What is the Purpose of the Public Meeting?

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• Next Steps
• The EIS is a Federal process that seeks to
  disclose any environmental effects of proposed
  Federal actions. This process is also used to
  obtain all necessary environmental permits
  required by Federal and state agencies prior to
  construction.
• The FAA issued its Notice of Intent (NOI) to
  prepare an EIS in the Federal Register on
  November 1, 2007. It is anticipated that it will
  take approximately three years to complete the
  full study process.
• Phase I Scoping and Alternative Site Review
• August 5, 2008 Presentation to the FMAA
• August 6, 2008 Two Public Meetings
  presenting the Purpose and Need, Forecast, and
  Alternatives Analysis
• Phase II Preparation of the Draft EIS
• Kick-off field work Summer/Fall 2008
• Draft EIS published for public review late
  2009

• Purpose and Need
• The purpose and need for a replacement for FMA is
  to
• Provide an Airport that conforms to Federal
  Aviation Administration (FAA) airport design
  standards, criteria, and orders.
• Ensure the reliability of an airport serving the
  Wood River Region by providing approach
  capability that will allow operations during
  periods of reduced visibility. At a minimum,
  provide an approach capability providing for
  operations down to a ceiling of 200 feet above
  airport elevation and one-half mile visibility.
• Ensure the ability of the Airport to
  accommodate growth in operational demand and in
  demand for new and expanded facilities.

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) August 6,
2008
What is the Purpose of the Public Meeting? The
purpose of this meeting is to present the
analysis, findings, and recommendations from
Phase I of the EIS for the siting and
construction of a replacement airport for the
Friedman Memorial Airport (FMA) and to collect
comments before moving into Phase II of the EIS.
Phase I consisted of two primary components (a)
review and determination of alternatives,
development of the Purpose and Need, and
development of the unconstrained forecast and
(b) agency and public scoping activities.
Phase II of the EIS will include (a) detailed
evaluation of the reasonable alternatives carried
forward from Phase I and (b) determination and
disclosure of the potential impacts and
environmental consequences. Phase II will be
brought to a close with the completion of the
Public Hearing on the Draft EIS.
The EIS Process The primary purpose of an EIS is
to ensure that Federal government programs and
actions meet the National Environmental Policy
Act of 1969 (NEPA) goals and policies. This EIS
is conducted by the FAA as the Federal lead
agency responsible for ensuring that airport
development projects, such as those proposed by
the Friedman Memorial Airport Authority (FMAA),
are in compliance with environmental regulations.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is a
cooperating agency due to one of the alternative
sites being located on BLM land. The potential
environmental impacts of the proposed action are
assessed in accordance with NEPA. The NEPA
process encompasses a body of Federal laws that
are intended to protect the nation's environment.
In addition to the public, input on the proposed
action is also sought from local, state, and
Federal agencies. The following illustration
graphically shows the process for the FMA EIS.
The Scope of Work to be performed by the
consulting team and information about the study
process will be available throughout the study on
the FAA project website listed at the end of this
handout. Members of the consulting team are
available at the public meetings to answer
questions and provide information about the
information offered in this handout and in the
presentation.
How can I comment on the EIS? The public will be
asked to provide comments to the FAA on the EIS
for their consideration. Public comments are
important to assist the FAA in making decisions
about the proposed siting and construction of a
replacement airport for FMA. Written comments
may be submitted on the comment forms that can be
found in the workshop area. The FAA welcomes
written comments on the information presented in
the Draft Alternatives/Purpose and Need Working
Paper, which will be available on the project
website August 8, 2008. You may also submit
comments until the close of business on September
8, 2008 to Ms. Cayla Morgan Project
Manager Federal Aviation Administration Northwest
Mountain Region Seattle Airport District
Office 1601 Lind Avenue, S.W., Suite 250 Renton,
WA 98057-3356 Email Cayla.Morgan_at_faa.gov Website
www.airportsites.net/SUN-EIS
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Alternatives Recommended To Be Carried Forward
Into the EIS Process The 2006 Site Selection and
Feasibility Study was used as a starting point to
identify potential airport sites to analyze in
the EIS. Two additional sites, not in the
previous analysis which were felt to be viable,
were also identified. Once this full complement
of sites was identified, a process was developed
to assess the attributes and constraints of each
site. A three tier process was developed. A
total of 14 evaluation criteria were developed
for use in assessing the sites. Using the three
tier evaluation process, the analysis has
identified those sites which fully meet the
criteria established and constraints associated
with each alternative site. Site 1 (existing
airport site) was not evaluated in the three
tier process because it was determined it could
not meet the established facility requirements.
However, Site 1, including routine maintenance,
will be carried forward in the EIS as the No
Action alternative, as required by NEPA. The
Tier One evaluation eliminated eight sites (Sites
2, 3, 7, 8, 11, 14, 15, and 16) not able to meet
the criteria referred to as Fatal Flaw criteria
Category I Approach\Missed Approach capability
for the primary runway, and a 60-minute drive
time from Ketchum, Hailey, Bellevue, and Carey.
The Tier Two evaluation process addressed a
broader set of criteria, utilizing a numerical
ranking system to compare the remaining nine
sites. The criteria evaluated in the second tier
included

• Summary of Aviation Activity Forecasts
• The forecast effort included the following
• Analyzing socioeconomic trends
• Analyzing the historical aviation activity at
  Friedman Memorial Airport (FMA)
• Stakeholder interviews with FMA departing
  passengers, Twin Falls Airport departing
  passengers, Sun Valley Express Passengers using
  BOI to travel to and from the Wood River Region,
  commercial passenger airlines, SUN general
  aviation pilots, and Wood River Region businesses
• Benchmarking analysis of eleven ski resorts in
  the U.S (including Sun Valley)
• Aircraft Operations Forecast Results

• Safety Considerations
• Topography of the Site
• Landside Expansion Capability
• Airside Expansion Capability
• Site Development Factors

• Conformity with Local, State, and Federal Land
  Use Regulatory Requirements
• Sponsorship
• Property Ownership Considerations
• Proximity to Demand
• Accessibility to Regional Roadways

The remaining nine sites were ranked and a
shortlist of three sites (4, 10A, and 12) was
identified for the Tier Three and final
evaluation which addressed the ability/flexibility
of the sites to accommodate enhanced or multiple
approaches. All of the short-listed sites (4,
10A, and 12) survived the evaluation process and
were recommended to be carried forward for
further evaluation in the EIS.