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Ballona Wetlands Restoration EIR/S Delayed, again....
State and Federal Lead Agencies Continue to Prove that Perfection is the Enemy of the Good
In a website posting earlier this month, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) advised there would be yet another 6-12 month delay in issuing the Environmental Impact Report/Study for the Ballona Wetlands Restoration Project (1). The CDFW statement reads as follows:
Release of the Draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (DEIR/EIS) for the Ballona Wetlands Restoration Project will be delayed due to the identification, discussion and resolution of various questions and concerns from the project agencies involved. The lead agency for the DEIR for the state is the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). The lead agency for the DEIS for the federal government is the Army Corps of Engineers. Both agencies are reviewing and addressing these questions and concerns.
Preparation of the environmental review is taking longer than originally anticipated – not uncommon with documents of this complexity, but we remain committed to preparing a detailed, scientific evaluation of project effects before making a decision concerning this important natural resource.
Currently, CDFW anticipates releasing the DEIR/EIS in mid-2017. We want the document’s analysis of potential environmental effects to be as thorough and informative as possible.
Once CDFW releases the DEIR/EIS a 60-day public comment period will begin. We will provide information at that time informing the public how to comment via email, mail or in person at a public meeting. No public meetings are scheduled at this time.
Ugh. I have written previously about this tortoise-speed process in the Patch and elsewhere (2), so no need to keep beating this dead horse (apologies to equestrians). All one can hope at this point is that when finally released for public comment, the EIR/S will be practically perfect in every way (apologies to Mary Poppins). It could be helpful if Reps. Lieu and Waters, State Sen. Allen and Assemblywoman Burke would light a fire under these agencies.