Environmental Impact Statement - Sonoma Land Trust

California Department of Fish and Game
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Chapter 1. Introduction, Purpose, and Need
NEPA/CEQA
The intent of both NEPA and CEQA is to establish opportunities for the public to
review and comment on projects that may affect the environment. Both NEPA
and CEQA provide for public participation through:
• project scoping,
• publication of project Notice of Intent (NOI)/Notice of Preparation (NOP),
• public review of environmental documents, and
• public hearings.
NEPA and CEQA also require that a final EIR/EIS include responses to all
comments received from the public regarding the draft EIR/EIS. The following
sections provide additional information on public involvement in the
environmental review process.
Scoping
Scoping refers to the process used under both NEPA and CEQA to determine the
focus and content of an environmental document. Scoping identifies the issues,
range of project alternatives and mitigation measures to be analyzed in depth.
Scoping is also helpful in establishing methods of assessment and in selecting the
environmental alternatives to be considered in detail. Tools used in scoping of
this EIR/EIS included early public and interagency consultation, public scoping
meetings, and publication of the project NOP and NOI.
During the scoping process, CDFG held a public meeting to introduce interested
members of the public to the project and to solicit public input. The meeting was
held on October 15, 2007 in conjunction with the publication of NOP. The NEPA
scoping period officially began with the publication of the NOI in the Federal
Register on January 25, 2008. Prior to publication of the NOI, informal scoping
was conducted in conjunction with SLT and CDFG, and a scoping notice was
distributed to applicable agencies and members of the public. The public scoping
period for this document ended February 28, 2008.
Public comments received both at the meeting and in response to the scoping
notice for the NOI were recorded for consideration during the restoration
planning process. In addition, participants were encouraged to submit written
comments to the project sponsors during the public comment period.
Notice of Preparation and Notice of Intent
The purpose of the NOP and NOI is to solicit participation in determining the
scope of an environmental document from responsible and coordinating federal,
state, and local agencies and from the public. The lead agencies formally initiated
Sears Point Wetland and Watershed Restoration
Project Final Environmental Impact
Report/Environmental Impact Statement
1-14
April 2012