We’ve come a long way from keeping track of environmental documents on index cards, a practice considered state of the art back in 1971, when the State Environmental Review Clearinghouse was established.
This week, the Clearinghouse posted a spreadsheet of records listing key information on State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) documents developed for proposed projects. The file includes records from 1997 to the present and will be updated quarterly. Other documents currently under review can be found in the Environmental Bulletin.
To meet state and federal requirements, agencies develop environmental documents identifying potential impacts of proposed projects. These documents are then made available for public and intergovernmental review and comment. The SEPA compliance process has, since its inception, been administered by the Clearinghouse.
We trust that increased access to this information will help citizens and stakeholders learn more about the environmental review history of particular proposed projects, as well as provide opportunities to research past proposals using geographic, agency, timeframe and other parameters.