NEPA Compliance Strategy Development

Ms. Swartz can develop and help execute comprehensive NEPA compliance strategies, from the initial agency discussions of the proposed action and alternatives through to final agency decisionmaking. Her plans focus on identifying all components of the proposed action and all reasonable alternatives, working to involve all stakeholders - especially the public - in the process, and analyzing potential impacts with an appropriate level of detail.

Preparation of NEPA Documents

A strong writer, Ms. Swartz has been the principal author on many EAs and various sections of EISs. Preparation of EAs generally relies on information provided by the federal agency and/or private applicant, complemented with additional publicly available information.

For EISs, Ms. Swartz can prepare the chapters relating to the description of the proposed action and alternatives, and can work with analysts to prepare cogent and concise discussions of the affected environment and environmental consequences. She can also prepare the EIS Summary on which agency decisionmakers and the public typically focus.

Selected NEPA documents for which Ms. Swartz has been the principal author include:
EA for a proposed Life Sciences Building at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island (U.S. Department of Energy and National Aeronautic and Space Administration)
Proposed Road Management Strategy EA (U.S. Forest Service)
Proposed Planning Rule EA (U.S. Forest Service)

EA for the cleanup and closure of the Energy Technology Engineering Center in California (U.S. Department of Energy)
EA for the decontamination, demolition, and removal of various facilities at the West Valley Demonstration Project in New York (U.S. Department of Energy)

Supplement Analyses for proposed activities at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico (U.S. Department of Energy)
EAs for the decontamination and decommissioning of the Juggernaut Reactor, Zero Power Reactor, and Building 301 at Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois (U.S. Department of Energy)
EA for a Proposed Solid Rocket Motor Water Washout Facility at Hill Air Force Base in Utah (U.S. Air Force)
Summary of the EIS for the Proposed Acquisition of the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway Company by Canadian National Railway Company and Grand Trunk Corporation in Illinois (Surface Transportation Board)
Summary of the Yucca Mountain Repository Draft and Final EIS (U.S. Department of Energy)

Proposal Support and Preparation for Oral Presentations

Using her 15 years of experience in responding to federal requests for proposals, Ms. Swartz can support the development of proposals related to NEPA tasks, review and comment on draft NEPA proposals ("Red Team" reviews), and support teams in their preparation for oral presentations to source selection boards.

Regulatory and Technical Review of NEPA Documents

Ms. Swartz can provide a quality assurance review of all or pertinent parts of NEPA documents to promote consistency with NEPA, relevant NEPA regulations, and case law. She has strong writing skills and can help to revise text to improve readability. Her work in this area has included regulatory and technical reviews of:

  • EIS for the Texas Clean Energy Project (for DOE through Summit Texas Clean Energy, LLC)EIS for the Proposed Acquisition of the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway Company by Canadian National Railway Company and Grand Trunk Corporation (for the Surface Transportation Board, through HDR Engineering)EA for the Proposed Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS) (for the Smithsonian Institution/National Science Foundation, through Battelle and SWCA, Inc.)Providence River and Harbor Dredging Project EIS (for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, through Battelle)EIS for the Designation of Dredged Material Disposal Sites in Long Island Sound, Connecticut and New York (for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, through Battelle)Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository EIS (for the U.S. Department of Energy, through Battelle)Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Disposal Phase Final Supplemental EIS (for the U.S. Department of Energy, through Battelle)Waste Management Programmatic EIS (for the U.S. Department of Energy, through Labat-Anderson Incorporated)

Public Participation Planning and Execution

Ms. Swartz can support the development of a comprehensive public participation plan in order to involve all stakeholders in the NEPA process from the beginning and address their concerns to the fullest extent possible during the process and in the NEPA analysis and documentation. In her experience, development and implementation of an effective public participation plan can reduce delays throughout the process and reduce the potential for litigation at the conclusion of the process.

Review of Agency NEPA Compliance Programs

Using her experience in preparing and reviewing NEPA documents and her familiarity with NEPA law and regulation, Ms. Swartz can conduct independent reviews of agency NEPA programs and make recommendations to improve efficiency and quality.

Most recently, Ms. Swartz was the lead investigator for and principal author of a NEPA compliance study for Rural Development, U.S. Department of Agriculture reviewing existing and proposed NEPA regulations and agency NEPA implementation policies and practices. She was also the principal author of a report evaluating the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards NEPA program, including NEPA analyses, documentation, and training modules. In both instances, she briefed senior agency management staff regarding the team's findings and recommendations for improvements.

NEPA Training

Ms. Swartz can develop customized NEPA courses, including preparation of student and teacher materials. She can also teach courses, from entire NEPA overview seminars to sessions on specific topics. Her experience includes developing classes on many NEPA subjects:
History of NEPA
NEPA Requirements
Overview of Council on Environmental Quality NEPA Implementing Regulations
Purpose and Need
Alternatives
Scoping
Cumulative Impacts
Categorical Exclusions
Contents of the EIS
EAs and FONSIs
Public Involvement
Preparing Readable Documents