Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS)

The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the LIRR Expansion Project was released on November 28, 2016 for public review. The report contains extensive, detailed information about the potential significant effects of the project. The DEIS also provides information about the project’s unprecedented community outreach efforts.

View Document by Chapter

  • Table of Contents and Cover Letter
  • Executive Summary
    The Executive Summary provides an overview of the environmental analyses conducted in the DEIS and summarizes the principal conclusions and commitments.
  • Chapter 1 – Project Description
    This chapter describes the Proposed Project’s purpose and need, as well as major project elements including the third track alignment, grade crossing eliminations, station improvements, and related components.
  • Chapter 2 – Land Use, Community Character, and Public Policy
    This chapter characterizes how land is used (for example, residential, commercial, or industrial), community character, public policy, and zoning and evaluates the potential for the Proposed Project to affect these factors.
  • Chapter 3 – Socioeconomic Conditions
    This chapter assesses the potential socioeconomic impacts related to the Proposed Project, including an assessment of demographics, population, housing, employment, access to businesses, tax revenues, and fiscal and economic benefits.
  • Chapter 4 – Environmental Justice
    This chapter includes an environmental justice analysis to identify the Proposed Project’s potential for disproportional and adverse impacts on minority and low-income communities, as defined by the NYS DEC’s Environmental Justice Policy.
  • Chapter 5 – Visual Resources
    This chapter describes the Proposed Project’s potential to impact the visual and aesthetic resources within the study area.
  • Chapter 6 – Historic Resources
    This chapter considers the potential for the Proposed Project to affect historic resources, including National Historic Landmarks, resources listed on the State/National Registers of Historic Places or determined eligible for such listing, and locally designated resources.
  • Chapter 7 – Natural Resources
    This chapter examines the potential impacts from the Proposed Project on natural resources within the Project Corridor, including groundwater, wetlands, terrestrial biota, threatened or endangered species, and species of special concern.
  • Chapter 8 – Contaminated Materials
    This chapter evaluates the potential for substances that pose a threat to human health or the environment to exist within or near the Study Area for the Proposed Project. This chapter also evaluates whether construction or operation of the Proposed Project might increase exposure of people or the environment to contaminated materials.
  • Chapter 9 – Utilities and Related Infrastructure
    This chapter discusses the existing utilities and related infrastructure in the Study Area that may be affected by the Proposed Project. Utilities considered include gas and electric lines, fiber optic and telephone lines, cable television lines, water and sanitary sewer lines, and storm water drainage.
  • Chapter 10 – Transportation
    This chapter identifies the transportation benefits and impacts of the Proposed Project on specific local components of the region’s transportation system including: LIRR service, operations and ridership; nearby public bus services; vehicular traffic; parking; pedestrian connectivity; and traffic safety.
  • Chapter 11 – Air Quality
    This chapter analyzes the effect of the Proposed Project’s operation on air quality including a description of the regulatory context, analysis methodology, existing air quality, and the future air quality with the Proposed Project.
  • Chapter 12 – Noise
    This chapter documents the effects of the Proposed Project on noise and vibration in the Project Corridor, including potential noise benefits due to the elimination of grade crossings and building of sound-attenuating walls.
  • Chapter 13 – Construction
    This chapter summarizes potential construction plans for the Proposed Project, assesses the potential for significant adverse impacts during construction, and outlines numerous mitigation measures to reduce impacts on local communities in and near the Project Corridor.
  • Chapter 14 – Cumulative & Secondary Impacts
    This chapter includes an assessment of the Proposed Project’s potential to result in cumulative and secondary impacts. Cumulative impacts include the Proposed Project’s direct impacts along with the impacts of other past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions. Secondary impacts are also known as induced growth (i.e., whether the Proposed Project would lead to growth outside the scope of the project elements).
  • Chapter 15 – Safety & Security
    This chapter discusses safety and security issues associated with increased train movement within the Project Corridor, the extension of electrification to accommodate a third track, the modification of platforms and stations, passenger safety, and the closure and/or separation of grade crossings.
  • Chapter 16 – Electromagnetic Fields
    This chapter evaluates potential impacts due to electric and magnetic fields (EMF) from the Proposed Project.
  • Chapter 17 – Climate Change
    This chapter evaluates the greenhouse gas emissions that would be generated and reduced by the construction and operation of the Proposed Project, and the Proposed Project’s consistency with statewide reduction goals.
  • Chapter 18 – Alternatives
    This chapter evaluates a range of alternatives to the Proposed Project including those alternatives that were initially considered but then dismissed from further analysis, a “No Action” alternative, and alternatives suggested by members of the public.
  • Chapter 19 – Irreversible and Irretrievable Commitment of Resources
    This chapter discusses natural and man-made resources that would be expended during construction or operation of the Proposed Project and thereby would become unavailable for future use.
  • Chapter 20 – Unavoidable Adverse Impacts
    This chapter summarizes several unavoidable adverse impacts that are described in more detail in other chapters throughout the DEIS.
  • Chapter 21 – Public and Agency Participation 
    This chapter presents a summary of the process used to date to encourage public and agency participation during the early phases of the LIRR Expansion Project, and planned measures to encourage continued involvement throughout future project phases.
Appendices by Chapter