General Overview of NEPA

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA of 1969) provides a framework for environmental planning and decisionmaking by Federal agencies. NEPA directs Federal agencies, when planning projects or issuing permits, to consider the potential environmental impacts of their proposed actions and reasonable alternatives to those actions. Because the I-20 DeKalb HOV project will use federal and state funding for design and construction, compliance with NEPA is required.

The NEPA process includes input from the public as well as from other state and federal agencies so that all environmental issues, such as impacts to the natural, social, cultural, and economic environments, as well as all other issues are addressed. The general NEPA process is described in the following flow chart.

NEPA Environmental Process

Environmental Process for I-20 DeKalb HOV

Because the I-20 DeKalb HOV project will include completion of an Environmental Assessment (EA) to document the existing conditions and potential environmental impacts within the project area, the project team includes qualified specialists that will work closely with roadway designers to identify alternatives that minimize impacts to the natural, social, cultural, and economic environments, all of which make up one human environment.

The general process for completing an EA is summarized in the yellow portion of the environmental process flow chart pictured above and is described in more detail in the following paragraphs.

Initial Screening

Environmentally sensitive areas will be identified initially through database research; correspondence with federal, state, and local agencies; interaction with the general public; map reviews; and windshield surveys. These areas will be located on aerial photography. Environmentally sensitive areas typically include historic resources (resources that are at a minimum 50 years of age with noteworthy architectural importance or importance associated with a person or persons), archaeological resources, wetlands and waters of the United States, floodplains, threatened and endangered species, low income and minority communities, churches and institutions, parks and recreational facilities, and areas subject to air and noise impacts. The project team will then overlay the alternatives being considered for the project with a map of the identified environmentally sensitive areas and compare potential impacts of the alternatives under consideration and exclude from further analysis those alternatives with significant environmental effects.

Ground Truthing

Alternatives determined to have significant adverse impacts to the human environment during this initial screening will be eliminated from further consideration. Alternatives that “pass” the initial screening process will be subjected to a “ground truthing,” where specialists field verify the data and document the findings.

• Qualified historians and archaeologists will document historic resources and archaeological resources considered potentially eligible or eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places and prepare reports that are submitted to the Georgia DOT for approval. Georgia DOT then submits approved reports to the Georgia State Historic Preservation Office for concurrence.
• Qualified ecologists and biologists will identify wetlands, waters of the United States, floodplains, and threatened and endangered species in the project area and prepare and submit to Georgia DOT ecology reports that document their findings and quantify potential impacts. If environmental resource impacts are likely to occur, coordination with the appropriate federal agencies, such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, will be completed and a mitigation plan created.
• Community impacts specialists will use census data and complete field surveys to analyze how alternatives may impact minority or low income communities. For the I-20 DeKalb HOV project, community outreach specialists will also use information gathered during neighborhood meetings, stakeholder interviews, and public information open houses to determine disproportionate impacts. The Georgia DOT and Federal Highway Administration strive to avoid selecting an alternative that disproportionately impacts a low income or minority community if feasible and prudent alternatives exist.
• Environmental planners will note schools, churches, cemeteries, and parks and recreational facilities, as well as potential hazardous waste sites, such as gas stations, dry cleaners, or industrial sites, and work closely with roadway designers to avoid impacts to the these types of facilities.
• Qualified noise analysts will determine existing and design year No-Build and Build traffic-generated noise levels along the project corridor using FHWA’s noise prediction model supplemented by field measurements, where appropriate. To determine noise impacts, existing and predicted noise levels along the corridor will be compared, and predicted noise levels will be evaluated against FHWA's noise abatement criteria for each affected land use category. Impacted receptors, including sensitive receptors such as schools, churches, and hospitals, will be identified and noise abatement measures to minimize or avoid impacts to these receptors will be evaluated. All findings will be documented in a Noise Impact Assessment report.
• Air quality specialists will use existing and projected traffic types, volumes, speeds, and other parameters to model worst case one-hour and eight-hour average carbon monoxide concentrations for the existing year and design year. The resultant carbon monoxide concentrations will be evaluated for consistency with the State Implementation Plan for the attainment of clean air quality in Georgia and compliance with both state and federal air quality standards. All findings will be documented in an Air Quality Impact Assessment report

The studies listed above will take place between February and April of 2006.

Documentation

The findings from all studies conducted, results of coordination, and results of public involvement activities, including written public comments, are documented in the draft Environmental Assessment (EA). The draft EA is submitted to Georgia DOT for approval and subsequently to FHWA. Upon receiving FHWA approval, the draft EA remains available for review for a 15-day review period. It is also made available at a public hearing open house. The availability period is advertised 30 days in advance. If it is determined that no significant impacts to the environment were found, a Final EA/Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) is prepared. However, if the FHWA determines at any point in the process that significant impacts to the environment will occur, an EIS will be prepared, which involves a more in-depth study of the project area.