Over The River Environmental Impact Statement
Over The RiverTM (OTR) is a trademark name for a proposed work of art by the artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude and OTR Corp (collectively referred to as the "applicant"). The applicant proposes to install approximately 5.9 miles of fabric panels suspended above the Arkansas River in eight select areas along a stretch of river between the towns of Salida and Canon City, Colorado. The installation would require the use of lands administered by the BLM, Colorado State Land Board (SLB), private land, lands cooperatively managed by Colorado State Parks in the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area, and Union Pacific Railroad rights-of-way.
Through the application process, the BLM determined an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) would be required in order to proceed with the proposal due to the project complexity, controversial nature of the proposal, concerns regarding public safety, and the potential for significant impacts. The applicant also made a specific request for an EIS. An EIS is a document required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for federal government agency actions "significantly affecting the quality of the human environment."
The EIS process will assess the cumulative impacts of the proposed project, solicit feedback from the public, consult with agencies and organizations with jurisdiction in the project area and special expertise with respect to environmental issues, and identify a reasonable range of alternatives (including the no action alternative).
The BLM is the lead Federal agency with the final authority to determine whether, where, when, and under what terms and conditions, a BLM land use permit would be issued to the project applicant for OTR. Through this process, the BLM intends to avoid, minimize, rectify, reduce, eliminate, or compensate for potential environmental impacts to the extent possible as required by NEPA.
The Draft EIS should be available for public review and comment in June 2010. The Final EIS is scheduled for release in January 2011, with the Record of Decision to be issued in March 2011.
The BLM will accept public comments throughout the EIS process.
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