Partner provides National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) checklists, reviews, assessments and compliance services for lenders administering federal programs under HUD, the US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the telecommunications and solar industries, and other Federally funded or permitted projects. Partner is adept at navigating the NEPA assessment process and evaluating the effects of a proposed action or project in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
What does a NEPA Assessment include?
The NEPA compliance process is aimed at evaluating the potential effects on natural and cultural resources of a proposed federal government “action,” as well as possible alternatives to that action. NEPA checklists and assessments look at a range of areas that could be potentially impacted by a government action such as:
- Designated wilderness areas and wildlife preserves
- Threatened or endangered species and critical habitats
- Historic preservation and Native American religious sites
- Floodplain management
- Wetland protection
- Wild and scenic rivers
- Coastal zone management
- Sole source aquifers
- Air quality
- Farmland protection
- Environmental justice
- Noise abatement and control
- High intensity lights in residential neighborhoods
- Toxic, hazardous and/or radioactive materials, contamination, chemicals or gases
- Siting of HUD assisted projects near hazardous operations
- Airport clear zones and accident protection zones
The NEPA compliance process consists of several phases, the first of which is to determine whether the action falls into a “categorical exclusion” for which no further review or a limited review is required. Partner also provides related services including Cultural Resource (architectural and archeological) Surveys; Wetland Surveys; and Biological Evaluations.
If the action or project does not fall under a categorical exclusion, then further review may be required to satisfy NEPA, potentially including an Environmental Assessment. An Environmental Assessment (EA) further examines the potential effects of the federal action as well as the significance of such effects.
A further step is a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which is a comprehensive analysis of the potential impacts and their significance.
