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So, how can some of these differences be resolved? Or, to put it another way, how can the county obtain mitigation that they feel is important, but is being denied by the railroad? The answer lies in the railroad's environmental_ permitting process. The FRA is generating a draft EIS (Environmental Impact Statement) which is in compliance with NEPA (National Environmental Protection Act) for the project. What must the EIS address? From the railroad's web site; • "NEPA is a decision-making process that requires federal agencies to consider the impacts of actions on the human and natural environment and to disclose such impacts in a public document. • Over 30 categories are evaluated, including the potential impacts to Economic and Social Environments, Cultural Resources, Environmental Justice, Noise and Vibration, Air and Water Quality and Protected Species and Essential Habitats." In_addition, -a Section 106 permit requires that all railroad project impacts on historic resources must be identified, and mitigated if necessary. Note: this applies not only to all "registered" historic buildings and sites, but also to all "eligible" historic sites. (This means that if a site meets the criteria for registration, but is not registered it shall be considered registered for purposes of historic mitigation.) Immediate sites of historic concern in Vero, for example, might be the old train station, the Vero Man Site, and the Diesel Generating plant. The Town Historic Preservation Commissions, the local Historical Societies and the Florida State Historic Preservation Officer are all important_ resources in defining these sites and the mitigation they In addition, the EIS must present reasons why this project should be constructed at all, when compared with the "no -build" option, or other project options. The upshot of all of this is that the EIS process is the final "court" in which the benefits of the rail projectareweighed against all of the impacts, and necessary mitigation is determined. This is a vitally important process to any town or county which will be impacted by the railroad The railroad on their web site has set down a schedule for •-- The first scoping meetings were held in May 2013. • The draft EIS was due in September of 2013 113.3 SmeadSoft Reprint Date: Wednesday, December 14, 2016 - 11:57:42 - BCC:1625, Attachment Id t, page 188