The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and New Jersey Transit Corporation (NJ TRANSIT) prepared a Notice of Availability (NOA) for the NJ TRANSITGRID TRACTION POWER SYSTEM Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) which was published in the Federal Register by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on May 17, 2019 as EIS No. 20190104. The Federal Register can be viewed here.
The NOA was prepared in accordance the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 and 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 1506.10.
About the NJ TRANSITGRID TRACTION POWER SYSTEM
NJ TRANSIT proposes to design and construct the NJ TRANSITGRID TRACTION POWER SYSTEM, a first-of-its-kind microgrid designed to provide highly reliable power to support limited service in a core segment of NJ TRANSIT’s and Amtrak’s critical service territory. As defined by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), a microgrid is a local energy grid with control capability, which means it can disconnect from the traditional grid and operate autonomously.
The purpose of the proposed Project is to enhance the resiliency of the electricity supply to the NJ TRANSIT and Amtrak infrastructure that serves key commuter markets in New York and New Jersey to minimize public transportation service disruptions. The region’s public transportation infrastructure is vulnerable to power outages due to the nature of the existing centralized power distribution system and the intensity and frequency of severe weather events. The microgrid would be capable of providing energy to portions of Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor, NJ TRANSIT’s Morris & Essex Line, and NJ TRANSIT’s HBLR system during power outages. The microgrid would generate power 24/7.