Enviroscientists Environmental Assessment

Environmental Assessment Experience

The staff at Enviroscientists has planned and prepared over 100 environmental assessment documents required under either the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) or the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

These documents were primarily for development projects located throughout the western United States. Figure 1 shows representative NEPA projects completed in Nevada (click image for full size image).

They included:

NEPA Environmental Assessments (EAs) and Environmental Impact Statements (EISs),
CEQA Initial Studies and Environmental Impact Reports (EIRs),
and joint NEPA/CEQA documents for
- 1) natural resource development projects,
- 2) electrical generation and transportation facilities, and
- 3) chemical/manufacturing plants.

The attached table is a partial list of mining related projects completed by Enviroscientists for its clients/government agencies. Summary descriptions of selected natural resource environmental assessment documents prepared by Enviroscientists are also attached.

Detailed information regarding any specific project of interest is available upon request, subject to the confidentiality requirements of our clients.

Enviroscientists' staff has planned, managed, and conducted field baseline environmental data collection programs and/or impact assessments for:

biological resources (including threatened, endangered, and sensitive wildlife and vegetation species);
noxious weeds;
cultural resources and Native American issues;
visual resources (including the preparation of photo simulations for the presentation of visual effects);
noise;
hydrologic resources (including ground water resources and impact studies and wetlands/"waters of the United States" assessments);
air resources (including pollutant emission inventories and air dispersion modeling impact assessments);
geology and geologic hazards (including mineral resource assessments);
reclamation issues;
socioeconomics; and
cumulative impacts.

In addition, Enviroscientists' staff has performed hundreds of environmental site assessments (Phase I, Phase II and Phase III studies); environmental and environmental permit audits; and hazardous waste and material management analyses (including mining waste rock and pit lake characterizations for the evaluation of acid generation potential and ground water effects and environmental fate assessments), many in support of environmental assessment documents.

Federal, state, and local regulatory agencies frequently compliment Enviroscientists' environmental assessment documents on their high quality technical content, clarity, and readability.

In addition to NEPA and CEQA environmental assessment documents, Enviroscientists has extensive experience in effectively preparing NEPA, CEQA and other required decision documents for all levels of governmental agencies.

Examples include:

BLM Records of Decision, Decision Records, and FONSIs;
CEQA-required Notices of Preparation / Completion / Determination,
Section 15091 Findings,
Statements of Overriding Consideration, and
Mitigation Monitoring Plans.

When prepared correctly and in conformance with regulatory and judicial requirements, these decision documents can substantially reduce (although not eliminate) the potential for appeals and judicial proceedings.

If approval of a project were appealed, however, Enviroscientists' staff has substantial "hands-on" experience with federal/NEPA, California/CEQA, and other regulatory appeal and litigation processes. This experience includes the preparation of Responses to Statements of Reasons for appeals to the Interior Board of Land Appeals.

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