2012-20771. Limitation on Claims Against Proposed Public Transportation Projects

AGENCY:

Federal Transit Administration (FTA), DOT.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

This notice announces final environmental actions taken by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for the Westside Subway Extension project, Los Angeles, CA. The purpose of this notice is to announce publicly the environmental decisions by FTA on the subject project and to activate the limitation on any claims that may challenge these final environmental actions.

DATES:

By this notice, FTA is advising the public of final agency actions subject to Section 139(l) of Title 23, United States Code (U.S.C.). A claim seeking judicial review of the FTA actions announced herein for the listed public transportation project will be barred unless the claim is filed on or before February 19, 2013.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Nancy-Ellen Zusman, Assistant Chief Counsel, Office of Chief Counsel, [phone] or Terence Plaskon, Environmental Protection Specialist, Office of Human and Natural Environment, [phone]. FTA is located at 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590. Office hours are from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Notice is hereby given that FTA has taken final agency actions by issuing certain approvals for the public transportation project listed below. The actions on this project, as well as the laws under which such actions were taken, are described in the documentation issued in connection with the project to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and in other documents in the FTA administrative record for the projects. Interested parties may contact either the project sponsor or the relevant FTA Regional Office for more information on the project. Contact information for FTA's Regional Offices may be found at http://www.fta.dot.gov.

This notice applies to all FTA decisions on the listed project as of the issuance date of this notice and all laws under which such actions were taken, including, but not limited to, NEPA [42 U.S.C. 4321-4375], Section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act of 1966 [49 U.S.C. § 303], Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act [16 U.S.C. 470f], and the Clean Air Act [42 U.S.C. 7401-7671q]. This notice does not, however, alter or extend the limitation period of 180 days for challenges of project decisions subject to previous notices published in the Federal Register. The project and actions that are the subject of this notice are:

Project name and location: Westside Subway Extension, Los Angeles County, CA.

Project sponsor: Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA). Project description: The project will extend heavy rail transit, in a subway, nearly nine miles from the existing Metro Purple Line western terminus at the Wilshire/Western Station to a new western terminus at the Westwood/Veterans Affairs (VA) Hospital station. The project includes seven new stations and enhancements to the Division 20 Maintenance and Storage Facility located in Downtown Los Angeles to accommodate additional heavy rail vehicles. Final agency actions: Determination of de minimis impact to four Section 4(f) resources and a direct use of one Section 4(f) resource; a Section 106 Memorandum of Agreement; project-level air quality conformity; and Record of Decision (ROD), dated August 9, 2012. Supporting documentation: Final Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (Final EIS/EIR), dated March 2012.

Issued on: August 20, 2012.

Lucy Garliauskas,

Associate Administrator for Planning and Environment, Washington, DC.