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Final EIS Released

The Final Environmental Impact Statement (Final EIS) for proposed improvements to Sitka Rocky Gutierrez Airport has been released and is available for review. The environmental process for the project began in 2004 and, most recently, included publication of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Draft EIS) in August 2008.

During the Draft EIS comment period (August 2 – October 14, 2008) interested parties provided formal comments on a range of specific details in the Draft EIS. In the months that followed, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reviewed and considered those comments. The Final EIS acknowledges and responds to those comments. As appropriate, assessments, descriptions, and other details in the Draft EIS have been clarified, updated, and revised in the Final EIS.

The Final EIS details the alternatives carried forward for evaluation and their affect on the environment, including the preferred alternative for each proposed action. The best available information was used by the FAA in selecting the preferred alternatives and was based upon the ability of each alternative to meet the project purpose and need, prudence, and financial feasibility, as well as anticipated environmental consequences.

Hard copies of the Final EIS are available for review at four locations as well as online here.

Between publication of the Final EIS and construction of
the proposed projects, a series of determinations must be
made, federal financial assistance secured, and permits and
clearances received from various federal and state agencies. The Record of Decision (ROD), a formal decision document
by the FAA authorizing the selected alternatives, will be published
no sooner than 30 days after release of the Final EIS.

• Final EIS Executive Summary
  (PDF | MS Word)
• Complete Final EIS