This is the reply received from the Environmental Protection Agency regarding the "so-called" environmental review of the La Platte Bottoms highway project. This federal agency has an oversight role. This email response was received August 6, 2010 in response to an inquiry sent a few days earlier, which had provided two agency staff some web-links to previous pertinent articles already issued on this bird blog.
"The interagency team, which included the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), met multiple times at the site and in the office to discuss the Highway 34 Bellevue Bridge Project. The Corps determined the Clean Water Act (CWA) 404 (b)(1) process was followed and the Nebraska Department of Roads is compliance with the CWA 404 regulations for this project.
"The EPA has reviewed the Final Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Bellevue Bridge Study. EPA's review is provided pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 42 U.S.C. 4231, Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations 40 C.F.R. Parts 1500-1508, and Section 309 of the Clean Air Act (CAA).
"Through the CWA 404(b)(1) process and the NEPA process EPA believes the Nebraska Department of Roads did a good job of minimizing the impact of the construction activities on our natural resources."