| Preparation of an EIS contains a number of steps to complete the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) environmental process. The process steps include: |
| 1. Notice of Intent (NOI) |
| An NOI is published in the Federal Register to notify interested parties that a federal agency, in this case, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), intends to prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Draft EIS) in accordance with NEPA. The NOI also notifies agencies and the public of the date and place of scoping meetings to be held on the project. The NOI to prepare an EIS for Denver Union Station was published in the Federal Register on June 4, 2002. |
| 2. Public Involvement |
| Public involvement is an integral component of the EIS process and is required by NEPA. Community involvement starts with Scoping and continues through the FTA’s Record of Decision on the Final Environmental Impact Statement. For this project, the community includes all stakeholders, interested parties, affected publics and others interested in the development and preparation of the Denver Union Station Master Plan and EIS. |
| 3. Scoping |
Project scoping is a process designed to inform the public, stakeholders, interest groups and involved agencies about the project and to present preliminary project alternatives for discussion, collaboration and input. The process is designed to:
- Actively involve the public and agencies in setting the direction of the study;
- Identify reasonable alternatives to be considered;
- Assist in the screening of alternatives to be evaluated in the EIS;
- Identify potential significant potential impacts to be examined; and
- Eliminate insignificant issues early in the process.
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| 4. Develop Purpose and Need Statement |
| Based on background information and forecasted future conditions, a statement of the proposed project's Purpose and Need is developed. This Purpose and Need statement identifies the purpose of the proposed action and why improvements are needed (i.e., the transportation problems that the proposed project is intended to address). The Purpose and Need statement may be refined from input received from the public, stakeholders, and agencies. |
| 5. Develop and Screen Potential Project Alternatives |
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During the course of project development, a number of potential alternatives are developed to satisfy the Purpose and Need. Based on the goals and objectives established for the project, evaluation criteria and measures are developed to evaluate and screen the alternatives to a small number of alternatives that best meet the project's Purpose and Need.This screening process is iterative and includes a combination of technical analysis (both quantitative and qualitative) and review and feedback from the public and local agency representatives.
Alternatives Screening Process "Funnel" 
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| 6. Impact Analysis |
| A detailed environmental analysis is conducted for the alternatives that survive the screening process. The detailed impact analysis includes: a comprehensive list of environmental resources and transportation facilities. Once impacts are identified, potential mitigation measures are proposed for each alternative to minimize or avoid project impacts. |
| 7. Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Draft EIS) |
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The Draft EIS includes the following sections:
- Executive Summary
- Purpose and Need
- Alternatives Analysis
- Existing environmental conditions of the study area
- Summary of the results of the environmental impact analyses;
- Financial assessment of the alternatives under consideration; and
- Summary of the public and agency involvement process.
The Draft EIS is distributed to the public and agencies for review and comment over a 45 day period. A Public Hearing is held during the 45 day comment period.
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| 8. Final Environmental Impact Statement (Final EIS) |
| The Final EIS incorporates public comments and response to comments received on the Draft EIS. The Final EIS presents the Locally Preferred Alternative recommended for the project and commits to mitigation measures and any interagency agreements. The Final EIS is made available for a final review to allow the public to provide final comments. |
| 9. Record of Decision (ROD) |
| Following the Final EIS comment period, the FTA may issue a ROD, which formally approves the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA). Once the ROD is received, the project sponsor (i.e. RTD) may request permission from FTA to proceed with an application for federal funds for final design and construction. |
