments received on the Draft 2nd Supplemental Environmental Impact Report, VTA’s responses to those comments, and key revisions that were made to the Draft SEIR2.  In total, 94 comments were received from state, regional, and local agencies, and from members of the public.  One public hearing was held in San Jose on September 1, 2010, during the public comment period.

Consideration of the Final SEIR2 for the BART Silicon Valley Project, Phase I - Berryessa Extension will be on the agenda for the March 3, 2011 Board of Director’s meeting. The Board of Directors will accept public comments at that time. The meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. and will be held at the location below:

Board of Supervisor’s Chambers
County Government Center
70 West Hedding Street
San Jose, CA 95110

VTA prepared a Draft SEIR2 to address proposed project changes since the certification of the Final SEIR  in 2007. For example, the project now will be constructed in phases. Phase 1 would begin at the approved BART Warm Springs Station in Fremont and end in the Berryessa area of San Jose. The 2nd Supplemental EIR addressed changes in the project design for Phase 1 only.  The Draft SEIR2 was circulated from November 1, 2010 through December 17, 2010.

2010 2nd Supplemental Environmental Impact Report Scoping Process
VTA distributed a Notice of Preparation (NOP) that a Draft 2nd SEIR would be prepared on August 13, 2010.  VTA hosted a public scoping meeting for the Draft 2nd SEIR on September 1, 2010.  At the meeting, VTA made a presentation and accepted public comments.  Scoping comments were accepted until the end of the comment period, which was September 13, 2010.  All comments received during the scoping period were taken into consideration during the preparation of the Draft 2nd SEIR.

2010 Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)

FTA, in coordination with VTA, prepared a Draft EIS for BART Silicon Valley to address short- and long-term environmental impacts of the three project alternatives.  The Draft EIS was circulated from March 13th to May 8th 2009.  In total, 613 comments were received from federal, state, regional, and local agencies, and from members of the public.  Three public hearings were held in Milpitas, San Jose, and Santa Clara during the public comment period.  FTA, in coordination with VTA, then prepared a  Final EIS, which includes responses to comments received during public circulation of the Draft EIS.  The Berryessa Extension Project Alternative, one of the three alternatives analyzed in the Draft EIS, was selected as the Recommended Project. 

On June 24, 2010, FTA issued a Record of Decision (ROD) for the Berryessa Extension Project, which is required for the federal New Starts Funding Program.

2007 Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (SEIR)

As the design of the BART Extension Project advanced, VTA decided to update the 2004 EIR.   In 2006, VTA distributed a Notice of Preparation that a Draft Supplemental EIR (SEIR) would be prepared to address proposed project changes since certification of the Final EIR in 2004.  Potential environmental impacts from 57 changes to the 2004 approved project were evaluated. VTA released the Draft SEIR in January 2007.  In June 2007, the VTA Board of Directors certified the Final SEIR and approved a revised BART Extension Project.

2004 Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR)
Subsequent to the public review of the EIS/EIR, VTA separated the federal and state documents and released the FEIR in November of 2004.  In December 2004, the VTA Board of Directors certified the FEIR .

2004 Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR)
A Draft EIS/EIR was prepared as a combined federal/state document in accordance with NEPA and CEQA.  The EIS/EIR was released to the public in March 2004.  However, no action was taken to finalize the original Draft EIS.

Additional Environmental Documents

Environmental Approval of Projects Fact Sheet - Read about the process for gaining federal and state approval to build major transit and highway projects.

Major Investment Study (MIS) Final Report - This document is the final report of the Major Investment Study (MIS) Phase. The report provides an overview of the MIS purpose and scope and gives a description of the alternatives carried forward for detailed analysis. Note: Some of the report figures and the appendices are not available through the website.