NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT (NEPA)

When it comes to offering services for federal, state and local environmental permitting, YBE offers quality and comprehensive services.  The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires federal agencies to integrate environmental values into their decision-making processes by considering the environmental impacts of their proposed actions and reasonable alternatives to those actions. The NEPA process consists of an evaluation of the environmental effects of a federal undertaking, including its alternatives. There are three levels of analysis. YBE can expertly provide all of these prescribed levels of services for your next project:

Categorical Exclusion: At the first level, an undertaking may be categorically excluded from a detailed environmental analysis if it meets certain criteria which a federal agency has previously determined as having no significant environmental impact.

Environmental Assessment: At the second level of analysis, a federal agency prepares a written environmental assessment (EA) to determine whether or not a federal undertaking would significantly affect the environment. If the answer is no, the agency issues a finding of no significant impact (FONSI). The FONSI may address measures which an agency will take to mitigate potentially significant impacts.

Environmental Impact Statement: If the Environmental Assessment determines that the environmental consequences of a proposed federal undertaking may be significant, an Environmental Impact Statement is prepared. An Environmental Impact Statement is a more detailed evaluation of the proposed action and alternatives.

Additional NEPA Studies: Special studies include those environmental, cultural, social, and other types of analysis that may be necessary as part of the NEPA analysis planning process for a project. These studies provide the background for preparing NEPA documents (EAs and EISs), which form the basis for environmental decision-making.

YBE can conduct many types of studies needed for analysis, including:

• Wetland Delineations
  
• Avoidance and Minimization Strategies
  
• Wetland Mitigation Designs
  
• Wetland/Upland Restoration and Maintenance Plans
  
• Water Quality Studies
  
• Natural Resources Studies
  
• Endangered Species Surveys
  

As your environmental consultant, we can coordinate special studies where NEPA requires interdisciplinary analysis, not merely multidisciplinary analysis. This coordination can result in significant cost efficiencies because the same data or analytic method often may be useful for more than one study.  This includes data collection and analysis coordination with state agencies and water management districts, including Environmental Resource Permitting (ERP).​