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| Resource Library > EIAP |
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| Environmental Impact Analysis Process |
| Overview of EIAP Program |
On January 1, 1970 President Nixon signed the world's first national declaration of environmental policy, outlining requirements of an environmental review process before any governmental action could take place. Heralded as the Magna Carta of environmental legislation, the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) became the international standard used by other countries to address their own contemporary environmental challenges.
NEPA also established the President's Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), which coordinates environmental efforts with federal agencies in the development of environmental policies and initiatives. In 1978, the CEQ issued binding regulations which implement the procedural provisions of NEPA.
In order to meet federal requirements outlined in both NEPA and CEQ regulations, the Air Force in turn codified their formal NEPA analysis process in 32 CFR Part 989 - Environmental Impact Analysis Process (EIAP). EIAP is the Air Force's NEPA compliance program, and it is also serves as the framework for complying with overseas environmental requirements as well as supporting real property transactions.
The following figure outlines the Air Force's NEPA review process while providing key terms and their definitions.
Environmental Assessment (EA): A concise public document that analyzes the environmental impacts of a proposed federal action and provides sufficient evidence to determine the level of significance of the impacts.
Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI): A public document that briefly presents the reasons why an action will not have a significant impact on the quality of the human environment and therefore will not require preparation of an environmental impact statement.
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS): The "detailed statement" required by Section 102(2)(C) of NEPA which an agency prepares when its proposed action significantly affects the quality of the human environment.
Record of Decision (ROD): A public document signed by the agency decision-maker at the time of a decision. The ROD states the decision, alternatives considered, the environmentally preferable alternative or alternatives, factors considered in the agency's decision, mitigation measures that will be implemented, and a description of any applicable enforcement and monitoring programs.
Categorical Exclusion (CATEX): Categories of actions which normally do not individually or cumulatively have a significant effect on the human environment and for which, therefore, an EA or an EIS is not required.
The Air Force's EIAP program is supported by the Air Force NEPA Center (NEPA Center), located at AFCEE (AFCEE/TDX). The NEPA Center's mission is to provide technical, execution, oversight and program support for NEPA projects for installations, MAJCOMs, Air Staff and other clients in support of Air Force missions.
The NEPA Center offers expertise in the management and oversight of NEPA projects and in the implementation of new and streamlined approaches to support compliance with NEPA. The NEPA Center's products and services include:
- Facilitating a streamlined approach to NEPA compliance
- Playbook development
- PREIAP facilitation
- DOPAA development
- Environmental Impact Statements
- Mitigation plans / planning
- Environmental Assessments
- Community involvement plans
- Environmental baseline surveys
- Technical oversight and consultation
- Execution support
Streamlining the NEPA Process
Over the years since enactment, NEPA has become more of a burdensome exercise in document creation, rather than fulfilling its intended purpose of facilitating informed decisions. In order to get "back to basics" and the original intent of NEPA, the Air Force changed its policy in late 2010, identifying the "Planning Requirements for the Environmental Impact Analysis Process" (PREIAP) as a means to accelerate NEPA documentation and improve compliance. The ultimate challenges include but are not limited to:
- NEPA documents must be analytical and to the point, rather than encyclopedic
- Accelerate the formal NEPA review process to six months or less for environmental assessments (EAs) and 12 months for environmental impact statements (EISs).
- Proponents actively participate (articulating mission needs etc) and ensure early integration in project planning
To achieve these goals, the main modification to the Air Force's existing environmental review program is the use of PREIAP. The PREIAP facilitates effective and meaningful communications among key stakeholders early in the process and emphasizes early interdisciplinary planning, promoting coordination, and implementing consistent processes to achieve timely decisions on Air Force proposals. PREIAP's goal is to assemble essential players to identify and focus on applicable regulatory requirements, gather relevant baseline environmental data and achieve consensus among key stakeholders early in the process. More so, to ensure successful PREIAP completion, all AF proponents must be involved throughout the entire environmental review process. With stronger proponent involvement, the EIAP program helps Air Force installations, major commands, and other environmental planning functions to streamline their assessments of potential environmental impacts mandated by NEPA before any action takes place.
The PREIAP Guidance document is posted on the Air Force's eDASH website which is available to all CAC-enabled users. If you do not have CAC access to the eDASH website and would like a copy of the PREIAP Guidance document, simply email a request to the NEPA Center at afcee.tdxnepa.mailbox@us.af.mil.
| Performance-Based Contracting |
The NEPA Center is also available to assist installations with management and execution of NEPA projects through performance based contracting (PBC).
Simply defined, PBC allows the Air Force to acquire services via contracts that focus on specific outcomes rather than the precise manner in which the work is performed. To do so, performance based contracts consist of "payment milestones" and/or "performance objectives". In other words, contractors receive payment once the Air Force agrees that the contractor has satisfied a project's milestone objective instead of simply following a payment by percent complete process.
PBC is not a new concept, and is being applied in many areas, not just environmental or NEPA compliance. As the case with all PBC initiatives, defining the problem and specifying performance and success metrics at the beginning of the procurement cycle is crucial to reaping the benefits of PBC. PBCs, when used in conjunction with the PREIAP, allows the AF to ensure that contractors successfully leverage and align their capabilities with AF NEPA requirements.
| Policies, Regulations & Guidance Documents |
If you have any questions and/or comments, please feel free to email us at afcee.tdxnepa.mailbox@us.af.mil.
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