If you work with transportation infrastructure projects, you are at the forefront of sustainable development. You support the economy by connecting people with employment opportunities, improve society by giving more communities access to vital services and conserve our environment by making more resource-efficient transportation solutions possible.
At the same time, transportation infrastructure projects affect ecosystems in various ways. Environmental impact assessment (EIA) is the process of evaluating a project’s influence on the planet. EIA guides projects toward sustainability and helps authorities protect our natural resources.
Why Transportation Infrastructure Development Needs EIA
Under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), federal agencies must conduct an EIA before approving any projects with significant potential environmental impacts. State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) establishes the same responsibility at the state level, with some procedural differences.
NEPA and SEPA apply to transportation infrastructure projects because they can affect the environment in important ways:
- Emissions: The transportation sector is the top contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Managing emissions from the development and use of transportation infrastructure is helpful for limiting the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) in our atmosphere.
- Air quality: Transportation projects must also manage emissions to maintain air quality standards for people, animals and plants. EIA evaluates how a project could affect air quality with pollutants like particulate matter (PM), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOX). Developers can reduce air quality damage by structuring roads to limit traffic congestion. Free-flowing traffic mitigates air pollution in nearby areas.
- Water quality: EIA must consider local water bodies at risk of pollution during the
project. Transportation infrastructure development projects should include plans to reduce water pollution risks.
- Erosion: Transportation infrastructure construction can disturb the soil and accelerate erosion. This may harm ecosystems in and around water bodies through sedimentation. Erosion can also impact soil fertility and pose a hazard to nearby communities. EIA must evaluate erosion risks and how effectively the project plan mitigates them.
- Noise: EIA is necessary to help developers understand and manage the extent of noise pollution during construction and afterward, as drivers use the infrastructure. Noise pollution disturbs people and disrupts animal behavior in the area.
- Habitats: An EIA report documents how a transportation infrastructure project could affect animal habitats in and around the project site. The report can make recommendations to help developers protect valuable environments.
- Cultural Resources: During a NEPA study, cultural and archaeological resources must be identified through comprehensive surveys and consultations with relevant stakeholders, including tribal groups, local communities, and experts. This process sees that potential impacts on significant historical, cultural or archaeological sites are thoroughly evaluated and mitigated if necessary.
By embracing the EIA process and its findings, developers can address these impacts and drive sustainable development.
The EIA Process for Transportation Infrastructure
EIA for transportation infrastructure development projects is a nine-stage process:
- Screening: The first stage is to check whether the project requires full or partial impact assessment. Full assessment involves preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), including supporting studies and an extended public review period. Smaller projects with lesser environmental impacts may only require a brief environmental assessment leading to a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI), which justifies the project going ahead without the full EIS.
- Scoping: In this second stage, the party conducting the EIA decides the range of potential impacts and alternative solutions the report should focus on. They may consult the public, developers and other stakeholders.
- Impact analysis: The third stage is when the bulk of the assessment takes place. Impact analysis involves studying the project plans, site terrain and nearby water bodies, ecosystems, habitats and community resources. The aim is to recognize the project’s potential natural and human environmental consequences over time.
- Mitigation measures: In its fourth stage, EIA recommends additional measures to mitigate the project’s environmental impact. This may include proposing changes to the project design or suggesting practices to limit environmental harm.
- Draft reporting: The fifth stage is to draft an EIA report. This report describes why the project is necessary, what alternatives are available, the potential environmental impacts and how to mitigate them.
- Public review: The sixth stage is the public’s opportunity to comment on the draft EIA report. Partial EIA sometimes bypasses this stage, but hearing the community’s insights and concerns is helpful. This stage is obligatory in a full EIS process and lasts for at least 45 days. After that time, the agency must take substantive comments into account and decide whether further analysis or adjustments to the report are necessary.
- Final reporting: The seventh stage is the final publication of the EIA report, including responses to substantive comments and necessary revisions.
- Decision-making: In the eighth stage, the agency decides whether the project should move forward based on the report’s findings. In the full EIS process, the agency must wait at least 30 days from the final report’s publication before executing a decision. This time allows for careful evaluation before approving the project. The agency publishes a Record of Decision (ROD) to explain its final determination and follow-up plans for monitoring and mitigation.
- Monitoring and compliance: After approval, the agency may be responsible for monitoring the project to confirm its ongoing compliance with mitigation measures and regulations.
EIA best practices for sustainable transportation projects
If you are responsible for conducting an EIA, these four best practices can help you file a report that fulfills regulatory requirements and supports sustainable development:
- Early integration: Integrate EIA studies and insights into the project as early in its life cycle as possible. These insights can inform planning to enhance the project’s sustainability and improve its chances of gaining approval. Early EIA integration makes projects more time- and budget-efficient by limiting the work that may require revision based on later findings.
- Stakeholder engagement: Stakeholders include diverse community members, businesses and governmental agencies. Consulting stakeholders early in each EIA process helps overcome blind spots and reduce objections later.
- Leveraging technologies: Advanced technologies such as remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) make data collection and analysis more efficient when studying the site.
- Continuous monitoring: After the project gains approval, establish ongoing monitoring systems to measure its ecological impact and support its compliance with environmental regulations. Monitoring should continue after construction is complete to observe the impact of the infrastructure’s use over time.
Contact ECS for EIA Services
Conducting an EIA that complies with NEPA and SEPA regulations is a complex process. If you are planning, managing or reviewing a transportation infrastructure development project, partner with ECS for professional assistance with each aspect of EIA.
Our specialized EIA team has the resources, expertise and experience to support you through each stage from screening and scoping to post-approval monitoring. Our team excels at meticulous planning, data collection and reporting so you can enjoy greater peace of mind knowing your EIA is NEPA-compliant and follows best practices.
Contact ECS for a free quote for an environmental impact assessment.