Why didn the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers do the full environmental review?
Good question. Although all major federal projects, particularly those that have major impact, are expected to undergo an environmental review, there is a shortcut. Instead of the full review or Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) the agency could do an Environmental Assessment (EA). This is far less intensive and frequently results in the advocate for the project simply declaring a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI). The Corps did an EA in Zilwaukee. The EPA, in documents recovered through FOIA, has questioned the factual basis for the Corps’ position. The Lone Tree Council, a local environmental group and one of the sponsors of this website, is presently in federal court arguing that the Corps should have done the more complete review. The Council, represented by attorneys with the National Wildlife Federation, is also contesting the lack of water treatment.
