National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Environmental Assessment

Location:  Greenville, South Carolina

South Greenville Fire District (SGFD) is a regional fire department that currently operates six stations serving approximately 143 square miles south of the city of Greenville, South Carolina.  In addition to providing fire suppression and medical first response, the District provides mutual aid and a Rapid Intervention Team to 11 neighboring departments.  In September 2009, the SGFD attained federal funding through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Fire Station Construction Grant (AFG) Program under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) for the construction of a new fire station in a growing and underserved portion of the district. 

Under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), FEMA is required to consider potential impacts to the environment before funding or approving actions and projects.  Altamont was retained by SGFD to complete an Environmental Assessment (EA) to determine the scope of potential impacts related to the construction of the new fire station.  The EA requires coordinating with local, state, and federal agencies and local stakeholders throughout the scoping and assessment process.  The EA identifies the environmental permitting requirements for the project and assesses potential impacts to the natural environment (e.g., physical resources, water resources, threatened and endangered species, critical habitat) and the human environment (e.g., cultural resources, socioeconomic resources).  Altamont completed the investigation of reasonable alternative actions and evaluation of respective impacts during the development of the proposed project.

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