Draft EIS/EIR for the San Luis Reservoir SRA Resource ...

5. Environmental Analysis
5.5 NEPA/CEQA Environmentally Preferable/Superior
Alternative
The CEQ’s NEPA regulations require that “the alternative or alternatives which
were considered to be environmentally preferable” be identified at the time an
agency issues its Record of Decision (40 CFR 1505.2). Environmentally
preferable is defined as “the alternative that will promote the national
environmental policy as expressed in Section 101 of the NEPA, meaning the
alternative that causes the least damage to the biological and physical
environment. In addition, it also means the alternative that best protects,
preserves, and enhances historic, cultural, and natural resources” (CEQ 1981).
The CEQ’s NEPA regulations do not require that the alternative be adopted.
Section 101 of the NEPA states that:
… it is the continuing responsibility of the Federal Government to (1) fulfill the
responsibilities of each generation as trustee of the environment for succeeding
generations; (2) assure for all Americans safe, healthful, productive, and aesthetically
and culturally pleasing surroundings; (3) attain the widest range of beneficial uses of
the environment without degradation, risk to health or safety, or other undesirable and
unintended consequences; (4) preserve important historic, cultural, and natural aspects
of our national heritage, and maintain, wherever possible, an environment which
supports diversity, and variety of individual choice; (5) achieve a balance between
population and resource use which will permit high standards of living and a wide
sharing of life’s amenities; and (6) enhance the quality of renewable resources and
approach the maximum attainable recycling of depletable resources.
The CEQA Guidelines (Section 15126.6[a] and [e][2]) require that the analysis of
alternatives in an EIR include an identification of the “environmentally superior
alternative” among all of those considered. In addition, if the No Project
Alternative is identified as environmentally superior alternative, the EIR must
also identify the environmentally superior alternative among the other
alternatives. Under CEQA, the goal of identifying the environmentally superior
alternative is to assist decision-makers in considering project approval. CEQA
does not require an agency to select the environmentally superior alternative
(State CEQA Guidelines, Sections 15042-15043).
Alternative 1, the No Action/No Project Alternative, would result in the least
development but would not implement any of the focused management plans
listed in Table 4-1 (boating, vegetation, trails, cultural resources). This alternative
would not result in any new impacts, but existing impacts would continue.
Alternative 2 would have minimal new development. The development under
Alternative 2 would be centered on existing developed areas, and this alternative
would not open new areas up to vehicular access. Alternative 2 also would
include the development of focused resource management plans for biological
resources and limited analysis of cultural resources. Alternative 3 would have the
greatest long-range facility development concentrated and clustered in existing
San Luis Reservoir SRA 5-71
Draft RMP/GP and Draft EIS/EIR