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Why we needed an Environmental
Assessment (EA)
First steps
What we investigated
Under federal regulations
and state policy, major transportation improvements are approved
for funding only after it has been determined that the environmental
impacts on the surrounding area are within acceptable limits.
This determination is made by the Federal Highway Administration
(FHWA) based on the findings of the EA.
The EA was conducted with
the careful supervision of the FHWA. The FHWA oversaw the
process and ensured that all federal guidelines and requirements
were met.
The National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) is the main federal policy that
governs projects like the study of C-470. NEPA requires that
all federally funded highway projects be evaluated to determine
their social, economic and environmental effects on the community.
Once the draft EA was prepared,
the document was reviewed by appropriate federal and state
agencies such as the US Environmental Protection Agency, the
State Historic Preservation Office, the US Fish and Wildlife
Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Denver
Regional Council of Governments. The document was also available
for public review and was the subject of a Public Hearing.
If the impacts are not significant,
a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) will be issued
by the FHWA. If the impacts are significant, a more formal
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be prepared to document
these impacts and obtain a Record of Decision (ROD) from FHWA.
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