Public Involvement
Final EIS and Response to Comments on the Draft EIS NEW
The Surface Transportation Board's (Board) Office of Environmental Analysis (OEA) has prepared a Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed action. In the Final EIS, OEA responds to the substantive comments received on the Draft EIS. The responses are presented in Appendix O of the Final EIS.
Overall, the substantive comments received only required responses that clarify or reiterate the information provided in the Draft EIS. No comment warranted altering the conclusions OEA reached in the Draft EIS. If a comment resulted in a change to the text of the Draft EIS, the change can be seen in strikethrough or underlined text in the Final EIS.
OEA received a total of 104 comment submissions (written and verbal; a single submission may contain several comments) from 92 unique commenters. Commenters included members of the public and representatives of agencies and organizations. Some individuals, agencies, or organizations commented more than once or in more than one format. OEA reviewed all comment submissions and their attachments as well as the public meeting transcripts to identify and extract substantive comments. In Appendix O, OEA addressed 50 substantive comments from 41 commenters.
Non-substantive comments included comments unrelated to the environmental review, such as those comments expressing general opinions about the Puerto Verde Global Trade Bridge project without tying them to anything specific in the Draft EIS. For instance, many commenters opposed the project based on general concerns, issues related to project financing, or political considerations. Non-substantive comments also included concerns about potential impacts such as flooding, water shortages, or air pollution, but without linking them to any specific findings in the Draft EIS.
All comments are available on the Board’s website.
Using the "Search for" dropdown menu, select Environmental Comments and enter Docket Number FD 36652.
Past Public Involvement Opportunities
Public and Agency Review of the Draft EIS
The comment period for the Draft EIS closed on June 2, 2025. The Draft EIS was available for public review for a total of 80 days, from March 14 through June 2, 2025.
During the comment period, OEA hosted two in-person public meetings in Eagle Pass and one public meeting online. At the meetings, interested parties had the opportunity to make oral comments on the Draft EIS in a formal setting or submit written comments. During the meetings, each interested individual was allotted three minutes to present oral comments. The meetings were held at the following dates, times, and locations:
- Tuesday, April 29, 2025, 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM and 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM (Central Daylight Time [CDT]) in person at the Eagle Pass International Center for Trade, 3295 Bob Rogers Drive, Eagle Pass, TX 78852
- Thursday, May 1, 2025, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM (CDT) online.
Comments on the Draft EIS could also be submitted electronically through the Board’s website.
It was not necessary to mail written comments that were filed electronically or made at one of the public meetings. OEA considers all comments equally regardless of how they are received. All comments received are part of the public record and have been posted on the Board’s website.
View Comments on the Draft EIS on the Surface Transportation Board Website »
Using the "Search for" dropdown menu, select Environmental Comments and enter Docket Number FD 36652.
OEA responded to substantive comments in the Final EIS.
Scoping Period
During the scoping period, OEA solicited comments on the scope of the EIS, identification of potential alternatives, and information and analyses relevant to the EIS. Following the close of the scoping comment period on April 29, 2024, OEA reviewed the comments received as part of the environmental review process and issued the Final Scope of Study.
View Scoping Period documents »
View Scoping Comments on the Surface Transportation Board Website »
Using the "Search for" dropdown menu, select Environmental Comments and enter Docket Number FD 36652.