New York’s State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) Act
Does your project have the potential to drastically affect the community or impact the local environment? Have mitigation measures been provided? Know the limits, know the law.
What is SEQR?
In accordance with the State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) Act, the state of New York mandates that any project requiring approval from a state or local agency complete a review of the potential environmental impacts associated with a proposed development prior to issuing any approvals. Projects are classified as either Type 1, Type 2, or Unlisted Actions according to their size, location, and degree of potential impacts. It is the responsibility of the regulating / governing board to make a determination of the project type and notify any other involved agencies. These agencies must make a determination of the potential environmental impacts resulting from the proposed project prior to issuing any approvals.
How does SEQR affect my project?
As stated above, if your project requires approval from any state or local agency, the law says you must be subject to a SEQR review. This process can be relatively simple, or has the potential to be much more involved for more complex projects. The length of the review process, as well as the degree of any potential impacts, is at the discretion of the agency in question. It falls on the applicant or their representative to provide sufficient information concerning the proposed project for the agency to make a determination.
An overview of the anticipated project impacts is provided in an Environmental Assessment Form, or EAF, completed at the time of application.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) provides both a Short Environmental Assessment Form (Short EAF), for simpler projects, and a Full Environmental Assessment Form (Full EAF) for more complex projects. Typically, a Short EAF is sufficient for most agencies; however, depending on the scope of the project a Full EAF may be requested.
How can MNTM help?
Regardless of the size of your project and the intensity of the use, MNTM has the expertise to guide your project through the SEQR process. Whether it be simply compiling the information to fill out a short or full Environmental Assessment Form, completion of an expanded Part III analysis, or a full Draft and Final Environmental Impact Statement, MNTM can assist you in all of your SEQR needs.