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FAQ REGARDING SUSPENSION OF THE EIS

What is the official status of the Draft EIS?

Answer: The Draft EIS has been suspended indefinitely.

What does suspension of a DEIS mean?

Answer: This means that the agency has neither discarded nor selected an alternative and that tasks associated with the EIS are not being undertaken at this time.

Why has the FAA suspended the DEIS?

Answer: We updated the cost estimates when we identified the two finalist sites. Costs are significantly higher than the planning level estimates we had for an "unnamed" site when we started the EIS. In addition, we have identified impacts to wildlife that could be very costly to mitigate, adding additional cost to the project.

What is the BLM role in this suspension?

Answer: The BLM, our cooperating agency in this EIS, supports the suspension. They plan to retain the application from FMAA for land sale on Site 10A in their files.

What does the FAA plan to do at this point?

Answer:
  • Allow the Friedman Memorial Airport Authority (FMAA) Board time to identify, in discussions with the community, what viable options should be further explored at Friedman Memorial Airport.
  • Provide technical guidance to the FMAA Board and community while we and the FMAA board respectively plan our next steps.

Why has it taken FAA this long to get to this point?

Answer:
  • This is not an unusual timeframe for a large capital development project that is moving through a major EIS decision process.
  • The decision to proceed with a replacement airport was not easy. It took time for the community to decide to move in the direction of a new airport. Once the decision was made (2004 Master Plan), the 2006 Site Feasibility Study further clarified the design deficiencies at the existing airport and identified seventeen potential alternative sites.
  • The FAA examined the existing technologies to see if greater reliability could be achieved.
  • The seventeen sites were reevaluated at the beginning of the DEIS to ensure that the finalist sites had the capability to meet design standards, demand for the future, and increased reliability.
  • Evaluation also included geotechnical work on the final alternative sites, water and utility capabilities, field studies for wetlands, wildlife species, tribal coordination, land costs and potential mitigation costs.

What role does the Sage Grouse play in the FAA decision to suspend?

Answer: The Sage Grouse is an important issue that we would give serious consideration to if we decide to move forward with the DEIS. The FAA has learned critical information during the DEIS in working with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), our cooperating agency in the DEIS, The Idaho Fish and Game (IDFG) and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Key information that we have learned includes the following:
  • Sage Grouse is present on both sites, and recent surveys indicate that one of the finalist sites provides key habitat and is densely populated by the bird.
  • Concerns have been raised that impacting large tracts of intact habitat may push the USFWS toward listing the species as endangered.
  • On-site or compensatory mitigation is problematic.

How much has been spent on the EIS?

Answer: To date, four grants have been issued to the airport for the EIS efforts and approximately six million dollars has been expended on the following tasks:
  • Public and agency scoping
  • Tribal consultation
  • Weather monitoring at Sites 4, 10A and 12
  • Airspace reevaluation of the 17 alternatives
  • Development of new aviation forecasts
  • Production of an Economic Impact Analysis
  • Field studies on Sites 4, 10A and 12 for wetlands, endangered and threatened species, cultural and archaeological resources, farmlands, water resources, hazardous materials
  • Noise modeling and air quality analysis
  • Development of preliminary mitigation strategies
  • Geotechnical and water drilling for refined preliminary engineering costs
  • Land appraisals for sites 10A and 12
  • Topographic mapping, financial feasibility update on sites 10A and 12

Was this a prudent expenditure of federal dollars?

Answer: The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process to date has worked as designed. Information was gathered from the public, local, state and federal agencies, and potentially affected tribes to understand the potential impacts and costs of the project.

What was the estimated cost of the replacement airport in 2006?

Answer: $107,345,493

What are the most recent cost estimates for each alternative site?

Answer:
  • Site 10A: $285,000,000
  • Site 12: $314,000,000

Why have the costs increased so much in five years? (2006-2011)

Answer:
  • Inflation
  • Better cost data based on actual, not hypothetical sites.

What happens with the existing airport?

Answer: The existing Letter of Agreement (LOA) remains in effect between the airport and the Air Traffic Control Tower for the commercial service carriers.