Draper Transit Corridor Project Chapter 7: Coordination This chapter describes the public and agency coordination efforts for the Draper Transit Corridor EIS. The Draper Transit Corridor EIS process was initiated on November 26, 2007, when a Notice of Intent was published in the Federal Register formally announcing that FTA and UTA were jointly preparing an EIS for the Draper Transit Corridor Project. The notice included a brief description of the proposed improvements and alternatives under consideration. 7.1 Public and Agency Involvement Public and agency involvement is critical to the success of any What members of the project that could affect the community. The planning for the Draper community were invited to participate in the Draper Transit Corridor EIS involved extensive coordination and Transit Corridor process? consultation with the affected community and agencies. The affected The public involvement process for the community includes not only the residents in the Draper Transit Draper Transit Corridor Project Corridor study area but also individuals, businesses, groups, and involved coordination and consultation others interested in the study area. with not only the residents in the Draper Transit Corridor study area but The planning process was structured and implemented to ensure that also individuals, businesses, groups, all relevant factors were considered, including the affected and others interested in the study area. community’s concerns and issues related to the project’s purpose and need, engineering solutions, social impacts, environmental impacts, economic effects, financing, and other items of concern to the community. 7.1.1 Public Outreach Activities and Information Exchange The goal of the public and agency involvement program and process What is the goal of the public as a part of NEPA is to have an informed local community and and agency involvement program and process? government leadership to help make decisions regarding the impacts The goal of the public and agency and implementation of a Preferred Alternative. The public and involvement program and process is to agency involvement process is open to ensure that interested parties have an informed local community and have an opportunity to be involved in planning. Stakeholders had an government leadership to help make opportunity to direct, review, and comment on the EIS analysis and decisions regarding the impacts and results at major milestones reached during the course of the study. implementation of a Preferred Alternative. It should be noted that the public involvement process under the NEPA process is not a vote, although public participation in agency decisions can result in further analysis of impacts. Commenting on Final Environmental Impact Statement Chapter 7: Coordination | 7-1 Draper Transit Corridor Project an EIS is not a vote for or against the proposed action or any of the alternative actions. The information provided through comments during the NEPA process benefits the decision-makers by providing them with relevant information about how the proposed and alternative actions are expected to affect the environment and the public’s ability to use or enjoy public land. The intent of NEPA, including public comments, is to increase the quantity and quality of information available to decision-makers about the consequences of proposed and alternative actions. 7.1.2 SAFETEA-LU Section 6002 The public and agency involvement program was conducted in a manner consistent with NEPA and Section 106 regulations. This program was designed to be consistent with the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) of 1998 and the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) of 2005. This EIS meets the intent of these laws by reaching out to the agencies and giving the agencies an opportunity to provide input into and collaborate on the processes of defining the project purpose and identifying the alternatives. 7.2 Initial Coordination 7.2.1 Notice of Intent Within the first month of the project, UTA and FTA prepared a What is scoping? Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS. The Notice of Intent is a Scoping is the formal early coordina- requirement of the CEQ regulation 40 CFR 1501.7. The Notice of tion process required by the Council on Intent initiates the mandated scoping process for all EISs. The Notice Environmental Quality’s 1979 of Intent provides a short description of the project, the proposed regulations (40 CFR 1501.7). It’s an early and open process for determining action, and preliminary alternatives. The Notice of Intent also the scope of issues to be addressed and describes the scoping process, identifies any upcoming formal public for identifying the significant issues meetings that are associated with the project, and includes the name, related to a proposed action. address, and phone number of a contact person. Once the Notice of Intent text was approved, FTA sent the Notice of Intent to FTA’s Washington, DC, office for submittal to the Federal Register. The Notice of Intent was included in the November 26, 2007, Federal Register. 7-2 | Chapter 7: Coordination Final Environmental Impact Statement Draper Transit Corridor Project 7.2.2 Initial Coordination Package An initial coordination packet was prepared and distributed in conjunction with the publication of the Notice of Intent. This packet contained a transmittal letter, a Coordination Plan, and exhibits that showed the project area. The packet was distributed to the agencies, organizations, and individuals that were anticipated to have an interest in the project. The information obtained through the early coordination (scoping) process was used to help determine the purpose of and need for the project, the alternatives to be evaluated, the methods of analysis, and the range of issues to be examined in the EIS. 7.2.3 Initiation Letter In July 2008, UTA submitted the New Starts Initiation Notice to the FTA Regional Administrator to start the process of applying for federal funding. The Initiation Notice identified the type of work, termini, length, and general location of the proposed project. The notice further described the project background, the EIS scoping process, the purpose of and need for the project, and the project alternatives including the alternatives evaluation methodology and screening process. 7.3 Agency Coordination Throughout the EIS process, UTA coordinated with local, state, and How have the lead agencies federal agencies that oversee the management of natural resources in coordinated with local, state, and federal agencies during the project area. Since these agencies oversee impacts and issue the Draper Transit Corridor permits regarding their resource areas, it is important to include them Project? from the initial scoping activities throughout the project’s Agency coordination during the project development. In this way, issues are identified early so that they can included a Coordination Plan, identification of participating and be properly considered and, if necessary, avoided, minimized, or cooperating agencies, agency scoping, mitigated as the project progresses. and other coordination. The agencies were notified of the requirements of SAFETEA-LU Section 6002 at the agency scoping meetings. This EIS meets the intent of this law by reaching out to agencies and giving them an opportunity to provide input into and collaborate on the processes of defining the project purpose and identifying the alternatives. Final Environmental Impact Statement Chapter 7: Coordination | 7-3 Draper Transit Corridor Project 7.3.1 Coordination Plan The purpose of the Draper Transit Corridor Coordination Plan was to identify the coordination that FTA and UTA would undertake with the federal, state, and local agencies who agreed to be participating or cooperating agencies during the NEPA process for the Draper Transit Corridor EIS in accordance with SAFETEA-LU. The Coordination Plan defined the roles and expectations of the participating and cooperating agencies and established a commitment to review the EIS at specific milestones. The public was notified of the availability of the Coordination Plan at the public scoping meeting. 7.3.2 Identification of Participating and Cooperating Agencies Agencies that would have permitting or other authority for the Which agencies were invited to project were invited to participate in the project planning process as be cooperating or participating agencies? NEPA cooperating agencies. Agencies that would have permitting or In addition, SAFETEA-LU has created a new category called other authority for the project were participating agencies. These are federal and non-federal agencies invited to participate in the project that might have an interest in the project. These agencies must be planning process as cooperating agencies. In addition, federal and non- invited to become participating agencies in the environmental review federal agencies that might have an process according to Section 6002, Section 139, of SAFETEA-LU. interest in the project were invited to become participating agencies. The roles and responsibilities of participating agencies include but are not limited to: • Participating in the NEPA process starting at the earliest possible time, especially with regard to the development of the purpose and need statement, range of alternatives, methodologies, and the Preferred Alternative. • Identifying, as early as practicable, any issues of concern regarding the project’s