MDOT News Releases

The primary purpose of an environmental impact statement is to provide full and fair discussion of significant environmental impacts and to inform decisionmakers and the public of the reasonable alternatives that would avoid or minimize adverse impacts or enhance the quality of the human environment. An environmental impact statement is used by Federal officials to plan actions and make decisions.

It summarizes the major environmental impacts, outlines issues and examines reasonable alternatives for creating the project.

It also recommends mitigation measures to minimize or eliminate negative effects. After the public comments on a draft and final environmental impact statement (FEIS), a Record of Decision is prepared that identifies the selected alternative for the project. • Development of an EIS is required under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

An agency of the United States Department of Transportation charged with assisting states to construct and improve highways, urban and rural roads, and bridges.

A law enacted in 1969 that required government agencies to make consideration of the impacts of their actions on the natural and human environments part of their decision-making processes. The lead agency for this EIS will be the Federal Highway Administration.

For any action using federal funding or requiring federal approval, documentation that the agency has considered the impacts of its decisions on the environment is required under NEPA. Depending on the size and impact of the action, NEPA may require a documentation that the action requires no further consideration under NEPA (a Categorical Exclusion, called different things in different agencies), an Environmental Assessment, or, for the largest and most significant actions, an Environmental Impact Statement.

An NOI is an announcement that signals the start of an environmental review process (such as an SEIS) and is published widely.

A document issued by the lead federal agency stating the agency’s decision on the action documented in the EIS. The ROD states the selected choice or alternative for moving a project forward, other alternatives considered, and mitigation measures adopted for the selected choice or alternative.