The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is reviewing comments received regarding the draft Missouri River Recovery Management Plan-Environmental Impact Statement as it moves toward preparing a final EIS which is anticipated to be released in summer 2018.
“Public comments are a crucial element in developing the final EIS and record of decision,” said Maj. Gen. Scott A. Spellmon, commanding general, Northwestern Division, USACE.
“We want to know the Missouri River Basin residents’ thoughts and concerns about our preferred alternative. We take all the comments we received seriously and will use them in shaping the final EIS and record of decision.”
The draft EIS examined alternative ways to manage the Missouri River Recovery Program to meet the Corps’ obligations under the Endangered Species Act for the river’s threatened and endangered species while allowing the Corps to operate the river for the benefit of residents and businesses who depend on the river.
The Corps received approximately 450 comments on the draft EIS via public meetings, mail, and online comment forms.
The final EIS will include a comment response report index that will state how the Corps addressed the comments in the EIS. Overall themes of the comments will be shared at the next Missouri River Recovery Implementation Committee meeting August 8-10, 2017, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Omaha Downtown.
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