The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) requires agencies to consider the potential impacts of federally-funded projects to the social and natural environment. For this project, the NEPA process will include:

• Defining the project's purpose and need;
• Coordinating with the public and federal, state and local agencies to identify key resources in the study area;
• Identifying and developing project alternatives;
• Evaluating the potential environmental effects of feasible project alternatives; and
• Preparing an Environmental Assessment (EA) to document the environmental analysis.

The project also will be subject to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966 and other applicable environmental laws and regulations.