The Next Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD) Program was implemented by the Joint System Program Office of the Department of Commerce–National Weather Service, Department of Defense–U.S. Air Force, and Department of Transportation–Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the late 1970s. Overall, about 160 NEXRAD units have been installed in 48 states, the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia. SRI played a key support role for the NEXRAD Program throughout the 1980s and 1990s, particularly in the areas of radar network design, optimal siting of individual radars, programmatic and individual National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance, project management, and site and permit acquisition support, and community outreach. This support included NEPA-related activities such as development of feasible alternatives, selection of a preferred site, defining the proposed action on a site-by-site basis, scoping meetings with key stakeholders, preparing appropriate NEPA and other regulatory compliance documentation, public outreach, and support in executing final decision documents.
SRI prepared the NEXRAD programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS) in 1984 that examined the potential for systematic impacts to result from the entire network of proposed radar units, offices, and other facilities, and for local impacts to result from a typical facility. A supplement to the PEIS was prepared in 1993 that focused on the potential for human health effects to result from exposure to radio-frequency radiation. For individual radar units, weather forecast offices and other facilities proposed by the NWS and the FAA (Offshore), SRI also prepared over 200 site-specific environmental assessments (EAs), tiered off the PEIS and its supplement, in conformance with NEPA. SRI provided NEPA documentation ontime and within budget. We were highly responsive to client’s needs and met performance measures successfully. Our support to the NEXRAD Program’s success is borne out by the timely installation of many facilities, which were predicated on the completion of high-quality NEPA environmental impact statements and EAs and associated FAA records of decision and NOAA findings of no significant impact.
The Next Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD) Program was implemented by the Joint System Program Office of the Department of Commerce–National Weather Service, Department of Defense–U.S. Air Force, and Department of Transportation–Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the late 1970s. Overall, about 160 NEXRAD units have been installed in 48 states, the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia. SRI played a key support role for the NEXRAD Program throughout the 1980s and 1990s, particularly in the areas of radar network design, optimal siting of individual radars, programmatic and individual National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance, project management, and site and permit acquisition support, and community outreach. This support included NEPA-related activities such as development of feasible alternatives, selection of a preferred site, defining the proposed action on a site-by-site basis, scoping meetings with key stakeholders, preparing appropriate NEPA and other regulatory compliance documentation, public outreach, and support in executing final decision documents.
SRI prepared the NEXRAD programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS) in 1984 that examined the potential for systematic impacts to result from the entire network of proposed radar units, offices, and other facilities, and for local impacts to result from a typical facility. A supplement to the PEIS was prepared in 1993 that focused on the potential for human health effects to result from exposure to radio-frequency radiation. For individual radar units, weather forecast offices and other facilities proposed by the NWS and the FAA (
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