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<br />~'? <br />(Y) <br />Cl <br />O' <br />G <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Environmental Scoping <br /> <br />What is Scoping? <br /> <br />Scoping is an early and open process for determining the scope of <br />issues to be addressed in an environmental impact statement, and for <br />identifying the significant issues related to alternative plans, <br /> <br />The Scoping Process <br /> <br />As part of the scoping process the public is invited to participate <br />in public meetings to identify and comment on environmental issues and <br />concerns that will later be addressed in the environmental statement. <br /> <br />To ensure that matters of importance will not be overlooked in the <br />early stages of preparing the environmental statement, interested parties <br />are encouraged to identify the significant issues to be analyzed in <br />depth in the environmental statement. Scoping is also aimed at preventing <br />the expenditure of Reclamation's resources on analyses of issues that <br />are not considered significant, or that have been covered in previous <br />environmental studies. The major purpose of tonight's meeting is to <br />identify both significant and insignificant environmental issues. <br /> <br />Additional Scoping Procedures <br /> <br />In addition to the identification of significant and insignificant <br />environmental issues, the scoping process also may involve several <br />other actions. <br /> <br />Assignments may be allocated among interested parties in preparation <br />of the environmental statement. For example, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife <br />Service is preparing a Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act Report on the <br />Grand Valley Unit. <br /> <br />Reclamation will also identify other environmental assessments that <br />are being prepared (or will be prepared) that are related to, but not <br />part of, Reclamation's environmental statement. <br /> <br />The scoping process will reveal other environmental study and <br />consultation requirements so that Reclamation and other cooperating <br />groups can prepare the required analyses and studies concurrently with, <br />and integrated with the environmental impact statement. These studies <br />may include, analysis of cultural resources, water quality, or geology. <br /> <br />Finally, Reclamation will begin preparation of the environmental <br />statement according to the planning and decisionmaking schedule so that <br />the impact statement can be included in any recommendations or report <br />on the alternatives. <br /> <br />3 <br />