The proposed SNSA is the subject of a United States Congressional Act (Ivanpah Valley Airport Public Lands Transfer Act of 2000 [Public Law 106-362]), which requires the preparation of a joint EIS “with respect to initial planning and construction” that evaluates and addresses any potential impacts to the Mojave National Preserve, prior to construction of an airport facility and related infrastructure on the proposed site.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) representing the Department of Transportation, and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) representing the Department of Interior are operating as Joint Lead Agencies (JLA) for the preparation of the required NEPA evaluation.
Additionally, the BLM has determined that it will evaluate the need for a Resource Management Plan Amendment (RMPA) to modify the Visual Resource Management (VRM) class in order for the BLM to evaluate the established Ivanpah Transportation and Utilities Corridor (Public Law 107-282), as this will require amending the existing 1998 Las Vegas Resource Management Plan.
As such, the resulting document will be a combined EIS/RMPA. The FAA and BLM as Joint Lead Agencies are managing the preparation of the EIS/RMPA .
