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The California High-Speed Rail Authority has released a Draft Environmental Impact Report/Environment Impact Statement (EIR/EIS) for the Bay Area to Central Valley portion of a statewide high speed rail system which provides information on high speed rail options, costs, benefits and potential impacts. The Authority will be accepting comments through September 2007 on the draft environmental document as well as input from interested parties to inform the decision making process of preferred high- speed rail alignments and station locations within the Bay Area to Central Valley study area. The draft summary report describes three high-speed rail build-out options: High Speed Rail over Altamont -This option would require 4 tracks at all intermediate stations including Tracy, Livermore, Pleasanton and Fremont and would require a tunnel beneath Niles Canyon with a high bridge. at Dumbarton Crossing. The 4 tracks at Livermore would not fit within the existing right-of--way in downtown Livermore; along with the freight tracks which would remain, plus BART that would be added. However, the potential station track configuration would be feasible at the Isabel/Stanley station location where there is a more adequate right-of-way. There are three separate alignments that are reviewed. The first alignment is along the I-580 Corridor and I-680 corridor, running in the median. The station location would most likely be at the East Dublin/Pleasanton BART station to provide the intermodal connection. The second alignment is along the existing Union Pacific Freight Lines (where- the Altamont Commuter Express currently operates) with a new station at the Isabel/ Stanley location. The third alignment is a combination of the first two. The High Speed Rail would travel along the I-580 corridor from the Central Valley to Pleasanton. When reaching Pleasanton, it would leave the I-580 median and travel south along the future EI Charro Road to the existing Union Pacific right-of-way, where it would follow this existing track through Pleasanton. It is unclear where the station would be constructed with this hybrid approach. All three of the high speed rail alignments will have elevated structures. The second and third alignments include elevated structures through all of Pleasanton due to limitations on available right-of-way and the need to provide a "by-pass" track for the high speed rail train. Staff does not support the Altamont options which use the existing Union Pacific alignment through Pleasanton (second and third alignments above). The first alignment which uses the I-580/1-680 route is difficult to support at this time because of the lack of detailed information. However, further study may determine that the alignment would be positive for Pleasanton and the region. Page 4 of 5