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What is the Environmental Impact
Statement Process?
For major transportation projects, the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires that a range of alternatives
be considered and that their environmental impacts be analyzed.
This type of study is required prior to the commitment of federal
funds to any major project, or prior to any action taken by a federal
agency that might cause a significant impact on the environment.
The North I-25 Environmental Impact Statement is led by two federal
agencies, the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit
Administration. Basic steps in this process include:
- Scoping: A public process to help define
the purpose and need for the proposed action or project
and to identify environmental
issues that need to be studied.
- Data Collection: Collecting transportation,
environmental and land use data. This step will also
include developing a tool
for
predicting future
(year 2030) travel.
- Development of Alternatives: Identifying a
wide range of highway, transit and other types of alternatives,
then narrowing
these to
the reasonable range of alternatives for detailed study. This
will include a
"No-Action" Alternative.
- Analysis of Alternatives: Transportation,
social, economic and environmental impacts of a reasonable
range of alternatives
are
studied in detail and comparisons are made.
- Preparation of a Draft Environmental Impact
Statement (DEIS): A printed report for public review and comment
is prepared
documenting the need for the project, describing alternative
courses of action,
analyzing likely impacts from each alternative, and describing
any steps to be taken to avoid impacts or minimize harm
to the environment.
- Public and Agency Review of the DEIS.
- Preparation of a Final Environmental Impact
Statement: Documents preferred alternatives and provides response
to comments
that were made on the DEIS.
- Record of Decision: Documents the decision
and commits to mitigation of impacts by the lead federal agencies.
The DEIS will evaluate the impacts of various actions to the following
resources and cultural features:
- Air quality
- Archaeological properties
- Economics
- Energy
- Farmlands
- Floodplains
- Hazardous materials
- Historic properties
- Land use
- Noise
- Paleontological resources
- Parks, historic properties and wildlife refuges
- Pedestrians and bicyclists
- Public safety and security
- Recreation
- Relocation/right of way
- Social, economic and environmental impacts to low income or
minority populations
- Threatened or endangered species
- Visual quality
- Water quality/water resources
- Wetlands
- Wildlife and fisheries
The analysis of direct impacts will include those associated with
construction processes and operations. Not only will the direct
impacts of proposed actions be studied, but also cumulative and
indirect impacts and effects.
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