Hwy 62 – 34 ENVIRONMENTALLY PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE

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Rehabilitation of Highway 62 West, Crater Lake National Park, Klamath County, Oregon

 ALTERNATIVES

ENVIRONMENTALLY PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE

According to Council on Environmental Quality regulations implementing NEPA, and National Park Service NEPA Guidelines (Director’s Order – 12), an environmentally preferred alternative must be identified in environmental documents. In order for an alternative to be environmentally preferred, it must meet the criteria established in National Park Service policies and guidance documents. An alternative must meet the following criteria to be considered an environmentally preferred alternative:

  1. Fulfill the responsibilities of each generation as trustee of the environment for succeeding generations;
  2. Ensure for all Americans safe, healthful, productive, and esthetically and culturally pleasing surroundings;
  3. Attain the widest range of beneficial uses of the environment without degradation, risk of health or safety, or other undesirable and unintended consequences;
  4. Preserve important historic, cultural, and natural aspects of our national heritage and maintain, wherever possible, an environment that supports diversity and variety of individual choice;
  5. Achieve a balance between population and resource use that will permit high standards of living and a wide sharing of life’s amenities; and
  6. Enhance the quality of renewable resources and approach the maximum attainable recycling of depletable resources.

The no-action alternative meets only criterion number 4, preserving important natural and cultural resources. Alternative B provides better value than alternative A, including the following advantages:

  • preventing loss of natural and cultural resources (NEPA criteria 1 and 4);
  • protecting public health, safety, and welfare (NEPA criteria 2);
  • improving operations efficiency and sustainability (NEPA criteria 1 and 6); and
  • protecting employee safety and welfare (NEPA criteria 3).

Alternative B would provide protection of visitor and employee safety and welfare through minimal disturbance to natural and cultural resources.

The environmentally preferred alternative in this environmental assessment is alternative C, the National Park Service preferred alternative. This alternative was selected as the best value when considering greater improvements to park maintenance operations, visitor and employee safety, and long-term operational costs; and other advantages including:

  • preventing loss of natural and cultural resources (NEPA criteria 1 and 4);
  • protecting public health, safety, and welfare (NEPA criteria 2 and 3);
  • improving operations efficiency and sustainability (NEPA criteria 1 and 6); and
  • protecting employee safety and welfare (NEPA criteria 3).

 

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