NEPA Environmental Reviews and Impact Analyses

We provide comprehensive start-to-finish support from scoping to final environmental impact statements to help government agencies meet their obligations under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) or other environmental regulations.  Our team of highly qualified earth and environmental scientists develop publicly accessible documents that integrate multifaceted technical and policy issues. With more than 20 years of experience working with regulatory agencies on NEPA evaluations, Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) offers unbiased and technically robust support.  Our team has conducted successful NEPA and safety evaluations on some of the most complex and contested sites and actions, including spent nuclear fuel storage and disposal sites, nuclear fuel fabrication facilities, in-situ uranium recovery projects, mill tailing sites, materials decommissioning facilities, legacy military testing sites, and federal rulemaking activities.

NEPA Document Development

Effective NEPA documentation relies on systematic, technically sound reviews to ensure accurate, objective analysis and presentation of the important issues.   Our multi-disciplinary team has extensive experience reviewing and developing EISs, EAs, and other NEPA documents. Staff reviews include:

• Assessment of compliance with NEPA and other regulatory and permitting requirements
• Evaluation of technical accuracy of data and modeling
• Independent, confirmatory technical analyses 

Independent Reviews for NEPA Compliance

Our staff members develop independent environmental impact assessments to support NEPA compliance. Analyses are documented in EAs or EISs prepared with the level of detail scaled to the significance of the potential impact. Key aspects of this approach include:

• Characterization of the affected environment and biosphere
• Thorough analysis of potential direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts
• Data traceability and visualization
• Rigorous quality assurance
• Reporting clarity
• Freedom from conflict of interest
• Expert testimony at hearings

Clear, Transparent Communication

Whether the project is a spent nuclear fuel storage facility, a transmission corridor, or a new pipeline, the challenge remains the same — writing an effective NEPA document in a manner that stakeholders and decision makers clearly understand.  In addition to well-written documents, we offer full public outreach and stakeholder engagement support.