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National Environmental Policy Act procedures must be followed for federal actions – including issuing permits – on or affecting federal lands and facilities. NEPA requires federal agencies to follow certain procedures for evaluating a project's impact to physical, economic, social and cultural environments as well as involving stakeholders. Agencies must compare the proposed project's environmental effects with those of a range of reasonable alternatives to improve decision making and ensure that all potential impacts are evaluated. Although NEPA requires agencies to consider potential impacts to the environment and disclose them, the law does not force an agency's decision on a permit or other action.

The Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline Act of 2004 (ANGPA) made many NEPA decisions up front for a gas pipeline project that would be built from the North Slope of Alaska to the Canadian border.

First, this federal law mandates an environmental impact statement for the gas pipeline project. The project is "a major Federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment," the law states.

Second, the law names the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission as the lead agency responsible for preparing the EIS. FERC issues a certificate of public convenience and necessity for interstate natural gas pipelines under the Natural Gas Act; the certificate allows the pipeline to be built and operated. ANGPA also requires other federal agencies to work collaboratively with FERC during the development of the EIS and rely on the impact statement for their own pipeline-related approvals.

Third, it sets deadlines. FERC has 12 months to draft an environmental impact statement after determining the application for a certificate is complete, as shown in the figure to the right. Then it has six more months to finalize the EIS. If the application to FERC is submitted in October 2012 as required by the state of Alaska's cost-reimbursement agreement with the project developers, and assuming FERC accepts it as complete, the draft EIS could be done in late fall 2013 and the final EIS in late spring 2014.
Also, FERC must make a decision on whether to issue the certificate
within 60 days of the final EIS.

NEPA history >

NEPA became law on Jan. 1, 1970. Some have called it an environmental Magna Carta.

Resource reports >

FERC requires applicants for new gas pipelines to submit public documents called resource reports that contain information on fish, wildlife, soils, vegetation and other aspects of the route's environment. These reports become the foundation of FERC's environmental analysis under NEPA. The applicant, the TransCanada/ExxonMobil Alaska Pipeline Project, submitted draft resource reports in January 2012. FERC expects that the applicant will submit a revised set of drafts with additional information in August 2012. The final versions will be provided with the application to FERC in October 2012 to build and operate the pipeline. 

Scoping >

Scoping is a public process that occurs before agencies draft an environmental impact statement. Concerns the public and agencies identify during scoping help define the focus of the EIS. On Aug. 1, 2011, FERC published a notice of intent to prepare the environmental impact statement, announcing to the public that scoping has begun for the Alaska project. 

Draft environmental impact statements >

The draft EIS will be prepared after scoping ends. This document discloses and analyzes potential harm and benefits of the proposed project and its alternatives.

Final environmental impact statements >

FERC will have six months after publishing the draft EIS to finalize the document, incorporating its responses to public comments on the draft as well as any new relevant information.

Agency decisions >

Federal agencies with jurisdiction over the pipeline project will use the final EIS in making their decisions on permits and other authorizations.  The Alaska Pipeline Project will need multiple federal authorizations besides a FERC certificate.

Get involved >

How stakeholders can get involved in the process.

Project description

Main pipeline (section within Alaska)

• 745 miles of 48-inch, buried/chilled pipeline
• Operating pressure of 2,500 pounds per square inch
• Current route parallels the trans-Alaska oil line to Delta and then follows the highway to the Canadian border
• 16 major water body crossings, 68 intermediate and 420 minor
• 19 oil line crossings and 37 highway crossings
• 8 compressor stations
• Minimum of 5 off-take points
• Gas treatment plant located next to Prudhoe Bay operations

Point Thomson transmission line

• 58 miles of 32-inch, buried/chilled pipeline
• Line runs west to Prudhoe Bay
• 5 major water body crossings