Citizens Against the SCMagLev (CATS) and the Maryland Coalition for Responsible Transit

(MCRT) assembled a team of experts from various fields and disciplines to review the SCMagLev

Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). We have found the DEIS significantly deficient in

many critical areas, including in addressing Impacts on Environmental Justice Committees.

To read the entire MCRT-CATS submission, go to: www.mcrt-action.org, click on the SCMaglev

Opposition tab, and select MCRT SCMagLev DEIS Comments.

Findings:

The DEIS analyses and discussion of the disproportionate impacts on environmental justice
(EJ) areas are seriously deficient. The DEIS understates and fails to address the impact on
and likely displacement of the residents and communities through which the SCMagLev will
travel.
The DEIS ignores the potential and likely use of eminent domain to take property, especially
in EJ communities.

Conclusion:

A comprehensive and independent expert assessment identifying the serious and
irrecoverable environmental and ecological damage and destruction that building the
SCMagLev will bring to one of the last preserved research spaces on the East Coast so that
the full cost to our state, counties, communities, and residents will be known is needed.
A comprehensive and independent expert assessment of the potential danger to human
and wildlife health from emissions and pollution that building and operating the SCMagLev
will bring so these impacts are known and quantified is needed.
U.S. expert assessment of the safety of the train system, in a manner akin to the safety and
crashworthiness assessments of Amtrak and other U.S. rail transportation systems, is
needed.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) must develop Rules of Particular Applicability
(RPA) allowing public comment for the independent assessment of the SCMagLev system
BEFORE their Record of Decision is completed and published.
A comprehensive and independent expert assessment comparing the capabilities, negative
consequences, costs, and benefits of building the SCMagLev versus continuing the
enhancement and integration of the FRA’s approved Amtrak Northeast Corridor Future Plan
is needed. This assessment needs to include identifying, quantifying, and weighing the
levels of integration these two competing systems have (or will have) with regional rail, bus,
and other commuter services (such as the D.C. Metro), as well as the level of access and
scope of the services offered to communities along their respective system’s routes.

Recommendations:

Given:

The many legal requirements the DEIS must, yet failed, to address;
The obvious financial uncertainties of the SCMagLev Project and operation;
The failure to provide the full scope of information required for independent analyses to
ascertain the viability of the Project;
The disruption, destruction, and fragmentation of hundreds of acres of protected and
fragile environment areas;
The industrial levels of pollution released into our watershed and communities;
No independent assessment and evaluation of the train, structures, and systems to U.S.
safety standards apart from a system currently running on a test and development track;
and
No required National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) side-by-side comparison to existing
ground-based, high-speed transportation systems, such as Amtrak, Amtrak Acela, and
MARC, which are the far better alternatives than building an expensive, and likely to be
subsidized by tax dollars, transportation system only the wealthy can afford to use on a
regular basis.

The recommendations are the following:

(1) Best Option: The Federal Railroad Administration Should Select the No Build Option.

Over $28 million of taxpayer dollars have already been spent studying the cost and benefit

of building the SCMagLev. The costs far outweigh any benefit. Stop the Project now and

invest the saved tax dollars into fixing and upgrading existing transportation infrastructure

(roads, bridges, tunnels), including Amtrak and regional rail systems such as MARC and VRE.

(2) Alternative Option (1 of 2): Establish Rules of Particular Applicability.

If the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) decides to continue its consideration of building

the SCMagLev, U.S. Safety Standards (Rules of Particular Applicability [RPA]) must be

established. The RPA MUST INDEPENDENTLY assess, evaluate, and test support structures

and support and operating systems, especially cybersecurity strength and the

crashworthiness and survivability of the train, and provide these analysis and findings to the

public—with a 180-day review and comment period—BEFORE deliberating on a decision to

begin construction of the SCMagLev is even considered.

(3) Alternative Option (2 of 2): Prepare a Supplemental DEIS.

A supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) should be assembled to

address the comments, concerns, and questions identified and provided to the Federal

Railroad Administration. The supplemental DEIS would address the deficiencies, missing and

obfuscated information, and missing analyses and data identified during the review and

analysis of the SCMagLev DEIS by numerous teams of experts, including those affiliated with

local city and county governments, community, civic, and environmental organizations. This

supplemental DEIS needs to be provided to the public—with a 180-day review and

comment period—BEFORE deliberating on a decision to begin construction of the SCMagLev

is even considered.

The Maryland Coalition for Responsible Transit (MCRT) a nonprofit organization formed in 2020. MCRT’s mission is to evaluate transit projects for social equity, environmental justice, economic viability, and community accessibility. See MCRT’s Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/MCRTaction and our website at www.mcrt-action.org. Contact the MCRT at mcrtaction@gmail.com.

Citizens Against the SCMagLev (CATS) is an organization formed in 2016 when the initial Baltimore-Washington Rapid Rail (BWRR) and Northeast Maglev proposal to build the first phase of Japan’s SCMagLev train between Baltimore, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. As many questions were raised and not answered by the BWRR, community concerns arose. Residents came together to represent the interests of their communities and form CATS. CATS has evolved into a confederation of scientists, engineers, experts, community organizations, and citizens in support of transportation infrastructure improvements that benefit our communities, state, and nation. CATS has written numerous articles and provided testimony on legislation in Annapolis and has met with elected officials in Washington, D.C.,

CATS has identified better high-speed rail and commuter rail alternatives. See our CATS Facebook page at www.facebook.com/groups/citizensagainstscmaglev and our website at www.stopthistrain.org.