Alternatives Analysis Significance The goal of the Alternatives Analysis (AA) process is simple - eliminate the least practical options of a project. This process is very important to a project like High Speed Rail (HSR), where the options can seem infinite at times, in helping to make sure that only the most desirable options are brought forward. Therefore, the City of Palo Alto highly encourages all Palo Alto residents to review the findings of the Supplemental Alternatives Analysis Report: San Francisco to San Jose Section and submit comments. Overview The AA step of the review process occurs after the project level Environmental Impact Report (EIR)/Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is underway. The AA is a method of eliminating the least desirable options of the possibilities which were initially identified. The AA process is not used to make a final alignment determination. The purpose of the AA is only to identify the options to be carried forward for further review.

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Stakeholder participation is crucial with the AA because it is a combination of stakeholder opinion and design engineering that serve as means of differentiating the most desirable alternatives from the least.

The AA is also a financially prudent step for the California High Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) to take because it narrows the options being studied during the project level EIR/EIS which can be costly and time consuming.

In April of 2010 the Preliminary AA Report (SF to SJ) was released and in August of 2010 the Supplemental AA Report (SF to SJ) was released by the CHSRA despite the fact that the program level EIR/EIS is yet to be finalized. This is at least partially attributed to a recent court ruling that reopened the project level EIR/EIS which had been previously finalized.

For residents of the Peninsula this means that both the program level EIR/EIS and the AA are still not completed despite the fact that the project level EIR/EIS is set for release in March 2011. Thus, the City of Palo Alto encourages residents to stay involved with this process at this very crucial time.