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You are here: Home | Public Involvement PUBLIC INVOLVEMENTSEA encourages broad public participation in the EIS process. Throughout the EIS process, SEA has solicited input from interested agencies, organizations, communities, or individuals. As part of the environmental review process to date, SEA has conducted broad public outreach activities to inform the public about the proposed action and to facilitate public participation. SEA consulted with and will continue to consult with Federal, State of Alaska, and local agencies, tribal organizations, affected communities, and all interested parties to gather and disseminate information about the proposed project. In particular, the public had an opportunity to comment on the draft Scope of Study for the EIS and the Draft EIS.
Previous Participation Opportunities – The Draft EISSEA distributed the Draft EIS through hard copy and CD-ROM mailing to maximize public awareness of the availability of the document and to provide instructions on how to comment on the Draft EIS. The list included approximately 6,800 contacts at the time SEA distributed the Draft EIS. SEA encouraged the public and any interested parties to submit written comments on all aspects of the Draft EIS. The comment period on the Draft EIS closed on May 10, 2010. Commenters also had the opportunity to submit comments electronically. Additional information about the project can be obtained by calling the SEA toll-free number at 1 888 257-7560 (telecommunications device [TDD] for the hearing impaired is 1-800-877-8339). Comments on the Draft EIS are posted on the STB Web site at www.stb.dot.gov and can be viewed by Click clicking on "E-LIBRARY", "Correspondence", "Environmental", "Full text search", then entering "35095". SEA and the cooperating agencies held six public meetings on the Draft EIS during which interested parties made oral comments in a formal setting and/or submitted written comments. SEA began each meeting with a brief overview of the proposed action and environmental review process. The overview was followed by a formal comment period during which each interested individual was given approximately five minutes to address the meeting participants and convey his or her oral comments. A court reporter was present to record these oral comments. The court reporter was available at the conclusion of the formal segment of the meeting to record oral comments from individuals not interested in addressing the meeting as a whole. Meetings were held at the following dates, times, and locations:
If you would like to be added to the project mailing list or would like to be sent a copy of the Draft EIS please contact David Navecky. See the Contact Information page. Previous Participation Opportunities – ScopingSEA conducted six open-house format scoping meetings to provide the public with information on the proposed project and environmental review process and to solicit comments on the draft Scope of Study. The scoping meetings were held in Knik, Big Lake, Willow, Houston, Wasilla, and Anchorage, Alaska on March 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, and 11, 2008, respectively. SEA considered agency and public input received during the scoping process and on July 17, 2009 issued the final scope of study for the Draft EIS. SEA published the final scope of study in the Federal Register, placed it on the STB Web site and project Web sites, and mailed an announcement of the availability of the final scope of study to approximately 8,000 individuals, agencies, and other interested parties on the SEA project mailing list. The final scope of study summarized the comments received and potential impacts to be analyzed. |