Glossary

Following are definitions of terms and acronyms frequently used during the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement:

Airport Master Plan
An airport master plan is a comprehensive study of the airport and typically describes short-, medium-, and long-term plans for airport development. One of the key products of a master plan is a set of drawings that provides a graphic representation of the long-term development plan for an airport. The primary drawing in this set is the Airport Layout Plan.1
Airport Operations
The landing, takeoff, or touch-and-go procedure by an aircraft on a runway at an airport.2
Airside
The portion of an airport that contains the facilities necessary for the operation of aircraft.3
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)

An “action-enforcing tool” to ensure Federal government programs and actions meet the goals and policies of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). Through an interdisciplinary approach, integrating natural and social sciences and the environmental design arts (40 CFR 1502.6), an EIS allows agency decision makers to take a “hard look” at environmental impacts of major Federal actions under the agency’s purview. These actions focus on the reasonable alternatives, which are developed during scoping, that could solve operational, capacity, safety or security problems that airport sponsors encounter. EISs describe individual and cumulative significant environmental impacts those alternatives could cause and conceptual measures to mitigate their impacts.4

The FAA is the lead Federal agency for most proposed airport actions. In general, FAA officials are responsible for preparing EISs addressing those actions. An EIS should be plainly written to allow people unfamiliar with an action and its reasonable alternatives to understand the environmental issues concerning the public, alternative ways to achieve the purpose and need, and the environmental impacts associated with those alternatives.

When to prepare an EIS: The responsible FAA official should recommend an EIS after determining the severities of impacts discussed in an airport sponsor’s EA. The official could recommend an EIS without an EA, after reviewing an airport sponsor’s project proposal, or determining the proposed action normally requires an EIS (see paragraph 903). Quick decisions to prepare an EIS are critical. Such decisions help ensure the EIS is available to the approving FAA official when the official receives other important decisionmaking material about a proposed action.5

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

A part of the Department of Transportation, the FAA is responsible for the safety of civil aviation. Major roles include:

  • Regulating civil aviation to promote safety.
  • Encouraging and developing civil aeronautics, including new aviation technology.
  • Developing and operating a system of air traffic control and navigation for both civil and military aircraft.
  • Researching and developing the National Airspace System and civil aeronautics.
  • Developing and carrying out programs to control aircraft noise and other environmental effects of civil aviation.
  • Regulating U.S. commercial space transportation.6

Houston Airport System (HAS)
HAS forms one of North America’s largest public airport systems, and consists of three facilities: George Bush Intercontinental Airport, William P. Hobby Airport, and Ellington Airport. The HAS provides a safe and dynamic air services network that fosters economic vitality for the transportation industry and the greater Houston region.7

 

Landside
The portion of an airport that provides the facilities necessary for the processing of passengers, cargo, freight, and ground transportation vehicles.8

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
Federal legislation that establishes environmental policy for the nation. It requires an interdisciplinary framework for federal agencies to evaluate environmental impacts and contains action-forcing procedures to ensure that federal agency decision makers take environmental factors into account.9

Notice of Intent (NOI)
The NOI is the lead agency’s notice telling the public the agency will prepare an EIS. The NOI must briefly describe the proposed action, the name of the project proponent, why the proponent wants to undertake the project, when and where the proposed action would occur, and the alternatives under consideration. To comply with 40 CFR 1501.7, the responsible FAA official must prepare and publish NOI in the Federal Register as soon as practicable after the FAA decides to prepare an EIS.10

Record of Decision (ROD)
A ROD is a concise public record of the federal agency’s decision. The ROD states what the decision is, identifies all alternatives considered in reaching the agency’s decision, and specifies which were environmentally preferable. The ROD discusses all other relevant factors considered, including any essential considerations of national policy, economic, and technical considerations, and the agency’s statutory mission. The ROD states whether all practicable means to avoid or minimize environmental harm from the alternative selected have been adopted, and if not, why they were not. Where applicable, the ROD may include a monitoring and enforcement program for mitigation.11

Scoping
As a critical part of the EIS process, agency officials use this open process to determine the array of important issues an agency’s EIS will address.12  Coordination with resource agencies and, as appropriate, Tribal representatives early in the environmental review is essential in completing the NEPA process in a timely and effective manner. Under 40 CFR 1501.4, Federal agencies must: “…involve environmental agencies, applicants, and the public, to the extent practicable, in preparing [environmental] assessments.13

Airport Sponsor
The entity that is legally responsible for the management and operation of an airport including the fulfillment of the requirements of laws and regulations related thereto.14

Footnotes

  1. FAA AC 150/5070-6B Airport Master Plans, 7/29/05, p. 5 — 7. «
  2. FAA AC 150/5070-6B Airport Master Plans, 7/29/05, p. Appendix A, p. 97 «
  3. FAA AC 150/5070-6B Airport Master Plans, 7/29/05, p. Appendix A, p. 98 «
  4. FAA Order 5050.4B National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Implementing Instructions for Airport Projects (Chapter 10: The Environmental Impact Statement), April 2006, p. 10-1 «
  5. Ibid, p. 10-2. «
  6. Federal Aviation Administration, About FAA, Mission. «
  7. Houston Airport System, About HAS, History of HAS. «
  8. FAA AC 150/5070-6B Airport Master Plans, 7/29/05, p. Appendix A, p. 100.«
  9. Ibid, p. 100-101.«
  10. FAA Order 5050.4B National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Implementing Instructions for Airport Projects (Chapter 10: The Environmental Impact Statement), April 2006, p. 9-7 — 9-8. «
  11. FAA Order 1050.1E CHG 1, Environmental Impacts: Policies and Procedures, 3/20/06, p. 5-2. «
  12. FAA Order 5050.4B National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Implementing Instructions for Airport Projects (Chapter 10: The Environmental Impact Statement), April 2006, p. 9-3 — 9-4. «
  13. Ibid, p. 3-1. «
  14. FAA AC 150/5070-6B Airport Master Plans, 7/29/05, p. Appendix A, p. 98. «