Scoping  

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires an early and open public process for identifying the significant issues related to a proposed action and determining how those issues will be addressed in the environmental analysis, to ensure that the content of the analysis is properly focused.

This process is called scoping, and it is the first of a series of opportunities for those who believe they would be affected by or interested in a proposed action to register environmental concerns.  Scoping formally begins with publication of a Notice in the Federal Register that indicates the agency's intention to analyze a proposed action.  The Notice initiates a scoping comment period during which public meetings are usually held.

Comments gathered at public meetings and those submitted via other means during the scoping period are analyzed and published in a scoping report. 

Scoping helps: 

 identify issues related to the resources and values in a project area.
 identify feasible alternatives that can then be analyzed in the Draft EIS.

Documents relating to Scoping for the China Mountain Wind Project EIS

Federal Register Notice of Intent Preliminary Plan of Development  Scoping Meeting exhibit

  Scoping Report (2010)

    ♦ Appendix A 
    ♦ Appendix B 
    ♦ Appendix C  
    ♦ Appendix D  
    ♦ Appendix E 
    ♦ Appendix F