What is an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)?

What environmental issues will be studied?

What is the difference between a Draft EIS and a Final EIS?

How can I comment on the project?

What is an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)?

The FHWA NEPA process allows transportation officials to make project decisions that balance engineering and transportation needs with social, economic, and natural environmental factors. During the process, a wide range of partners including the public, businesses, interest groups, and agencies at all levels of government, provide input into project and environmental decisions.

NEPA requires Federal agencies to prepare an EIS for major Federal actions that significantly affect the quality of the human environment. An EIS is a full disclosure document that details the process through which a project is developed, the consideration of a range of reasonable alternatives, the potential impacts of the alternatives, and compliance with applicable environmental laws.

The EIS document will consist of:

• A description of the project
• The purpose and need for the project
• An analysis of possible alternatives for the project
• Studies of the existing human and natural environment
• A summary of potential effects on the environment that each alternative may have
• Identification of a preferred alternative

The EIS Process Flow Chart

1. Scoping - Gather comments from the public and federal and state agencies to identify potential issues.
   
   
2. Purpose and Need - Define the problems to address and the goals the project will accomplish.
   
   
3. Develop Alternatives - Identify potential alignments that meet the purpose and need of the project.
   
   
4. Study Environmental Impacts - Consider the existing human and natural environment and how each alternative may impact the area.
   
   
5. Draft EIS - A report presented to the public that discusses the alternatives studied and the impacts they may cause and identifies the preferred alternative.
   
   
6. Public Hearings - Opportunity for the public to review and discuss the findings of the EIS and the recommended preferred alternative.
   
   
7. Public Review and Comment - A 45-day period during which the public may submit comments on the Draft EIS.
   
   
8. Field Studies - The project team conducts field studies of the preferred alternative and makes adjustments to the project according to the findings and comments from the public.
   
   
9. Final EIS - A report that addresses agency and public comments, documents potential environmental impacts of the preferred alternative and presents how these impacts shall be mitigated.
   
   
10. Record of Decision (ROD) - Documents the final decision and summarizes mitigation measures to be implemented into the project.
    
    

What Environmental Issues will be studied?

• Land use
• Communities
• Environmental Justice
• Section 4(f)/6(f) Resources
• Historic Resources
• Hazardous Materials
• Noise
• Air Quality
• Construction Impacts
• Farmlands
• Shore erosion and accretion
• Recreation
• Water supply and conservation
• Safety
• Food and fiber production
• Wetlands
• Threatened and Endangered Species
• Water Quality
• Floodplains
• Wild and Scenic Rivers
• Coastal Zone Resources
• Energy
• Indirect and Cumulative Impacts
  
• Conservation
  
• Economics
  
• Aesthetics
  
• Fish and wildlife values
  
• Navigation
  
• Mineral needs
  
  

What is the difference between a Draft EIS and a Final EIS?

A Draft EIS is a report presented to the public that discusses alternatives that have been studied and their impacts. Upon completion of alternative studies, the Draft EIS recommends a Preferred Alternative. This report is made available for public review at local libraries and at Public Hearings. Public comments are solicited during and immediately after public hearings.

After the Draft EIS Public Hearing, a Final EIS will be developed to study the Preferred Alternative in more detail. At this time, intensive field surveys are conducted on the Preferred Alternative. A detailed analysis of impacts to the environment and communities and mitigation for these impacts is presented in a Final EIS. A Final EIS also includes responses to agency and public comments that were received on the Draft EIS. A Final EIS also includes responses to substantial comments received from the agencies and the public on the Draft EIS.


Back to top

How can I comment on the project?

• Comments will be accepted from the public during a public scoping meeting held at the beginning of the project with a 15-day comment period following. The Public Scoping meeting is scheduled for April 10th (6:00p.m.-8:00p.m.) at the Murray-LaSaine Elementary School, 691 Riverland Drive, Charleston.
  
  
• Informal Public information meetings will be held periodically throughout the length of the project. These meetings will be advertised in newspapers and mail notifications. After each meeting there will be a 15-day comment period on the project.
  
  
• Formal Public Hearings will be held upon completion of the Draft EIS and Final EIS. There will be a 45-day comment period, at the time of the public hearings, during which the public may submit comments to SCDOT and FHWA concerning the Draft EIS.
  
  
• Use the contact form to request information about the project.
  
  

Hotline: 1-888-MCE-I526
The project hotline will include a recorded message that will provide information on upcoming project events, a brief project status and other contact information. When you call, you may leave a project-related message that will be incorporated into the project file.

Contact Information:
David A. Kinard, P.E.
SCDOT Project Manager
P.O. Box 191
Columbia, SC 29202-0191