CEO Report

Brian P. Kelly, CEO
October 21, 2021

Wye Settlements | Look Ahead | 2022 Schedule | President Biden Quote | Relevant Materials

CENTRAL VALLEY WYE

Mostly just want to update the board on the recent conclusion of a settlement that was important for us to avoid CEQA related litigation.

Board members may recall when we approved the Central Valley Wye, we had several communities we were working through agreements with.

As of last week, CEQA risks have all been eliminated with City of Madera settlement complete.

All settlements set. We expect no more litigation in that section.

The NEPA clock is longer, and it’s possible there could be challenges related to it. It has a 2-year statute of limitations (expires Sept. 2022).

Next steps:

Working with stakeholders to address and implement obligations under agreements and MOUs with the Central Valley Wye
- Fairmead Community and Friends (settlement obligations and community improvements)
- City of Chowchilla (sewer facility expansion and connection to Fairmead)
- Merced County (community facility and water supply improvements)
- Chowchilla Elementary School District (assisting with bus route impacts)

LOOK AHEAD

Wanted to go through what’s next:

November 2021
- Central Valley Construction Update.
- Final Burbank to Los Angeles environmental document released publicly.
- Action item for Board of Directors in January 2022.
December 2021
- Southern California project update presentation.
January 2022
- Burbank to Los Angeles environmental document to Board for consideration to certify the record of decision.
Spring 2022
- Over March and May
- Northern California environmental documents to Board for consideration of certification of record of decision, both for the San Francisco to San Jose and Jose to Merced project sections.
- A lot in that quarter.

2022 BOARD MEETING DATES

We always try to target the third Thursday of the month.
The January 2022 meeting date will still be virtual. We expect February 2022 to be our first in person Board meeting.

January 19/20, 2022
February 17, 2022
March 17, 2022 *
April 21, 2022
May 19, 2022 *
June 16, 2022
July 21, 2022
August 18, 2022
September 15, 2022
October 20, 2022
November 17, 2022
December 15, 2022

*Possible two-day board meetings for consideration of records of decision.

PRESIDENT BIDEN QUOTE

“Why I always talk about passenger rail, and particularly high-speed rail: Do you realize the Chinese are now building another high-speed rail line that will go up to 300 miles per hour? You say, ‘What difference does that make, Biden?’ Well, guess what, if you can get in a train and go from here to Washington much faster than you can go in an automobile, you take the train. You take the train. We will take literally millions of automobiles off the road. Off the road. Saving tens of millions of barrels of oil. Dealing with cleaning up the air. This is not hyperbole. This is a fact. These are facts.”
– President of the United States, Joe Biden, October 20, 2021

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Contact

Board of Directors Secretary
(916) 324-1541
boardmembers@hsr.ca.gov

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