The agreement, CHSRA says, “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.”
In sensitive wildlife areas along the planned high-speed rail corridor, such as Coyote Valley, Pacheco Pass, and the Grassland Ecological Area, CHSRA says it 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, CHSRA says, further commits the Authority and Grassland to a collaborative process during advanced design and construction in the Grassland Ecological Area, consistent with commitments in CHSRA’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.”
CHSRA 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,” according to the Authority.
“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,” said CHSRA CEO Brian Kelly. “This agreement further reflects our organizations’ understanding that the best way to deliver these services is through collaboration.”
“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,” said Grassland General Manager Ric Ortega. “This settlement reflects an important milestone in achieving acceptable mitigation.”
CHSRA has begun work to extend the 119 miles under construction to 171 miles of electrified high-speed rail from Merced to Bakersfield. According to the Authority, since the start of construction, CHSRA has created nearly 14,000 construction jobs, with more than 70% going to residents from disadvantaged communities.
More information on the project is available here.
