Preparing and evaluating Environmental Assessments (EAs)/Findings of No Significant Impact (FONSIs) and Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) is a complex task, and many agencies use contractors to prepare their NEPA Documents. But when those draft documents are submitted, agency staff must review and comment on them, attempting to ensure that the documents prepared by other agencies or their contractors have the necessary content.

This NEPA training course provides the tools needed to review and evaluate the content of NEPA documents, whether prepared by contractors, other agencies, or in-house. There will be a comprehensive introduction for those new to NEPA and a refresher for more experienced professionals. Materials are also relevant to writers of NEPA documents. Illustrative examples will come from excerpts of real-life EAs/FONSIs and EISs.

Emphasis is on the FONSI in particular, but all findings in general; alternatives, both those included and those that may safely be left out; a workable approach to what are called “cumulative impacts”. All materials are modeled according to statutes, regulations, andwinning case law. A major theme is emphasis on using plain language.

Attendees will gain an immensely useful set of tools to answer the question frequently asked when draft documents are received: “Is this thing any good?” The answer will be “Yes”, if it looks like the statutes, regulations, and winning case law.

The instructor is Owen Schmidt, author of NEPA Models and Case Lists as well as a number of other NEPA-related publications, and the instructor for NWETC’s courses titled NEPA: Writing the Perfect EA/FONSI or EIS and Advanced NEPA.

*Reduced tuition is available to employees of Native American tribes, government agencies, nonprofits, students and NAEP members. You may register online or by calling the Northwest Environmental Training Center at (425) 270-3274.

Please wait to receive a course confirmation email, roughly one month prior to the class, before making any travel arrangements.