Agenda - Environmental Policy Board - 03/20/2017

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f U 0 A Citizen's Guide: Commenting on Environmental Review Projects which is available on the EQB's website: https://www.eqb.state.mn.us/eqb-monitor. Make sure to file comments with the RGU before the comment period closes. The RGU can legally disregard untimely comments. The table below outlines the different commenting periods for each method of environmental review: Type of Environmental Review Description Comment Calendar/Business Period Days EAW Provides a brief analysis and overview of the possible environmental impacts of a project. 30 Days Actual calendar days Draft AUAR Helps prepare for the Final AUAR and required mitigation plan. 30 Days Actual calendar days Final AUAR and required mitigation plan A planning tool used to understand how different development scenarios would affect the environment of the community. 10 Days Business/working days Scoping EAW (for an EIS) A document similar to an EAW, but is used to outline the issues that will be addressed in an EIS. 30 Days Actual calendar days Draft EIS An in-depth environmental analysis that frequently takes more than one year to complete and includes a mandatory public meeting. i > 25 Days Business/working days Final EIS Although there is a 10-day public comment period for a Final EIS, no response to comments 10 Days by the RGU is required. Business/working days Accepted comments The RGU is required to evaluate and respond to substantive comments. Substantive comments address the content or issue raised in the EAW, AUAR or EIS. For example, "The project developer is a jerk," or, "I am against this project," would not be considered substantive. Public comments are particularly valuable and helpful the RGU when they: • List any inaccuracies in the EAW, EIS, AUAR or other accompanying documents. • Show potential environmental impacts that haven't been identified by the proposer or the RGU. • Show that certain environmental impacts have been identified, but haven't been adequately addressed. • Suggest possible mitigation measures that should be added to the proposal Clearly written comments are more useful to RGUs and are more likely to get some kind of action. For example, "I'm concerned about water quality," may express your concerns, but, "My 50 foot -deep drinking water well is within a quarter mile of the proposed gravel mine," will draw the RGUs' attention much better. Similarly, "I don't want a landfill in my neighborhood," may be a legitimate concern, but the RGU could actually be in violation of state law if it denied the landfill permit for that reason alone. It would be better to identify other potential impacts by saying something like, "The additional traffic from this project creates public safety and air quality issues. There is a public school and two day-care centers along the proposed haul road to the new landfill". Writing a comment letter The goal of commenting is to communicate concerns about the potential environmental effects of the project. If the comment fails to be both understandable and believable, then the effort put into that comment will be wasted. The following tips will help effectively communicate a comment to the RGU. •. • 3