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<br />and imrokemcm )'.;fPA procedures are
<br />designed to help ensure" that emironmen-
<br />tal infomu.uI,1n about a propoSt'd federal
<br />JI,:t1on b; available to the public befon" a
<br />deosion is made. NEPA prl.',\,dcs several
<br />oPlX"nunities, mcluding public meetings
<br />and written commi'nts. for the public and
<br />inrt'u5led panics to participate.
<br />Today's EIS reportS arc thought by
<br />some officials La be eajier for the public
<br />(Q read and undo:rstand. though they 3rt'
<br />generally much more encompassing than
<br />earlystalements
<br />-Early EISs were more of a brochure.
<br />They miglu have been harder to read but
<br />they were 50 pages, - says David Merritt.
<br />chid- engtnL'CT for the Glrmwood Springs.
<br />bast'd Colorado River \Vatcr Conservatton
<br />DlstncL who led the dlStnct through a
<br />fin::-ycar NEPA proCt's.... in the 19ROs with
<br />Wolford ~hlUntain ReSt'I"\'oir, a jl.lint ven-
<br />ture with Dem'cr Wmcr. UNow, they might
<br />be caSl('r to read bur they're 500 pages,"
<br />"NEPA is deSIgned to lx a public
<br />process:' says Nicole Seltzer, a sJ)lJkes-
<br />person for the Nonhern Colorado \Vater
<br />C.onscrvancy District. U At SC'Vnal points,
<br />you.rc required to show yom h;md to the 1(,1
<br />public You can.t gel around thaI. \Vh)' not
<br />go <3h...ad and embrace it full)"?"
<br />Age-ndes also use the [IS to show
<br />compliance ..vith other federal cnnton-
<br />mental requu-emc[J\s. For example, the
<br />reports are often used (0 demonstrate
<br />compliance v.ith the Endangered Species
<br />ACI and to documenl consultation wnh
<br />the li.s. hsh and Wildlife Service, The [IS
<br />can al<;o document sleps taken to comply
<br />v.ith the National Hlsloric Preservation
<br />Act, whi<:h addresses historic propeni~
<br />and archeological sitcs,
<br />The i':EPA re...iew process only applies
<br />to projects that requm' somc kind of
<br />federal decision. It does not appl)' to pri-
<br />\.atc sector or state and I(x'al go\'ernment
<br />actions unless those projects reqUire an
<br />element of federal oversighl and decision
<br />making. Federally-funded highways, for
<br />example, require an EIS_ ReservOIrs th.1t
<br />ne-cd a Section 404 pemlil from the Anny
<br />Corps (If Engineers to discharge dredge
<br />or fill mal{'rial lOto rivcrs Jnd Slreams, or
<br />rest:ryoirs thai reqUIre a special-u'>C per-
<br />mn from the FS, Forest $enice, arc also
<br />required to complete an EIS
<br />~Iost water development projects 10
<br />Colorado, especiall}' large-scale storage
<br />projects, require an [IS b...-c3Use they n~d
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<br />an Army Corps permil or because lhey
<br />reqUire some other IYJX of fcdeml actl\m.
<br />"tn Cok)r<3do, we're ~eing more (em1-
<br />TOnmental Imp;lCl statements) because
<br />therc's more going on J,;; J result of
<br />grO\>,ith and the recent droughl,~ sa}'sJeIT}"
<br />Kenny. an engineer at HDR Engineenng
<br />in Denver -Generally, mosl w:l!n prOJ-
<br />ens will tngger NEPA. Its not impossible,
<br />bllt liS \'ery diffIcult to do a water pWJecl
<br />and JWld NEPA.
<br />The NEPA process typically la."ts two
<br />to lhree years, Kenn}' 53}'S, though II tan
<br />last as Iitde as 14 ml)mhs Merrill says
<br />\Vollord \loumam look h\'e years h) ~I'I
<br />through the process. Jnd Ihat was wnsid-
<br />ered "pretty qukk~ And the timdr.J.me IS
<br />often determmed by the degree of contro-
<br />vers)' ;Issoclated with a projen.
<br />Still, !o(lme waler p.........iders consider
<br />NEPA an onerous process because of its
<br />cosls m lime and money. "It can be vlewed
<br />as a roadblock, but frankl)' il~ much oct-
<br />ter viewed as a way to get folks invol\"ed,~
<br />r..lerriu says. "In balance, ultimately you're
<br />dealing wnh a public res.Juru',
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<br />BecauSt: :'romc federal dCllons do not
<br />ha...c lhe polential to cause Ksigmfkant U
<br />emironmental imp;.lets, the agency or thc
<br />pr...~iecl proponent may prep;.ue <I m..)re
<br />limited analrsis, called an Em;ronmental
<br />Assessmcm This study hdps dctt'mllne
<br />wht'ther or nOI the project ..~;Il result in
<br />slgmficant environmental impacts--and
<br />whether an EIS IS nttC5s.1T}'.
<br />If Ihe EA determines the project could
<br />cause sigmfic3.nt impac\.S, the lead f('deidl
<br />agency (in conjunction With othcr pmJect
<br />pn1ponents) must prepare an EIS tr it IS
<br />determined that the proposed actlon v.,1I
<br />not have significant impacts, the agen-
<br />cy can conclude the NEPA rn;ew ""1th
<br />a Finding of No Significant Imp3n, or
<br />FONS]. aIlOW1O& the permit to be l$sued
<br />and cooslrunion to procet'd
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<br />The EIS process begins when an orga-
<br />m:ation that wanlS to build, for example,
<br />a water reseryou, applies to the fed-
<br />eral agency that '\111 fund or otherwise
<br />Issue permits for their proJt"ct That fed-
<br />eral ap.ency-such as the U,S, Bureau of
<br />Reclamation or the Us. Army Corps of
<br />En~meers--then publishes a notice in
<br />the Federal Register publicly decl3nng its
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<br />mtent to prep;.ue an E1S, That notice :llso
<br />5totns wh:lt IS called the s.:oping pTl..lCes.s,
<br />when the public :lnd other Clfgani:atl(lns
<br />comment to the ft'deral agency aboul
<br />issues thai need 10 Ix considered Some
<br />agencies hold one or more public meet-
<br />ings to get comments dunng the scopmg
<br />pbaSl' Ennronmental slUdle~ of the ...eg-
<br />elation, surface Water, groundwaler, wild-
<br />life and a full gamut of natural and human
<br />resources are also initiattxl at this lime
<br />When Ihe Sl..'oping process and environ-
<br />mental held work ,Ire cDmplett". the feder-
<br />al aF-enc}' prepares a Draft Environmental
<br />Impact Statement. files It with the US
<br />Envuonmental Protection Agent;.. and dr-
<br />culates J1 for renew by lllterested parties,
<br />who have at least 45 days to Cl1mment.
<br />Though called ;} draft, Ihis document
<br />is nt:"arly complete and indude;. a full
<br />disclosure of the Impans of the al.tion.
<br />DependlOg on lhe project, it can lake
<br />months or years to mow from scopmg to
<br />a draft EIS.
<br />After the end of the comment period,
<br />which usually lasts longer than the mini-
<br />mum required 45 days, the federal agent:}.
<br />prepares a Final Environmental Impacl
<br />Statement, hies il With the EPA and makes
<br />it a..'ailable to Ihe public The final '>tillC-
<br />ment must address all comments reeei\"t'd
<br />on the draft wrsion and indude any
<br />modifications or bctuJI rorrt'Ctlom
<br />Then the federal agency must .....ait
<br />al least 30 day's to make a JecI,;lOn on
<br />the proposed acti\ln This 30-day period
<br />allo'l,t'$ the public and tlllerested panies
<br />10 further review the final dl~CUmt'nt and
<br />provide commenls.
<br />"People wan! to be mduded m the pro-
<br />c{'ss,~ Merritt Sol}'S U! don', think It\EPA~
<br />drafters) saw how much public lllvoh'e-
<br />mem Ihere would be. It changed the wa}'
<br />we do w,llcr projects :J
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<br />John .\lortOIl has worktd Jor HDR
<br />En,l;inaring Jm 10 ,vcars as vkc prt'siJt'nl
<br />in (hargt' oj Ihdr cmironmcnlal sdcna pro-
<br />gram for the Midwesl Irm)/vt'd In NEPA
<br />u((lvilic-s Jar I7WIl' Ihd" 30 ,vedrs, !\lOTion
<br />also l\'<1s a US AIm.\' G:>,p~ oj blgmur-s
<br />emp/oyo'l' Jor 20 yum;, \\-wking tm a \'arir-ty
<br />oj Willet sloragt' projt'(IS, lIu/udlng Ot.'nwr
<br />\Hucr', TlI'o Forks rmJ~(I, which was wlot'd
<br />P)' fhl' EP.4
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