Why are Alternative Arrangements for NEPA compliance needed for the FEMA-funded reconstruction of critical infrastructure?
The NEPA Alternative Arrangements have been developed for GNO because of the level of damage from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the number of pending Public Assistance (PA) projects. As the principal funding agency, FEMA wishes to consider combined environmental effects rather than the impacts of each grant application individually. The Alternative Arrangements process for NEPA compliance allows a comprehensive assessment of PA projects. FEMA believes that certain projects could result in secondary land use changes that are incompatible with existing uses or community plans. The pre-disaster socioeconomic composition of the communities most heavily affected by the wind and flood damage was largely low-income and minority communities. There is a potential for some of these projects to have environmental effects (i.e., land-use changes, air quality impacts of construction activities, air quality impacts of traffic patterns, water quality impacts) that disproportionately affect these co
