NOTICE OF PREPARATION AND NOTICE OF PUBLIC SCOPING MEETING

Project Title:

Notice of availability of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Environmental Impact Report (EIR), and notice of public hearing.

NOTICE OF PREPARATION AND NOTICE OF PUBLIC SCOPING MEETING

Project Title:

Notice of Preparation and Notice of Intent of a joint Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)/EIS/Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the California Pacific Electric Company 625 and 650 Electrical Line Upgrade Project.

NOTICE OF PREPARATION AND NOTICE OF COMMENT PERIODS

The Lake Tahoe Regional Plan Update is an update to TRPA’s 1987 Regional Plan that includes amendments to the Goals and Policies, Code of Ordinances and the Land Use Map. The updates focus on encouraging mixed-use development and providing incentives for transfer of development in order to achieve environmental gain and enhanced quality of life for residents. In addition to providing for the achievement of environmental thresholds, the Plan updates will improve the visitor experience and contribute to the long-term economic vitality of the Region.

The 60-day public comment period for the Draft Goals and Policies, Draft Code of Ordinances and Draft EIS closed in June, 2012. The TRPA is incorporating all comments into the Final EIS, along with responses to comments. The Final EIS is expected to be available for review in October, 2012.

(click here) for the Regional Plan Update Notice of Availability and Comment Period.

The Tahoe Metropolitan Planning Organization (TMPO) and Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) Regional Transportation Plan: Mobility 2035 is Lake Tahoe’s blueprint for a regional transportation system. Transportation solutions will enhance quality of life in the Tahoe Region, promote sustainability, and offer improved mobility options for people and goods. This document will guide transportation improvements in this unique environment and carry forward the public’s vision of creating an innovative multimodal transportation system that appeals to users and serves mobility needs while improving the environmental and socioeconomic health of the Basin. The plan meets the challenge of California’s Senate Bill 375 by presenting an integrated land use and transportation strategy that will allow the Region to achieve targets for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2035.

The 60-day public comment period for the draft Mobility 2035 Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy and draft EIR/EIS closed in June, 27 2012. The TMPO and TRPA will incorporate all comments into the final EIR/EIS, along with responses to comments. the Final EIR/EIS is expected to be available for public review in September, 2012.

(click here) for the Regional Transportation Plan Update, Mobility 2035, Notice of Availability.

NOTICE OF PREPARATION AND NOTICE OF PUBLIC SCOPING MEETING

Project Title:

Notice of Preparation of a joint TRPA EA and NEPA EA, and NEPA DM for the Nevada Stateline-to-Stateline Bikeway, North Demonstration Project.

The lead agencies, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and U.S. Forest Service (USFS), are seeking comments on the possible environmental effects of two potential alignments being considered for the shared-use path. The environmental document for the proposed project is a joint TRPA/FHWA Environmental Assessment (EA) prepared pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the regulations implementing NEPA, and TRPA’s Bi-State Compact and its implementing code and rules of procedure. Additionally, a NEPA DM is being prepared by the USFS in order to issue a special use permit for the approximately 800-foot section of the shared-use path that would cross a single parcel of National Forest System (NFS) land.

Project Location:

The project site is located in Nevada on the east shore of Lake Tahoe, between Incline Village and the Sand Harbor unit of Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park. The proposed project includes an approximately 3-mile, shared-use path that would generally include a 10-foot wide paved path with 2-foot shoulders. The project would also include a sidewalk on the west side of State Route (SR) 28 between Lakeshore Boulevard and the guard rail north of Hidden Beach, trailhead parking, and a drop-off/turnaround area just north of Tunnel Creek that could include minimal parking.

The lead agencies, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and U.S. Forest Service (USFS), are seeking comments on the possible environmental effects of two potential alignments being considered for the shared-use path. The environmental document for the proposed project is a joint TRPA/FHWA Environmental Assessment (EA) prepared pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the regulations implementing NEPA, and TRPA’s Bi-State Compact and its implementing code and rules of procedure. Additionally, a NEPA DM is being prepared by the USFS in order to issue a special use permit for the approximately 800-foot section of the shared-use path that would cross a single parcel of National Forest System (NFS) land.

The North Demonstration Project is a high priority section of the larger Nevada Stateline-to-Stateline Bikeway, which encompasses an approximately 30-mile corridor between the Nevada state line in Crystal Bay and the casino core in Stateline, Nevada. This notice addresses only the North Demonstration Project. The first section of the overall project, the South Demonstration Project, between the Stateline casino core and Round Hill Pines Beach, has been approved and construction of this segment is scheduled for the summer of 2012. The alignment between the South and North Demonstration Projects and the alignment between Incline Village and Crystal Bay are undergoing additional alignment planning; future implementation phases will be subject to their own environmental review and are not being evaluated as part of this effort, except in the cumulative context.

While there is no requirement for preparation of a Notice of Preparation for an EA, the lead agencies would like to solicit the views of interested persons, organizations, and agencies as they relate to the scope and content of the information to be included and analyzed in the environmental document. Agencies should comment on the elements of the environmental information that are relevant to their legal authority and statutory responsibilities in connection with the proposed project. If you would like to review the project description and alignment map, they can be accessed on the project website at www.nvtahoebikeway.com in the Document Library folder, on TRPA’s website at www.trpa.org, or by contacting the lead agencies with the contact information provided above.

Public Scoping

Over 700 comments were received during the public comment period for the Draft EIR/EIS/EIS. The comments are being reviewed by California State Parks, the Bureau of Reclamation and Tahoe Regional Planning Agency. The final document is expected to be released in early fall 2011. The document is an environmental impact report/environmental impact statement/environmental impact statement(EIR/EIS/EIS). The three titles are required for compliance with CEQA, NEPA, and TRPA review. Comments on the document were submitted between August and November, 2010.

California State Parks (State Parks) and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) are pursuing a restoration project along the reach of the Upper Truckee River that extends from its upstream entry point at the southern boundary of Washoe Meadows State Park to just west of U.S. Highway 50 where the river exits Lake Valley State Recreation Area. The project is being planned and proposed by State Parks. TRPA is managing the EIS process and helping gather public input as the process moves along.

The primary purpose of the project is to restore natural geomorphic and ecological processes along this reach of river and to reduce the river’s suspended sediment discharge to Lake Tahoe. The proposed restoration project would require reconfiguration of the Lake Tahoe Golf Course to allow for restoration of the river, reduce the area of stream environment zone occupied by the golf course, and allow for establishment of a buffer area between the golf course and the river. Alternatives to the proposed project are being considered and studied in the EIR/EIS/EIS.

A more detailed description of the proposed project is contained in the following documents.