SACRAMENTO – The California High-Speed Rail Authority will release the first Draft EIR covering the 80-mile stretch of the project from Bakersfield to Palmdale for public comment on Friday, February 28.

The Bakersfield to Palmdale Project Section will provide a connection from the Central Valley to the Antelope Valley and Los Angeles County, closing the existing passenger rail gap between Northern and Southern California through the Tehachapi Mountains, as well as providing new opportunities for economic development and revitalization in the cities along this corridor.

The approximately 80-mile project section will travel through or near the communities of Bakersfield, Edison, Tehachapi, Rosamond, Lancaster and Palmdale with stations in Bakersfield and Palmdale.

The approved Bakersfield Station and the proposed Palmdale Station would maximize ridership, work in coordination with local land use planning and provide multi-modal transportation options, including potential connection with Brightline Trains in Palmdale.

With the release of this Bakersfield to Palmdale Draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement, the Authority remains on track to complete environmental clearance for the full Phase 1 system by the federally mandated 2022 deadline.

From Friday, February 28, through Friday, April 13, 2020, the Bakersfield to Palmdale Project Section Draft EIR/EIS is available for a 45-day CEQA and NEPA review and public comment period.

In conjunction with the public review period for the document, the Authority will hold a public hearing to take public comment. Comments received regarding environmental issues will be reviewed and responded to as required by law. The final EIR/EIS document for Bakersfield to Palmdale will be issued in 2021.

Public Hearing
April 9, 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Loreda Clevenger Auditorium
721 S. Edison Road
Bakersfield 93307

Public meetings
Lancaster Open House Meeting
March 4
5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Jane Reynolds Park Activity Center
716 Oldfield Street
Lancaster 93534

Bakersfield Open House Meeting
March 5
5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Edison Middle School Gym
721 S. Edison Road
Bakersfield 93307

Rosamond Community Event
March 26
5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Rosamond Public Library
3611 Rosamond Blvd.,
Rosamond 93560

The Authority will issue this document as lead agency under CEQA, and also under NEPA pursuant to 23 U.S.C. 327 and a Memorandum of Understanding effective July 23, 2019, between the State of California and the Federal Railroad Administration under a program commonly known as NEPA assignment (the MOU assigned FRA’s NEPA responsibilities for the project to the State of California).

After the comment period closes on April 13, 2020, and the comments received have been evaluated, staff will prepare and issue the Final EIR/EIS document and present it to the Board to consider certification and project approval under CEQA and NEPA.

There are several ways to submit a comment regarding the Draft EIR/EIS for the Bakersfield to Palmdale Project Section including:

* At one of the four meetings detailed above
* Online via the Authority’s website (www.hsr.ca.gov)
* Via email at Bakersfield_palmdale@hsr.ca.gov with the subject line “Bakersfield to Palmdale Draft Supplemental EIR/EIS Comment”
* Via mail at the address below:
Attn: Bakersfield to Palmdale: Draft EIR/EIS
California High-Speed Rail Authority
770 L Street, Suite 620 MS-1
Sacramento, CA 95814

To view the contents of the Draft EIR/EIS, visit our website starting February 28.