How the EIS Will Be Prepared
The I-5 Corridor Reinforcement Project Environmental Impact Statement will be prepared according to the terms of regulations for implementing the National Environmental Policy Act.
The President's Council on Environmental Quality has issued regulations for implementing the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. These regulations identify the steps that must be taken in the preparation of an EIS. These steps are:
1. A Notice of Intent to prepare the EIS is published in the
Federal Register.
2. The Notice of Intent announces a scoping period during which written and other comments on the content of the EIS are gathered, including statements made at public meetings.
3. A Draft EIS is prepared, which, at a minimum, includes:
a. Summary;
b. Purpose of and need for action;
c. Alternatives, including the no action alternative;
d. Affected environment; and
e. Environmental consequences.
4. A Notice of Availability is published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the Federal Register announcing the distribution of the Draft EIS and a public comment period. Additional information describing how the public can comment, including the location and schedule of public meetings on the Draft EIS, will be published in an agency-published Notice of Availability on this Web site.
5. A Final EIS is prepared that includes descriptions of public comments on the Draft EIS and discussions on how they were addressed.
6. A Notice of Availability is published by EPA in the Federal Register notifying the public that the Final EIS has been issued.
7. A Record of Decision is published in the Federal Register no sooner than 30 days after publication of the Final EIS. The Record of Decision describes the agency's decision regarding the proposed action.
The Draft and Final EIS documents, the Notices of Intent and Availability, and Record of Decision will be available for downloading and browsing on the Library page when they are published. Check the schedule for estimated dates for release of these documents. Use the BPA NEPA Brochure for information about getting involved at each step or go to Getting Involved.
Preparing the I-5 Corridor Reinforcement Project EIS
Many of the impacts created when electrical transmission facilities are built are known and have been studied in the past. Effective mitigation to avoid or reduce impacts have been developed and used by BPA on other projects. The EIS will start with these impacts and mitigation measures, then add project and location specific information to the analysis. See What's in the EIS for a list of the chapters that will be in the EIS.
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I-5 Corridor Reinforcement Project
