NEPA COMPLIANCE

ERO’s team of specialists has overseen the successful completion of hundreds of NEPA compliance projects throughout the U.S. We work closely with federal and state agencies and nonfederal project proponents to navigate the NEPA process and complete responsive, well-supported, and legally defensible compliance documents, including environmental impact statements, environmental assessments, and categorical exclusions. Our clients rely on our experience and expertise to provide a straightforward approach to completing the required level of NEPA compliance and associated permitting. Our goal is to support project proponents, agencies, and partners throughout the process as efficiently as possible. 

ERO provides a comprehensive range of NEPA services including:

Interdisciplinary team meeting facilitation, scoping, workshops, and conflict resolution
Resource studies such as visitor use, soils, geology, recreation, visual, wilderness, Wild & Scenic Rivers, air quality, socioeconomic, land use, and hazardous materials

Developing purpose and need statements and range of alternatives
Stakeholder and public engagement, including pre-NEPA civic engagement

Biological and cultural resource surveys to support impact analysis
Project management
Comment analysis
Expert witness testimony

Areas of Expertise

Scoping and public involvement

ERO plans and implements effective public involvement strategies, including public meetings, stakeholder outreach, and written materials (e.g., websites and newsletters). We use customized databases to efficiently manage and respond to public comments.

Project purpose and need and alternatives development

We help define a purpose and need that focuses project objectives and clearly addresses agency needs. ERO also helps our clients identify a viable and sufficient range of project alternatives for accomplishing project objectives.

Biological resource assessment

ERO’s expertise in biological resource assessment and permitting (e.g., vegetation, noxious weeds, wetlands, wildlife, and threatened and endangered species) is often a core element of NEPA compliance and documentation. ERO also faciliates compliance with Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act. Visit our Biological Resources section for more details on ERO's services. 

Cultural resources

Federal projects require compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. ERO’s archaeologists are qualified to complete the necessary surveys and consultations and provide expertise integrating these issues into NEPA compliance and documentation. For more information visit our Cultural Resources page.

Water resources

ERO’s hydrologists and geologists are well versed in water rights, surface water, ground water, water quality analyses, Wild & Scenic Rivers, and Section 404 permitting. We provide expertise in evaluating impacts on streams, lakes, floodplains, and aquifers. Additional information regarding our hydrology-related areas of expertise and experience is available in our Water Resources section. 

Other environmental resources

To meet NEPA requirements, ERO provides expertise in evaluating recreation, socioeconomics, environmental justice, geology, soils, climate change, and other environmental resources specific to project needs. In addition, we address hazardous material concerns, including site assessments and remediation as described on our Environmental Due Diligence page. 

Cumulative impacts

Increasingly important is the need to thoroughly consider the cumulative effects of the proposed action in combination with past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions. ERO has considerable experience conducting reasonable and effective cumulative impact evaluations to ensure all potential effects are disclosed. 

NEPA Services Leads

Emily Corsi – Associate

Senior Environmental Planner

Emily has been managing environmental compliance projects since 2007. She is based in Boise, Idaho, and her work focuses on the Intermountain West. Emily is an experienced National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Endangered Species Act (ESA) compliance specialist with project experience ranging from hard rock and coal mining projects, to dam removals and transmission lines, to land use planning. She has managed and contributed to projects that involved numerous stakeholders and agencies, including the U.S. Forest Service (USFS); Bureau of Land Management (BLM); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; National Park Service; Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks; and numerous county governments. In addition to her NEPA experience, Emily specializes in Montana Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) compliance and previously worked for the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) as a MEPA coordinator. She also specializes in compliance with state and federal mining regulations, including the Montana Metal Mine Reclamation Act (hard rock mining), the Montana Strip and Underground Mine Reclamation Act (coal mining), USFS 36 Code of Federal Regulations 228 locatable minerals regulations (federal hard rock mining), and the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (federal coal mining). Earlier in her career (2003 to 2007), Emily worked primarily on natural resources policy, serving in various positions in state and federal government and obtaining a master’s degree that focused on natural resources law and policy. Her master’s degree work culminated in a research project related to improving the BLM’s resource management planning process. She also worked as a land use planner (2007 to 2008) for a surveying and planning firm based in Missoula, Montana.

Emily is an experienced project manager. While at DEQ, Emily coordinated MEPA/NEPA-mandated environmental impact statement (EIS) projects for Montana mines, including the Montanore Mine and Transmission Line EIS, the Troy Mine Reclamation Plan EIS, and the EIS for the Stillwater and East Boulder Mines’ Water Management Plans. At ERO, projects that Emily has managed include the Montanore Mine and Transmission Line EIS, the Montanore Project Evaluation Phase Supplemental EIS, and the East Boulder Mine Stage 6 Tailings Storage Facility Expansion Project Environmental Assessment. She also frequently serves as an assistant project manager, including for the Western Energy Rosebud Mine Area F EIS and the Westmoreland Rosebud Mine Area B AM5 EIS.

Emily is an experienced public participation practitioner and a certified natural resources conflict resolution specialist, having completed a graduate-level certificate program at the University of Montana. She has organized and facilitated numerous public meetings for various project types, including mines and subdivisions. She understands how to effectively engage stakeholders and how to run meetings when tensions are high.

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