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Who Should
Attend/What you will Learn
Federal and State
agency employees, contractors, consultants, permittees, and other
recipients of financial or technical aid for land or resource management
projects can benefit from knowing the basics of environmental impact
assessment because such knowledge:
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Enables them to
respond to federal requests for environmental information
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Speeds up the
issuance of necessary permits, easements, contracts, etc.
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Improves project
planning in the private and government sectors
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Saves time,
money, and effort in conducting land and resource management
projects
Course participants will be able to:
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Describe the main
requirements of the major US environmental impact assessment legislation and
related regulations (National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act,
National Historic Preservation Act)
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Describe the
history and rationale for enacting such legislation to others
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Apply the various
legal requirements to selected case studies through hands-on classroom
activities
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Apply specific
environmental impact assessment tools to case studies in the
classroom
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Describe how to
carry out an environmental impact assessment project in the real
world
Workshop Outline
Day 1: AM – NEPA
Overview
Topics: The
Overview introduces the main concepts of NEPA: origin and purpose;
principal requirements (Section 101 and 102); relationship of CEQ and
federal agency regulations; public involvement; scoping and scope; level
of documentation; significance; agency lists of Categorical Exclusions, EAs and EISs; connected actions; direct, indirect and cumulative
effects; determinations of when NEPA applies.
Day 1: PM – NEPA
Workshop
Topics: The
Workshop begins by exploring best practices in environmental
impact assessment, and how they relate to current agency practice; the
CEQ guidance on reducing delay and paperwork; federal agency guidance on
streamlining the NEPA process; interdisciplinary analysis; scheduling
and timing; reporting (“disclosure documents”); identifying issues and
significant issues.
Day 2: NEPA
Workshop, Cont’d
Topics:
Designing NEPA documents for compliance, including: using checklists and
protocols for special topics (such as pollution prevention,
biodiversity, cumulative effect analysis, environmental justice);
creating an Administrative Record using ETCI’s
DocIt™ Protocol; dealing with incomplete information and “how
much is enough” questions; reviewing NEPA documents (Environmental
Assessments and Environmental Impact Statements) for compliance,
completeness, and usefulness to decision-making.
Day 3: Cumulative
Effects Workshop
Topics:
Analyzing Cumulative Effects, using Council on Environmental Quality
guidance. Cumulative effects are some of the most difficult types of
effects to analyze during environmental impact assessment and project
planning. The Council on Environmental Quality guidance includes
definitions of types of effects, principles and tools to apply during
analysis, and examples of analytical techniques.
Day 4: Integrating
NEPA and the National Historic Preservation Act
Topics: Section
106 of the National Historic Preservation Act requires consultation
between a federal agency and the State Historic Preservation Officer for
any undertaking(project) that adversely affects an archaeological or
historical site that is eligible for listing on the National Register of
Historic Places. This consultation usually takes place during the NEPA
process. So this segment covers concepts such as significance under the
National Historic Preservation Act; definitions of cultural resources;
nature of undertakings; nature of effects, including adverse effects;
mitigation measures; consultation requirements; and means of integrating
the NEPA process with these consultation compliance requirements, based
on Advisory Council on Historic Preservation regulations and guidance.
Day 5: AM -
Integrating NEPA and the Endangered Species Act
Topics: Section
7 of the Endangered Species Act requires federal agencies to consult
with the US Fish and Wildlife Service during project planning to ensure
that their activities do not jeopardize species listed on the Endangered
Species list. This process can be extremely controversial, especially
for projects affecting private lands. Definitions of jeopardy, habitat
conservation planning, and details of the consultation process are
covered, based on US Fish and Wildlife Service regulations and guidance.
Day 5: PM –
Facilitating the NEPA Process
Topics:
Conceptual and software tools for facilitating the process: teamwork,
objective-setting, public involvement, other agency consultations,
project management. This section will also include summary and wrap-up
for the entire week, and assignment of recommended follow-up activities.
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