Memo 3: See table and attachments below

Oregon Watershed Council Applications

IMPORTANT: DO NOT CONTACT THE WATERSHED COUNCILS or COORDINATORS

Files can be accessed on the course website by clicking "Oregon Watershed Council Applications" heading. If you encounter any problems accessing your council’s application, please let me know ASAP. If your web link does not work, try a web search before contact me.

IMPORTANT: DO NOT CONTACT THE WATERSHED COUNCILS or COORDINATORS

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Memo 2: See attachments below

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Memo 1: National Environmental Policy Act

Due: Wednesday, October 12, 2015

Background

The National Environmental Policy Act of 1970 (NEPA) mandated that all federal projects, policies or actions integrate environmental concerns into the planning and decision making process. NEPA sets off a procedure for assessing the impacts of a proposed activities, considering alternatives, and taking steps to mitigate the impact of the activity. Although NEPA has performed well over the past 45 years, there are a number of concerns with the process and framework.

Key Sources

• Decision Notice & Finding of No Significant Impact: Cold Canal Vegetation Management, Wallowa County, Oregon. PDF below
• Environmental Assessment: Cold Canal Vegetation Management, Wallowa County, Oregon. PDF below
• Ortolano, Leonard (1997) Chapter 15: Environmental Regulation and Impact Assessment. In Environmental Regulation and Impact Assessment. New York: John Wiley & Sons (PDF on Class Schedule Page).

Supporting Material

• Cold Canal Vegetation Management Website: http://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=30716
• Squillace and Hood (2011) NEPA, Climate Change, and Public Lands Decisions Making. Legal Studies Research Paper Series, Working Paper 11-13. Boulder, CO: University of Colorado Law School. PDF on Class Schedule Page
• Council on Environmental Quality website: http://www.whitehouse.gov/ceq/
• FedCenter NEPA Program Area on Natural Resources: https://www.fedcenter.gov/programs/natural/

Assignment

Prepare a 2 page memo (single spaced, 11 pt font or larger) for a sustainability-oriented NGO (triple bottom line) making a recommendation about whether to support or oppose the Cold Canal project. The memo should:

• Provide a thorough overview of the NEPA process and explains how the Cold Canal Vegetation Management Environmental Assessment fits into this process.
• Convey a brief overview of the Cold Canal project goals and expected outcomes and develop a rationale for whether the NGO should support the proposed project.
• Consider one of the “perennial problems with NEPA implementation” from Ortolano (1997, pp 325-329) and explains how this problem may be exemplified or addressed in the Cold Canal EA. [Note: you are not expected to critique the science of the EA, but you can explain how the perennial problems may be reflected in the approach, process or findings in this document.]

Specific Criteria

• Memo thoroughly and accurately explains the Cold Canal Vegetation Management project and how it fits within NEPA;
• Memo thoughtfully explores a perennial problem and whether it is reflected in the Cold Canal EA;
• Memo uses evidence to develop a recommendation;
• Memo is well written, including:
  • Logical structure and argument;
  • Assertions supported by evidence that are properly referenced in footnotes;
  • Appropriate use of active voice and professional tone;
  • Free of grammatical errors
• All other criteria outlined in the Policy/Management Memo rubric handout.