What is an Environmental
Impact Statement?
An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is a document required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) that represents a federal agency’s evaluation of the environmental effects of a proposed project or action. Since the National Environmental Policy Act was enacted more than 40 years ago, federal agencies such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have been required to prepare environmental impact statements for federal projects and initiatives. To comply with this mandate, the FAA is preparing an EIS for the construction and operation of the South Suburban Airport (SSA).
For more information about the FAA's involvement in the SSA project, please click here.
As part of this airfield project, the EIS will allow the FAA, other federal, state and local agencies, and the general public, to discuss openly and fairly the environmental impacts associated with the development of the South Suburban Airport. The EIS also will define the purpose and need of the airport actions and compare the environmental effects of those actions to other reasonable alternatives, including whether to build or not build the airport. During this process, the FAA also will highlight any adverse environmental impacts that may be created by this project and identify any unavoidable impacts, if they exist. One of the most important components of the EIS is public input. Your comments are important to us. When the EIS is ready, you are invited to review the document and offer your comments. Please check this website regularly to access and download various environmental reports and exhibits. Here you’ll also find notices of upcoming public meetings and hearings.
Want to learn more about an EIS?
The FAA has prepared criterion that defines the level of analysis and the processing of an environmental impact statement. These FAA agencywide guidelines are contained in Order 1050.1E “Environmental Impacts: Policies and Procedures.” The FAA Airports Division also has prepared a companion report, Order 5050.4B “National Environmental Policy Act(NEPA) Implementing Instructions for Airport Actions” that defines airport-specific guidance. To learn more about the SSA’s environmental process, please click on the Environmental Process section above.
