Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2003 | 9:41 a.m.
The Energy Department's final environmental impact statement on the Caliente route detailed several issues that would have to be addressed, in addition to the difficulty of building a rail line through several mountain ranges. Among them:
The DOE says it will work with sister federal and state agencies to minimize the adverse impacts on wildlife, plants and the soils along the route.
"Over most of its length, the Caliente Corridor passes through undeveloped land managed by the Bureau of Land Management, where human inhabitants are mostly isolated ranchers and persons involved with outdoor recreation," the DOE study said. One variation of the route would follow an old railroad bed through the center of Caliente.
Except for Caliente, the proposed route would be at least 2.5 miles from every town or community along its length, the study said.
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