The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)

NEPA is a U.S. federal law that requires federal agencies to identify and analyze the potential environmental impacts of a proposed action before deciding whether to proceed with that action. The law encourages and facilitates public involvement in decisions which may affect the community or the environment.

Importance of Public Involvement

Public and agency input allows decision makers to benefit from local knowledge and consider local issues and concerns. The public participates in the NEPA process during the following stages by:

• Scoping Period: Helping to identify the “scope” of the analysis, including environmental issues and potential viable alternatives
• Draft EA Public Review and Comment Period: Evaluating and commenting on the environmental assessment of the Proposed Action and alternatives
   

Coordination with Government Agencies

The Navy is coordinating with several government agencies to ensure that all environmental concerns are taken into account and addressed:

• California Coastal Commission
• National Marine Fisheries Service
• Regional Water Quality Control Board
• South Coast Air Quality Management District
• State Historic Preservation Officer
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• U.S. Coast Guard

Resources Studied in the Draft EA

The Navy analyzed the potential direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts on the following environmental resource areas:

• Air quality and climate change
• Biological resources
• Cultural resources
• Hazardous materials
• Infrastructure
• Land use, recreation, and coastal zone management
• Noise
• Public health and safety
• Socioeconomics
• Topography, geology, soils, and bathymetry
• Transportation
• Visual resources
• Water resources