NEPA Compliance
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) establishes the requirement that all federal agencies' funding or permitting decisions be made with full consideration of the impact to the natural and human environment. NEPA also requires that agencies disclose these impacts to interested parties and the general public. The key element in the environmental review process is a rigorous evaluation of alternatives, including the "no action" alternative.
Environmental assessments and environmental impact statements, which are assessments of the likelihood of impacts from alternative courses of action, are required from all federal agencies. ANAMAR provides a full suite of services related to NEPA compliance and preparation of NEPA support documents such as:
- Environmental Impact Statements (EIS)
- Environmental Assessments (EA)
- Biological Assessments (BA)
- Essential Fish Habitat Assessments (EFH)
- Coastal Zone Consistency Management Determinations (CZCM)
- Air Quality Analysis
ANAMAR can help guide clients step-by-step through the NEPA process beginning with defining the purpose of and need for action, identifying environmental considerations related to the proposed action, developing alternatives to be evaluated, designing and performing the necessary studies to assess the potential impacts of the proposed action, preparing NEPA documents, interagency coordination, public notification and involvement, and ending with the public record of findings and decision.
ANAMAR has learned that early planning and good communication with agencies and the public are critical to the NEPA process and for ensuring project success.