The Situation
A new 300-mile-long fiber-optic line was proposed to connect rural and underserved communities in northern California. For the preconstruction phase, Eocene was retained to perform third-party National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) compliance activities, including data collection, technical studies, preparation of a joint NEPA / CEQA document (Environmental Assessment / Initial Study), and permitting support.
For the construction phase of the project, Eocene was retained to perform the Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) and biological, cultural and paleontological compliance mitigation, monitoring and reporting. Eocene will also be performing the annual post-reclamation monitoring during the post construction phase.
Our Solution
The project involves over a dozen regulatory agencies, none of which were given authority to take the lead federal agency role. Instead, Eocene was asked by involved agencies to perform third-party project management activities in lieu of a federal lead. This position involves intensive coordination among agencies, administrative support, meeting facilitation, and other duties as requested by agencies.
Moving the project forward without a lead created challenges, especially with consulting under the Endangered Species Act and National Historic Preservation Act, which allowed Eocene to exercise creative problem-solving and careful coordination among agencies to collect relevant and adequate data, write reports that suit all agency requirements, streamline multiple permitting processes in tandem, and support all agencies in their project understanding and decision-making.