Plan Process

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires all federal agencies to consider and document the potential impacts of management actions on the human environment. The National Park Service (NPS) applies NEPA in the planning process to evaluate alternative courses of action and impacts so decisions are made in accord with the conservation and preservation mandate of the NPS Organic Act of 1916. The NPS utilizes Director's Order 12, Conservation Planning, Environmental Impact Analysis, and Decision-making (DO-12), and accompanying DO-12 Handbook to define the steps within the NEPA process (see below) for each specific project and outline the necessary requirements and contents for environmental document preparation.

For this proposal, an environmental assessment (EA) is the NEPA document being prepared to assist in planning and decision-making and to determine if an action has the potential for significant impact. The EA will address the project background, the purpose and need for the Development Concept Plan, the no action alternative, and action alternatives developed through this public scoping process. The EA will also document the environmental issues and potential impacts of implementing those actions outlined in each of the action alternatives.


* indicates the current step in the planning process
Step 1. Initiate NEPA Scoping
Step 2. Public Scoping Meeting
Step 3. Document Affected Environment, Determine Environmental Consequences, and Develop Mitigation Measures
Step 4. Prepare EA for Public Review
Step 5. Public Review and Comments on EA *
Step 6. NEPA Decision Document