Item B: West Eugene EmX Extension Update

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ATTACHMENT A September 2, 2008 To: Eugene City Council From: Tom Schwetz, LTD Director of Planning and Development Subject: WEST EUGENE EMX EXTENSION (WEEE) PROJECT UPDATE Background Since the Council last met with the LTD Board in November 2007, considerable progress has been made on the West Eugene EmX Extension (WEEE) project. This memorandum provides background on the status of the project in preparation for the Council’s briefing on September 8. Initiation of the WEEE Project th On October 9, 2006, the Eugene City Council voted to recommend the West 11 corridor as the next EmX line to study in Eugene. At its October 18, 2006, meeting, the LTD Board of Directors endorsed the Eugene City Council action. Based on this direction, staff began work on planning for the West Eugene EmX Extension. On September 18, 2007, LTD formally initiated the process for the development of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the West Eugene EmX Extension project. This process is required under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for projects using federal funds. Elements of NEPA Process The elements of the NEPA process involve a series of activities leading to the selection of a Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) and a finalization of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). These activities include the following: 1. Project Initiation – Development of project purpose and need and project goals and objectives development of a proposed range of alternatives 2. Project Scoping – Public and participating agency review and comment on the proposed range of alternatives, project purpose and need/goals and objectives, range of environmental concerns 3. Analysis of Alternatives and Development of Draft EIS – The range of reasonable alternatives is evaluated to determine benefits, costs, and impacts on a broad range of environmental concerns. This evaluation is documented in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, which is distributed for 60 days for public and participating agency review and comment. 4. Selection of a Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) – The Eugene City Council, the LTD Board of Directors, and the Metropolitan Policy Committee (MPC) consider public and participating agency comment, advice from the WEEE Corridor Committee, and recommendations from the EmX Steering Committee in reaching a mutually agreed upon LPA. 5. Finalization of EIS – The Final EIS is prepared and published. The Final EIS includes responses to public and agency comments on the Draft EIS. It also specifies commitment to mitigate certain impacts.