Preparing NEPA environmental assessments: a user's guide to best professional practices

307 Pages·2012·4.2 MB·English

by  Charles H Eccleston, J Peyton Doub

Preparing
NEPA
Environmental
Assessments
A User’s Guide to Best Professional Practices

Charles Eccleston
J. Peyton Doub
Preparing
NEPA
Environmental
Assessments
A User’s Guide to Best Professional Practices
Boca Raton London New York
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Contents
Preface...............................................................................................................xiii
Introduction.......................................................................................................xv
Section I NEPA environmental assessment process
Chapter 1 Overview and historical development of NEPA ..................3
1.1. Introduction...............................................................................................3
1.2. Origin.of.environmental.movement......................................................3
1.2.1. Nineteenth.century....................................................................4
1.2.2. Early.twentieth.century.............................................................5
1.2.3. Environmental.decade.of.the.1960s.........................................5
1.3. Historical.development.of.NEPA...........................................................6
1.3.1. Birth.of.NEPA..............................................................................6
1.3.2. “Detailed.statement”..................................................................8
1.3.3. Passage.of.NEPA.........................................................................9
1.3.4. NEPA’s.implementation...........................................................10
1.3.5. NEPA’s.implementation.regulations......................................11
1.3.6. Public.comment.review.process.............................................12
1.3.7. NEPA.today...............................................................................12
1.3.8. NEPA’s.effect.around.the.world..............................................14
1.3.9. NEPA’s.global.precedent..........................................................14
1.4. Brief.overview.of.NEPA..........................................................................15
1.4.1. Procedure.for.passing.laws.and.regulations........................15
1.4.2. Regulatory.nomenclature........................................................16
1.4.3. Overview.of.NEPA’s.mandate.................................................16
1.4.4. Purpose.of.NEPA......................................................................17
1.4.5. Title.I—declaration.of.the.National.Environmental.
Policy.Act...................................................................................17
1.4.6. Title.II—Council.on.Environmental.Quality........................19
1.5. NEPA.regulations...................................................................................20
1.6. Overview.of.the.NEPA.planning.process...........................................21
1.6.1. When.must.NEPA.begin?........................................................21
v
vi Contents
1.6.2. When.must.NEPA.be.completed?...........................................22
1.6.3. Three.levels.of.NEPA.compliance..........................................22
1.6.4. Initiating.the.NEPA.process....................................................22
1.6.5. Environmental.assessment......................................................25
1.6.6. Environmental.impact.statement...........................................27
References...........................................................................................................27
Chapter 2 General concepts and requirements .....................................29
2.1. Introduction.............................................................................................29
2.2. NEPA.is.a.planning.and.decision.making.process............................30
2.2.1. Reasonable.alternatives...........................................................30
2.3. Interim.actions........................................................................................30
2.3.1. Eligibility.for.interim.action.status........................................31
2.4. Integrating.NEPA.with.other.requirements.......................................32
2.4.1. Integrating.environmental.design.arts.................................32
2.5. Conducting.an.early.and.open.process...............................................32
2.6. Public.involvement.................................................................................33
2.7. Scoping.....................................................................................................34
2.8. Systematic.and.interdisciplinary.planning........................................34
2.8.1. Systematic..................................................................................34
2.8.2. Interdisciplinary.......................................................................34
2.9. Writing.documents.in.plain.English...................................................35
2.10. Incorporation.by.reference....................................................................35
2.11. Adopting.another.agency’s.EA.............................................................36
2.12. Methodology...........................................................................................36
2.13. Fair.and.objective.analysis....................................................................37
2.14. Dealing.with.incomplete.and.unavailable.information....................37
2.14.1. Incomplete.information...........................................................38
2.14.2. Unavailable.information..........................................................38
References...........................................................................................................39
Chapter 3 NEPA and environmental impact analysis ..........................41
3.1. Introduction.............................................................................................41
3.2. Actions.....................................................................................................42
3.3. Environmental.disturbances.................................................................44
3.4. Receptors.and.resources........................................................................44
3.5. Impact.analysis.......................................................................................45
3.6. Significance..............................................................................................45
3.7. Mitigation.and.monitoring....................................................................46
3.7.1. Mitigation...................................................................................46
3.7.2. Monitoring.................................................................................47
References...........................................................................................................48
Contents vii
Chapter 4 Threshold question: Determining whether an EA or
an EIS is required .....................................................................49
4.1. Introduction.............................................................................................49
4.2. Proposals..................................................................................................50
4.3. Legislation...............................................................................................50
4.4. Major.........................................................................................................51
4.5. Federal......................................................................................................51
4.6. Actions.....................................................................................................52
4.7. Significance..............................................................................................52
4.7.1. Context.......................................................................................53
4.7.2. Intensity.....................................................................................54
4.8. Affecting..................................................................................................54
4.9. Human.environment.............................................................................55
4.10. Categorical.exclusions............................................................................56
4.10.1. Guidance.on.applying.categorical.exclusions......................57
4.10.2. Documenting.a.categorical.exclusion....................................57
4.10.3. Public.engagement.and.disclosure........................................58
4.11. Long.versus.short.environmental.assessments..................................58
References...........................................................................................................60
Chapter 5 Environmental assessment process ......................................61
5.1. Introduction.............................................................................................61
5.2. Planning.the.environmental.assessment............................................61
5.2.1. Public.involvement...................................................................63
5.2.2. Identifying.alternatives...........................................................64
5.2.3. Determining.the.potential.for.significance...........................65
5.2.4. Three.purposes.that.an.EA.may.serve..................................66
5.2.5. Timing........................................................................................66
5.2.6. EAs.are.public.documents.......................................................67
5.2.6.1. Public.notification....................................................67
5.2.6.2. Consultation.............................................................68
5.2.6.3. Scoping.and.public.meetings.................................69
5.2.7. Applicants.and.environmental.assessment.contractors.....69
5.3. Analysis.in.an.EA...................................................................................70
5.3.1. Decision-based.scoping...........................................................70
5.3.2. Analysis.of.impacts..................................................................71
5.3.3. Attention.centered.on.proposed.action.................................71
5.3.4. Significance.determinations.are.reserved.for.the.FONSI...72
5.4. Streamlining.the.EA.compliance.process...........................................72
5.4.1. Reducing.the.length.of.an.EA.................................................73
5.4.2. Cooperating.with.other.agencies...........................................75
5.4.3. Is.time.money?..........................................................................75
5.4.4. Tiering........................................................................................76
5.5. Issuing.a.finding.of.no.significant.impact..........................................77
viii Contents
5.5.1. FONSI.is.a.public.document...................................................77
5.5.2. Waiting.period..........................................................................77
5.6. Administrative.record...........................................................................78
5.6.1. Administrative.record.and.case.law......................................78
5.7. Serving.as.an.expert.witness................................................................79
5.7.1. Are.you.an.expert.witness?.....................................................79
5.7.2. Discovery...................................................................................80
5.7.3. Depositions.and.reports..........................................................80
5.7.4. Trial.............................................................................................80
References...........................................................................................................81
Chapter 6 Environmental impact assessment ........................................83
6.1. Introduction.............................................................................................83
6.2. Sliding-scale.approach...........................................................................83
6.2.1. Recommendations....................................................................84
6.3. Identifying.alternatives.........................................................................85
6.3.1. Types.of.alternatives.................................................................86
6.3.2. Range.of.reasonable.alternatives............................................86
6.3.2.1. Appropriate.number.of.alternatives.to.
include.in.the.analysis.............................................88
6.3.2.2. Art.of.defining.a.range.of.reasonable.
alternatives................................................................88
6.3.2.3. Comparing.alternatives..........................................90
6.3.2.4. General.recommendations.....................................90
6.3.3. No-action.alternative................................................................91
6.3.4. Recommendations.for.identifying.and.investigating.
alternatives................................................................................91
6.4. Impacts.....................................................................................................91
6.4.1. Bounding.analysis....................................................................93
6.4.2. Analysis.of.impacts..................................................................94
6.4.2.1. Biological.impacts....................................................95
6.4.3. Incomplete.or.unavailable.information.................................96
6.4.4. Cumulative.effects.analysis.in.EAs........................................97
6.4.4.1. Purpose.of.the.analysis...........................................98
6.4.4.2. Performing.the.analysis..........................................98
6.4.5. General.recommendations....................................................103
6.4.5.1. Segmentation..........................................................105
6.5. Human.health.effects...........................................................................106
6.5.1. Recommendations..................................................................107
6.6. Accident.analyses.................................................................................107
6.6.1. Sliding.scale.............................................................................108
6.6.2. Overview.................................................................................108
6.6.3. Accident.scenarios.and.probabilities...................................109
6.6.3.1. Range.of.accident.scenarios..................................109