The EIS Process

The Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) has requested rights-of-way from the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the National Park Service – Lake Mead National Recreation Area (NPS) for the South Valley Facilities Expansion Project (SVFE).

SNWA is working in advance to secure the rights-of-way for the SVFE project, which would not begin construction for several years.

The National Environmental Policy Act requires the agencies to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) before SNWA's requested rights-of-way can be issued. Reclamation is the lead agency preparing the EIS for the SVFE, and BLM and NPS are cooperating agencies.

Purpose

The purpose of the EIS process is for the federal agencies to identify any potential environmental impacts associated with the project, allow the public to comment on those impacts and consider the potential impacts and public comment in making the final decision.

Stages

Preparing an EIS is a multi-stage process that requires analysis of potential environmental impacts of the proposed action and reasonable alternatives. Public participation is required at various stages in the process. The EIS includes six primary stages, each involving a series of related activities. Reclamation determines the timetable for this process.

Step One - Notice of Intent (completed)
The process begins with a Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS published by the Reclamation in the Federal Register. The Notice of Intent briefly describes the proposed project and identifies dates and times for the EIS public scoping meetings.

Step Two - Scoping Period
During the Scoping Period, Reclamation gathers public and agency comments related to the EIS. Reclamation collects stakeholder comments at public meetings, as well as gathers comments sent via fax, mail and e-mail. Reclamation held three public scoping meetings on the SVFE EIS on May 5, 6 and 7, 2008, and the public scoping comment period ended on May 23, 2008.

Step Three - Draft EIS
Reclamation prepares a Draft EIS and makes it available to the public. The Draft EIS will include the following components:

• Summary
• Purpose of and need for action
• The proposed actions and reasonable alternatives
• Description of the affected environment
• Environmental consequences of implementing the proposed actions and alternatives
• Mitigation measures

Step Four - Notice of Availability
The completion of the Draft EIS is announced in the Federal Register through a Notice of Availability. This notice includes specific information about the public comment period, including a time frame, locations of public meetings and information about how comments on the Draft EIS may be submitted. Public participation associated with the Draft EIS is administered by Reclamation.

Step Five - Final EIS
After the public comment period, a Final EIS is prepared. This document includes descriptions of public comments and indicates how they were addressed in the Final EIS. A Notice of Availability is posted in the Federal Register announcing the completion of the Final EIS.

Step Six - Record of Decision
No sooner than 30 days after the Final EIS is published, a Record of Decision describing Reclamation's decision whether to grant SNWA the proposed right-of-way is published in the Federal Register. The BLM and NPS may adopt the environmental impact analysis in the EIS and may also issue Records of Decision determining whether to grant SNWA rights-of-way for the SVFE project on the lands they administer.