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EIS examples, environmental assessments and CE records: real NEPA documents to model a draft on

EIS examples are environmental impact statements filed for real projects. Planners model new NEPA documents on them and on environmental assessments (EAs) and categorical exclusion (CE) records. EPA's database holds EISs[1]; agencies post the rest[2].

By Ilya Volodarsky. 34 sources, last read on . This page explains the law; it is not legal advice.

Draft an EA Modeled on a Fuels Precedent

    ePlan gets you

    • A first draft of your EA Modeled on a Precedent, from a project description or the files you already have
    • Precedent research: analog projects and their documents, found for you
    • Every fact ePlan can't confirm, marked for your team to fill in
    • A Word download, plus tasks and a Gantt timeline on Pro and Max
    See how it compares

    Describe the project and ePlan finds an analog project, then drafts the EA following the precedent's structure with your facts in place; every fact it can't confirm is marked for you.

    ePlan vs. by hand

    How ePlan compares to drafting an EA Modeled on a Precedent by hand

    The same document, two ways to a first draft.

    ComparedePlan.aiBy hand
    Starting pointePlan.aiA draft that follows the precedent's structure, with your project facts and every unconfirmed fact markedBy handCopying an old document and deleting the last project's details
    Precedent researchePlan.aiThe research agent searches agency project pages, CEQAnet, the Federal Register and EPA's EIS database for up to two analog projectsBy handSearching each agency's project site, one keyword at a time
    Missing factsePlan.aiEvery fact ePlan can't confirm stays a highlighted [INSERT] placeholder until someone fills itBy handGaps surface in review, or not at all
    Cost to startePlan.aiScoping letters are free. EAs, EIRs and decision memos are on Max at $199 a monthBy handStaff or consultant hours for every draft

    ePlan.ai as of October 2026. “By hand” means a Word template, past documents and agency PDFs. Your team reviews, edits and signs every draft.

    Environmental impact statement examples: how long did recent EISs take?

    From 534 to 1,271 days, counted from the notice of intent (NOI) in the Federal Register to the final EIS, for the twelve below, filed June 2025 to September 2026. Each project's source is its EPA record, with the EIS PDFs[7].

    We picked them for range, not as typical cases. Of all 142 EIS NOIs published June 2023 to September 2024, 64 (45.1%) reached a final EIS within the two years NEPA now allows, and 38 had filed nothing with EPA by September 30, 2026[8][7]. More on the NEPA timeline.

    Final EISs filed June 2025 to September 2026: days from the notice of intent in the Federal Register to EPA's notice of the final EIS. ePlan.ai analysis of EPA's EIS database.
    ProjectLead agencyFinal EISNOI to finalWithin 2 years
    Kemmerer Power Station Unit 1, Wyoming[9]Nuclear Regulatory CommissionNovember 28, 2025534 daysYes
    Mokelumne Amador Calaveras Forest Resilience, California[10]Forest ServiceApril 17, 2026568 daysYes
    Northfield Mountain pumped storage relicensing, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont[11]FERCFebruary 6, 2026605 daysYes
    Bull Mountains Mine No. 1 Amendment 3, Montana[12]Office of Surface MiningJune 20, 2025683 daysYes
    Hawaii-California Training and Testing[13]NavyNovember 21, 2025707 daysYes
    Austin Light Rail Phase 1, Texas[14]FTAJanuary 16, 2026728 daysYes, with 3 days to spare
    Clarke County Water Supply, Iowa[15]Natural Resources Conservation ServiceApril 10, 2026735 daysNo, by 5 days
    F-35A training unit, Kingsley Field, Oregon[16]Air ForceSeptember 25, 2026843 daysNo
    Cape Cod Bridges Program, Massachusetts[17]FHWAAugust 7, 2026890 daysNo
    Post-2026 Lake Powell and Lake Mead guidelines, seven states[18]Bureau of ReclamationJuly 31, 20261,141 daysNo
    Bonanza Solar, Nevada[19]BLMAugust 21, 20261,173 daysNo
    Enbridge Line 5 Tunnel, Michigan[20]Army Corps of EngineersFebruary 6, 20261,271 daysNo; NOI in 2022, before the 2023 limit

    Environmental assessment examples with a FONSI

    One EA, start to finish: the Forest Service's Caldor Fire Restoration Project on the Eldorado National Forest. Scoping opened May 17, 2023, the draft EA went out for comment August 28, 2024, and the first decision was signed March 25, 2025[21]. Our catalog page holds its scoping letter, draft and final EA, maps and decision notices.

    More in our catalog: French Fire Restoration, North Fork Forest Recovery and Laguna Mountain Forest Restoration. Elsewhere, read each EA with its FONSI:

    • Forest fuels: Baker City Watershed, Oregon; decision notice June 2025[22][23]
    • Park road: 42 miles, Mojave National Preserve; FONSI July 2025[4][24]
    • Highway: U.S. 75 in Hinton, Iowa; FONSI November 2025[25][26]
    • Rail: Valley Link, Dublin/Pleasanton to Mountain House; FTA FONSI May 2025[27][28]

    Categorical exclusion examples: decision memos and CE records

    The Forest Service's decision memo for rebuilding 17 miles of the Virginia Creeper Trail after Hurricane Helene was signed February 21, 2025[3], under a category now at 7 CFR 1b.4(d)(26)[29]. Twelve more, one per category, are under decision memo examples.

    A fuels CE took about seven months: the Tahoe National Forest's Russell Valley Fuels Reduction, under the wildfire resilience CE, went from scoping on September 13, 2024 to a signed decision memo on April 24, 2025[30].

    NEPA examples: how to pick a precedent for your project

    Take structure and issues from a precedent, not findings. Rank by:

    • Agency: each now sets its own procedures[31]
    • Action and region: the Mojave road EA added desert tortoise fencing built to FWS specifications[24]
    • Date: Hinton's 2025 FONSI states its EA meets NEPA's page limits and timeline[26]
    Outline

    EA outline: the sections to carry over from a precedent

    With CEQ's regulations removed[32], each agency sets EA contents[31]. This list follows USDA's minimum elements[33].

    1. Purpose and need

      Required in every NEPA document[8]; based on the agency's authority or an applicant's goals[33].

    2. No action, proposed action and any alternatives

      No action need not be its own alternative, but its effects belong in the analysis[33].

    3. Potentially affected environment and impacts

      Brief, with enough evidence to choose between an EIS and a FONSI[33].

    4. Consultation and other reviews

      Agencies and persons consulted, plus ESA and NHPA findings that may inform the FONSI[33].

    5. Page-limit and deadline certification

      75 pages and one year at most[8], stated by the responsible official, plus the unique identification number[33].

    6. FONSI or decision to prepare an EIS

      A FONSI finds the action needs no EIS[34].

    Sources

    Where each statement comes from

    Show all 34 sources
    1. [1]Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Database. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Read October 2, 2026.
    2. [2]ePlanning (National NEPA Register). Bureau of Land Management. Read October 2, 2026.
    3. [3]Virginia Creeper National Recreation Trail Reconstruction Project (#67511). USDA Forest Service, George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, February 21, 2025. Read October 2, 2026.
    4. [4]Rehabilitation of South Kelbaker and Kelso-Cima Road (PEPC project 112970). National Park Service, Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC). Read October 2, 2026.
    5. [5]DOE Environmental Assessments. U.S. Department of Energy, Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance. Read October 2, 2026.
    6. [6]About CEQAnet. State Clearinghouse, Governor's Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (CEQAnet). Read October 2, 2026.
    7. [7]ePlan.ai analysis of 1,122 EPA EIS database records and 142 post-2023 EIS notices of intent. ePlan.ai. Read October 4, 2026.
    8. [8]42 U.S.C. 4336a - Timely and unified Federal reviews. United States Code, 2023 edition (GovInfo). Read October 2, 2026.
    9. [9]EIS Details: Environmental Impact Statement for the Construction Permit Application for Kemmerer Power Station Unit 1: Final Report (EIS No. 20250160). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EIS Database, November 28, 2025. Read October 4, 2026.
    10. [10]EIS Details: Mokelumne Amador Calaveras Forest Resilience Project (EIS No. 20260044). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EIS Database, April 17, 2026. Read October 4, 2026.
    11. [11]EIS Details: Hydropower Licenses re the Northfield Mountain Pumped Storage Project et al. (EIS No. 20260003). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EIS Database, February 6, 2026. Read October 4, 2026.
    12. [12]EIS Details: Bull Mountains Mine No. 1 Amendment 3 (EIS No. 20250082). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EIS Database, June 20, 2025. Read October 4, 2026.
    13. [13]EIS Details: Hawaii-California Training and Testing (EIS No. 20250139). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EIS Database, November 21, 2025. Read October 4, 2026.
    14. [14]EIS Details: Austin Light Rail Phase 1 Project (EIS No. 20250183). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EIS Database, January 16, 2026. Read October 4, 2026.
    15. [15]EIS Details: The Clarke County Water Supply Project (EIS No. 20260034). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EIS Database, April 10, 2026. Read October 4, 2026.
    16. [16]EIS Details: Basing F-35A Lightning II Formal Training Unit at Kingsley Field Air National Guard Base, Klamath Falls, Oregon (EIS No. 20260127). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EIS Database, September 25, 2026. Read October 4, 2026.
    17. [17]EIS Details: Cape Cod Bridges Program Bourne MA FEIS-ROD (EIS No. 20260091). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EIS Database, August 7, 2026. Read October 4, 2026.
    18. [18]EIS Details: Post-2026 Operational Guidelines and Strategies for Lake Powell and Lake Mead Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS No. 20260089). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EIS Database, July 31, 2026. Read October 4, 2026.
    19. [19]EIS Details: Bonanza Solar Project Final Environmental Impact Statement/Resource Management Plan Amendments (EIS No. 20260099). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EIS Database, August 21, 2026. Read October 4, 2026.
    20. [20]EIS Details: Enbridge Line 5 Tunnel Project (EIS No. 20260007). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EIS Database, February 6, 2026. Read October 4, 2026.
    21. [21]Caldor Fire Restoration Project (#63359). USDA Forest Service, Eldorado National Forest, December 15, 2025. Read October 3, 2026.
    22. [22]Baker City Watershed Fuels Management Project (#58480). USDA Forest Service, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, July 31, 2025. Read October 2, 2026.
    23. [23]Revised Final Baker City Watershed Fuels Management Project Decision Notice. USDA Forest Service, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest (Pinyon Public), June 6, 2025. Read October 2, 2026.
    24. [24]Finding of No Significant Impact: Kelso-Cima Road and South Kelbaker Road Rehabilitation. National Park Service, Mojave National Preserve, July 18, 2025. Read October 2, 2026.
    25. [25]U.S. 75 Hinton Reconstruction (NEPA project documents). Iowa Department of Transportation. Read October 2, 2026.
    26. [26]Finding of No Significant Impact and Individual Section 4(f) for the U.S. 75 in Hinton Project. Federal Highway Administration and Iowa Department of Transportation, November 4, 2025. Read October 2, 2026.
    27. [27]Valley Link Rail Project: Dublin/Pleasanton to Mountain House Community Finding of No Significant Impact (SCH 2018092027). CEQAnet, State Clearinghouse, June 4, 2025. Read October 2, 2026.
    28. [28]Finding of No Significant Impact: Valley Link Rail Project. Federal Transit Administration (posted on CEQAnet), May 2025. Read October 2, 2026.
    29. [29]7 CFR 1b.4 - Categorical exclusion of USDA subcomponents and actions. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), current. Read October 2, 2026.
    30. [30]Russell Valley Fuels Reduction (#63852). USDA Forest Service, Tahoe National Forest, April 24, 2025. Read October 3, 2026.
    31. [31]Agency NEPA Procedures and Contacts. Council on Environmental Quality, nepa.gov. Read October 2, 2026.
    32. [32]Removal of National Environmental Policy Act Implementing Regulations (interim final rule), 90 FR 10610. Council on Environmental Quality, Federal Register, February 25, 2025. Read October 2, 2026.
    33. [33]7 CFR 1b.5 - Environmental assessments (USDA). Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), current. Read October 2, 2026.
    34. [34]42 U.S.C. 4336e - Definitions. United States Code, 2023 edition (GovInfo). Read October 2, 2026.

    Written by

    Ilya Volodarsky

    Ilya Volodarsky founded ePlan.ai. He co-founded Segment and is co-founder and CEO of Wildfires.org.

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    • In EPA's EIS database, filter by agency and state, then by title words like solar or highway. BLM's National NEPA Register searches by project name.

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