Margaret S. Petersen
Environmental Impact Statements
One of the most interesting things I did in Sacramento was writing Environmental Impact
Statements
after the passage of NEPA. There wasn't any guidance in the early ' 7 0 ' s
and the law is not specific as to what studies are required and how they are reported. The
Chiefs Office asked the districts to prepare Environmental Impact Statements on various
types of projects. I did several for Sacramento: one for a local protection project, one for
a navigation project, and one for the Cottonwood Creek dams. The Chiefs Office took the
statements from the various districts and from them they developed an overall outline and
criteria for writing Environmental Impact Statements. It was very interesting.
The Environmental Impact Statements really changed the way the Corps worked.
They changed what the Corps could do, as well as how they worked, yes.
A:
To lengthen the process by a considerable amount?
The way the environmentalists used the law to delay projects was really sad. At that time,
inflation was about 10 percent a year. For even very good projects a two-year delay could
result in the benefit-cost ratio dropping, making the project infeasible.
Because the costs had escalated so much?
Yes. The cost escalated, and we did not escalate the benefits.
A:
Q ..
How much did the EIS affect the way you did your work at Sacramento District? Did it
delay your projects, or did it lead to some. .
A:
I think that the EIS process did not delay the projects as much as the lawsuits filed by
environmental interests. For New
Dam, for example, we were in court several
times over a long period as environmentalists filed a series of suits. There was much distrust
and so much anirnosity between the environmentalists and the Corps people.
I was lucky. Irene and I went to the Galapagos to birdwatch in the fall of
at the peak
of the controversy over Morrison Creek. (The Galapagos Islands were not a tourist
destination at that time.) Members of the Sierra Club asked me to show my slides at a
meeting. That improved personal relationships considerably. At about the same time, the
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