NEPA

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires agencies to consider impacts their projects may have on the environment for federal projects and to integrate the NEPA process with other environmental law compliance.

An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is being prepared for the I-526 Lowcountry Corridor WEST

An EIS is a full disclosure document that details the process through which a transportation project was developed, includes consideration of a range of reasonable alternatives, analyzes the potential impacts resulting from the alternatives, and demonstrates compliance with other applicable environmental laws and executive orders. The EIS process in completed in the following ordered steps: Notice of Intent (NOI), draft EIS, final EIS, and record of decision (ROD).

An EIS is a public document that serves to:

  • Describe the project need, the alternatives to meet the need, the environmental impacts of the alternatives and ways to mitigate those impacts
  • Document the agencies and persons consulted
  • Document the basis for a federal decision, summarize any mitigation measures that will be incorporated into the project, and document any required Section 4(f) approvals

The Final Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision is available here.

The Draft Environmental Impact Statement is available here.

I-526 LCC WEST NEPA Process

National Environmental Policy Act process

Significance of Public Engagement

NEPA, at its core, is about people and places. A primary goal for public involvement in the NEPA process is to ensure that all interested and affected parties are both aware of proposed actions and that their views are heard. Meaningful input from the public and stakeholder groups is critical in this stringent environmental review process, which is undertaken in order to avoid and mitigate potential impacts.