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Task 3 — Environmental Assessment The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires federal agencies to consider environmental impacts during their decision-making process for major federal actions. Since it is not anticipated that the Sector 5 project will result in significant impacts to the natural, physical or social resources in the project area`, it is expected that an Environmental Assessment (EA) will satisfy NEPA requirements, and that an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will not be required. Previously collected and available data will bei compiled to develop the EA. If necessary, the EA will consider and select measures for mitigating identified adverse environmental impacts. According to the CEQ regulations (40 CFR 1508.9) the required general content of an EA includes: • Purpose and need for proposed action • Description of proposed action and alternatives • Environmental consequences associated with the proposed action and alternatives • Listing of agencies and persons consulted i The organization of the EA plays a significant role in the overall quality of the document and its effectiveness in assessing environmental impacts. The following identifies the format of the EA and main sections: • Introduction — The introduction will identify the project need and provide a history of related actions. • Description of Proposed Action and Alternatives — The EA will contain a detailed description of the proposed action and alternatives to -fulfill the requirements of the purpose and need statement. There may be several action alternatives considered, as well as the "No Action" alternative. Action alternatives will be limited to those management strategies outlined in the County's Beach Preservation Plan. • Affected Environment — A description of the environment in which the proposed action and alternatives are to take place will be included in the EA. This section will describe current conditions and serve as a baseline against which to compare potential impacts of the alternatives. A project has not been previously permitted within Sector 5, therefore it should be anticipated that field investigations will be required in order to establish the baseline conditions. Field investigations will be proposed to the County under a separate work order once the necessary investigations are identified, • Environmental Consequences — The EA will describe and analyze the anticipated environmental effects, if any, of the proposed action and alternatives on the resources described under Affected Environment. Deliverables CB&I will provide the County an electronic copy of the document for the EA as outlined above. The EA will be included in the FDEP Joint Coastal Permit application to support construction of the project. 198