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Getting Involved in the Programmatic EISThere are several ways to participate in the Upper Great Plains Wind Energy Programmatic EIS (PEIS) process. You can provide information and comments about the scope of the PEIS, comment on the Draft PEIS when it is published, attend public meetings, read the PEIS and related documents, and learn about the PEIS on this Web site. Public ScopingPublic scoping is a phase of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis process intended to give interested parties the chance to comment on a proposed action, recommend alternatives, and to identify and prioritize the issues to be considered in the PEIS analyses. Scoping is the earliest, but not the last, opportunity for people to provide input on the Upper Great Plains Wind Energy PEIS. During scoping, the Western Area Power Administration and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (the Agencies) invited interested parties to participate in the scoping process, both to identify alternatives and environmental issues to be analyzed in depth and to eliminate from detailed study those alternatives and environmental issues that are not feasible or pertinent. The scoping process was intended to involve all interested agencies (federal, state, county, and local), public interest groups, businesses, and members of the public. The public scoping period started with the publication of the Notice of Intent in the Federal Register on September 11, 2008, and ended November 10, 2008. Comment ConsiderationWritten and oral comments received during scoping will be given equal weight, and the Agencies will consider all comments that were received or postmarked by November 10, 2008, in defining the scope of this PEIS. Comments received or postmarked after that date will be considered to the extent practicable. Public Scoping MeetingsPublic scoping meetings for the Upper Great Plains Wind Energy PEIS were held in three cities in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana in September and October 2008. Oral and written public comments were submitted at these meetings. Dates and locations for the public scoping meetings are available on the Public Scoping Meetings page. Cooperating AgenciesThe Agencies invite any federal, state, or local agency or tribal government with jurisdiction by law or special expertise in wind energy development and/or electricity transmission operation to be a cooperating agency. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Utilities Service (RUS) has already indicated that it plans to participate as a cooperating agency. The RUS point of contact for this PEIS is: Barbara R. Britton Other agencies or state governments may become cooperating agencies at a later date. Future Public Involvement OpportunitiesScoping is one phase of the NEPA process. It is intended to give interested parties the chance to comment on a proposed action and to offer suggestions about the issues to be considered in the EIS analyses. Scoping is the earliest, but not the last, opportunity for people to provide input on the Upper Great Plains Wind Energy PEIS. The public and other interested parties will be invited to provide comments on the draft PEIS when it is published. For More InformationFor more information on public participation in the NEPA process, please consult the following publications:
For information on the Upper Great Plains Wind Energy PEIS process, contact: Mr. Mark Wieringa For information on the Service's participation in the PEIS, contact: Mr. Michael Spratt |
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