Chapter I: Problem Occurrence

Historically, problem occurrence can be one of the largest drivers of dissatisfaction. For this reason, a set of questions asked respondents about problems they encountered during the NEPA review process.

1.      Did they experience any problem with the project they were evaluating?

2.      If they DID experience a problem, in what part of the project did the problem occur?

Among Resource Reviewers, a higher percentage noted problems than did Transportation Reviewers. Four regions (3, 8, 9, and 10) had one-half or more of Resource Reviewers noting problems. Only one region (Region 9) among Transportation Reviewers had half of its Reviewers noting problems. Overall, one-third (35%) of Transportation Reviewers noted a problem while 4 in 10 (41%) of Resource Reviewers did.

Comparing data received in 2003 with data received this year, an evaluation of the overall number of problems can be estimated. In essence, the overall number of problems experienced did not change very much. A 4% increase was reported by Resource Reviewers while a 1% decrease was reported by Transportation Reviewers.

More interesting however, are the differences, or lack thereof, by region in 2006. Overall, the differences by region were less pronounced this year than in 2003. For example:

      Region 2 Resource Reviewers decreased their amount of problems by 13% to 37% bringing them on par with Transportation Reviewers in Region 2 (35% noting a problem in 2006).

      Region 3 Transportation Reviewers increased their amount of problems, noted by 33% to 55%. This increase brought them much closer to the number of problems noted by Resource Reviewers in this region (43%). In 2003, Region 3 had the largest contrast between the Resource and Transportation Reviewers noting problems (22% vs. 46%, respectively).

      Differences of more than 10 percentage points (between Transportation and Resource Reviewers in the same region) existed in only three regions in 2006 (compared to five regions in 2003).

Also of interest are the changes that occurred within individual regions.

·        Changes over time were more apparent among Resource Reviewers than Transportation Reviewers. Overall, only one region (Region 2) saw a change of more than 10 percentage points - and it was a decrease of 13 percentage points of Transportation Reviewers noting problems. Among Resource Reviewers, however, five regions reported at least a 10-percentage-point change over 2003 and another two regions reporting a 9-percentage-point change.

·        Considering both Resource and Transportation NEPA Reviewers from a single region, Region 2 had the greatest improvement between 2003 and 2006 in problem occurrence - 20-point decrease reported by Resource Reviewers and a 13-point decrease reported by Transportation Reviewers.

Question number two (above) was directed solely to those respondents who said they had experienced a problem (a subset of the entire database of respondents). For this subset, an additional eight questions were asked: did the reviewer experience a problem in any of the eight NEPA project areas. Areas included early project planning and scoping; defining purpose and need; information or data collection; development and analysis of alternatives; analysis of impacts; selection of preferred alternatives; commitment to mitigation measures; and finalizing documents or response to comments.

Recall that only NEPA Reviewers were asked to choose a recent project and then comment if problems existed. No managers participated in this set of questions.

Charts 3 and 4 show regional findings for Resource and Transportation. Specifically, the tables show the percentages of respondents who experienced a problem for 2003 vs. 2006 and the percentage change between those two periods.

Chart 2: The Percentage of Resource Reviewers Saying They Experienced Problems During the Project

By 2003 vs. 2006

Chart 2a: The Percentage of Resource Reviewers Saying They Experienced Problems During the Project

By Percentage of Change Since 2003

Chart 3: The Percentage of Transportation Reviewers Saying They Experienced Problems During the Project

By 2003 vs. 2006

Chart 3a: The Percentage of Transportation Reviewers Saying They Experienced Problems During the Project

By Percentage of Change Since 2003

The following analysis was undertaken among only those Reviewers who said they experienced a problem during the NEPA review process (a subset of the Reviewers interviewed). For each of the eight project areas, respondents were asked if they experienced a problem, yes or no. Respondents could choose as many problem areas as they wanted to denote where problems occurred.

Repetitive Problem Occurrence_____________________________________________

A repetitive problem occurrence analysis was conducted to determine to what extent did a reviewer who noted a problem with their project, note that a problem occurred in more than one of the eight NEPA project areas. A brief analysis was done to assess to what extent a respondent noting at least one problem would then lead to the existence of more than one problem. In other words, what was the average number of problems noted by any given respondent?

Resource Reviewers, on average, noted more problems than did Transportation Reviewers. Resource Reviewers averaged 1.7 problems per project (recall 41% noted a problem with their projects) while Transportation Reviewers averaged 1.0 problems per project (35% noted a problem with their project).

NOTE: Once a problem with a project was indicated, respondents were taken through each of the eight project areas and had to respond either "yes" or "no" to the areas where they found problems. For that reason, there can be less than "1" on average (for those areas where the majority of Reviewers responded "no").

Key additional findings include:

      Region 10 Resource Reviewers noted a higher proportion of problems than any other region with an average of 3.09 problems per problem notation.

      Region 6 has the lowest percentage of problems noted with 0.92 problems per problem notation.

      A larger set of differences are seen among Resource regions than among Transportation regions.

Chart 4: Average Number of Problems Reported by Reviewers by Region for 2006 - Resource

Chart 4a: Average Number Of Problems Reported By Reviewers By Region For 2006 - Transportation

Chart 5: Early Project Planning Or Scoping - Resource

Chart 5a: Early Project Planning Or Scoping - Transportation

Early Project Planning or Scoping_________________________________________

Resource: As in 2003, Region 10 had the most Reviewers noting problems in early project planning and scoping. In 2006, of the 26 Resource Reviewers who noted a problem, 15 (58%) said that problem was in early project planning and scoping. Comparatively, 9 out of 15 (60%) also noted this problem in 2003. Region 3 showed the biggest change over time with 11 out of 26 (42%) noting a problem in 2006 compared to 1 out of 7 (14%) in 2003.

Transportation: There were few differences between 2003 and 2006 reported by Transportation Reviewers in the early project planning and scoping phase. The biggest difference was reported in Region 10 with 8 Reviewers, up from 3, reporting problems in 2006. Four Regions (2, 3, 4, and 6) reported slight decreases over the number of Reviewers noting problems in 2003.

Summary: Overall, Transportation Reviewers noted fewer problems with early project planning and scoping in 2006 than did Resource Reviewers. Across all regions, Region 10 Resource and Transportation Reviewers reported the most problems during 2006 in this category. The most divergent region was Region 3, where 11 Resource Reviewers noted a problem while only 2 Transportation Reviewers did. Just under one-half (42%) of Resource NEPA Reviewers in Region 3 identified this area as a problem while only 8% of Transportation Reviewers in Region 3 noted the same. Among those noting problems with their project, 49% of Resource reported problems and 23% of Transportation who reported problems noted problems in this area.

Chart 6: Defining Purpose and Need - Resource

Chart 6a: Defining Purpose and Need - Transportation

Defining Purpose and Need________________________________________________

Resource: Region 2 experienced the fewest problems in defining purpose and need for 2006 with only 2 Resource Reviewers noting a problem. However, Region 4 had the lowest percentage with 21% indicating they experienced a problem in this area. Regions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 10 all experienced fewer problems in 2006 than 2003. Regions 2, 7, and 8 all had virtually no change from 2003 in this problem area. Region 10 experienced the most problems during 2006 with 17 of 26 (65%) Resource Reviewers indicating they experienced problems in this area. The largest change over time was in Region 3 where eight Reviewers indicated a problem in defining purpose and need compared to one in 2003.

Transportation: Regions 6 and 7 had the fewest Transportation Reviewers reporting problems with defining purpose and need with one person from each region. Two people from Regions 1 and 3 noted problems while three Transportation Reviewers from Region 2 and 4 noted problems in this area. Region 8 had the greatest number of Reviewers reporting problems at six.

Summary: Overall, in 2006 Transportation Reviewers reported fewer problems with defining purpose and need than did Resource Reviewers. While Transportation Reviewers stayed fairly stable in their reporting of problems over time, the number of Resource Reviewers reporting problems grew in this area. Region 10 Resource and Transportation Reviewers combined reported the highest number of problems during 2006 (highest combined total reporting problems). Region 10 was also the most divergent population with 17 Resource Reviewers (65% of those reporting a problem in Region 10) and 4 Transportation Reviewers (17% of those reporting a problem in Region 10) reporting problems. Among those noting problems with their project, 39% of Resource problem reporters and 17% of Transportation problem reporters noted problems in this area.

Chart 7: Information Or Data Collection - Resource

Chart 7a: Information Or Data Collection - Transportation

Information and Data Collection____________________________________________

Resource: Resource Reviewers in Regions 2 and 5 experienced the fewest problems in information and data collection for 2006 with two and three people, respectively, reporting problems. Region 3, 9, and 10 experienced the most problems (13, 12, and 13 Reviewers, respectively, noting problems) although Regions 9 and 10 stayed stable over time while Region 3 increased significantly (from 2 Reviewers noting a problem in 2003 to 13 in 2006). As a percentage of total Reviewers reporting problems, however, Region 6 had the most. In Region 6, eight out of the nine Reviewers who reported a problem reported it being in this area. Regions 5, 6, and 8 all experienced fewer problems in 2006 than 2003 while Region 2 had no change. Region 2 also had no change from 2003 in this problem area.

Transportation: Regions 6 and 7 had the fewest problems with information and data collection during 2006 with three Transportation Reviewers from each of those two regions indicating they experienced problems. Region 6 had the largest improvement over time with eight Reviewers noting problems in 2003 and only three this year. Region 9 experienced the most problems during 2006 with 12 people indicating they experienced a problem, although Region 8 had 53% of their Transportation Reviewers who noted a problem indicating they experienced a problem with information and data collection. Regions 3 and 6 were the only two regions that indicated they experienced fewer problems in 2006 compared to 2003.

Summary: In general, information and data collection was an area where both Transportation and Resource Reviewers noted problems more so than in other areas. Transportation Reviewers experienced fewer problems overall than Resource Reviewers. Most regions, however, in both Resource and Transportation saw an increase of problems during the period from 2003 to 2006. Among Resource Reviewers, Region 9 had the most problems with 12 Resource and 12 Transportation Reviewers indicating a problem. The other regions with an elevated level of problems noted in this area were Regions 3, 8, and 10. Among those noting problems with their projects, 54% of Resource problem reporters and 37% of Transportation problem reporters noted problems in this area.

Chart 8: Development And Analysis Of Alternatives - Resource

Chart 8a: Development and Analysis of Alternative - Transportation

Development and Analysis of Alternatives____________________________________

Resource: Overall, in each region except one (Region 3), a majority of Resource Reviewers who noted a problem with their projects indicated that there was a problem in development and analysis of alternatives. During 2006 Region 2 experienced the fewest problems (four Reviewers noted a problem). Regions 1 and 7 experienced considerable problems in this area - 91% of respondents in Region 1 (10 out of 11) and 86% of respondents in Region 7 (6 out of 7). Regions 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, and 10 all experienced more problems in 2006 than 2003 while the others experienced fewer problems since 2003. Region 10 had the most number of Reviewers reporting problems with 19.

Transportation: Among the Transportation Reviewers, Region 10 was one of the regions with the fewest problems noted (4 out of 24). Region 8 experienced the most problems in 2006 with 11 of 19 Reviewers (58%) indicating they experienced problems. In only three regions did the number of Transportation Reviewers noting a problem increase - Regions 1, 8, and 9.

Summary: Transportation Reviewers experienced fewer problems than Resource Reviewers in the development and analysis of alternatives. However, most Resource and Transportation Reviewers reported an increase in problem occurrence for this area. Among Resource Reviewers, Region 10 had the most number of Reviewers noting a problem, although Region 7 had the highest percentage (89%) of those reporting a problem reporting that problem in development and analysis of alternatives. Among Transportation Reviewers, Region 8 had the highest number of Reviewers noting problems (11) and Region 8 experienced the most problems by percentage with 58% of Transportation Reviewers indicating a problem occurring in development and analysis of alternatives. The greatest perceptual difference in problems seems to occur in Region 7 where 86% of all Resource Reviewers indicating they experienced problems in this area while 38% of Transportation Reviewers said the same. Among those noting problems with their project, 62% of Resource problem reporters and 33% of Transportation problem reporters noted problems in this area.

Chart 9: Analysis Of Impacts - Resource

Chart 9a: Analysis Of Impacts - Transportation

Analysis of Impacts_______________________________________________________

Resource: During 2006, Regions 2, 6, and 7 experienced the fewest problems in the analysis of impacts with four, five, and five Reviewers, respectively, indicating they experienced a problem. Region 10 experienced the most problems in this area with 22 (85% of Reviewers in that region). Of the 10 regions, the number of Reviewers noting problems over 2003 increased in 6 of them. However, by percentage, Regions 4, 5, 6, and 9 all experienced fewer problems in 2006 than in 2003 while Regions 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, and 10 all experienced an increase in the percentage of Reviewers indicating they experienced a problem.

Transportation: Regions 6 and 7 experienced the fewest problems with analysis of impacts with four and three Reviewers, respectively, noting problems. Region 9 had the most Transportation Reviewers noting a problem (with 20) although Region 8 had the most Transportation Reviewers by percentage (89% indicating they experienced problems during 2006). Region 7 had the most improvement between 2006 and 2003 going from eight to three Reviewers noting a problem (they also had the biggest improvement by percentage going from 80% to 38% noting problems). Regions 2, 3, 6, 7, and 9 all experienced fewer problems in 2006 compared to 2003, while Regions 1, 4, 5, 8, and 10 all experienced an increase in problems.

Summary: It was in the analysis of impacts that about an equal number of Transportation and Resource Reviewers noted problems. Regions 8, 9, and 10 each had more than 30 Reviewers noting problems while Regions 3 and 4 each had at least 20 Reviewers noting problems. Overall, the analysis of impacts was one of the two highest "problem areas" noted by Reviewers. Among those noting problems with their project, 63% of Resource and 55% of Transportation Reviewers noted problems in this area.

Chart 10: Selection Of Preferred Alternative - Resource

Chart 10a: Selection Of Preferred Alternative - Transportation

Selection of Preferred Alternatives__________________________________________

Resource: In 2006, Resource Reviewers indicated the most problems occurred with the selection of preferred alternatives in Regions 3 and 10 (15 and 14 Reviewers, respectively). In Region 3, there was a jump from 3 to 15 Reviewers noting problems over the three-year period. However, by percentage, 82% of Resource Reviewers who noted problems in Region 1 and 71% of Reviewers in Region 7 said those problems were in the selection of preferred alternatives.

Transportation: Overall, Transportation Reviewers noted fewer problems than did the Resource Reviewers. Transportation Reviewers in Regions 6, 7, and 10 experienced the fewest problems in the selection of a preferred alternatives - two, three, and three, respectively. By percentage, Region 8 experienced the most problems with 42% of all Transportation Reviewers who noted a problem indicating a problem in this area.

Summary: Resource Reviewers were more likely to indicate they experienced problems in the selection of preferred alternatives than did Transportation Reviewers. In addition, some of the most divergent indications of problems occurred in this area. Regions 3 and 10 specifically showed the most divergence in indicated problems. Region 3 had 15 out of 26 Resource Reviewers but only 4 out of 24 Transportation Reviewers noting problems. Fourteen out of 26 Resource Reviewers in Region 10, but only 3 out of 24 Transportation Reviewers noting problems. Among those noting problems with their project, 52% of Resource and 28% of Transportation Reviewers noted problems in this area.

   Chart 11: Commitment To Mitigation Measures - Resource

Chart 11a: Commitment To Mitigation Measures - Transportation

Commitment to Mitigation Measures________________________________________

Resource: Resource Reviewers from Region 10 experienced the most problems with commitment to mitigation measures with 16 Reviewers noting problems. By percentage however, 73% of Reviewers in Region 1 and 28% of Reviewers in Region 8 indicated they experienced problems with this issue. Respondents in Regions 2 and 7 experienced the fewest problems with three and two Reviewers noting problems, respectively. All regions except Regions 6 and 7 indicated they experienced more problems in 2006 than in 2003. Region 7 had no change.

Transportation: Region 9 experienced the most problems in commitment to mitigation measures with 19 Reviewers noting a problem although by percentage, Region 7 had 75% of all Transportation Reviewers noting a problem in this area. Region 1 had 69% noting problems. Transportation Reviewers from Region 6 had the least number of people indicating they experienced a problem (four) with Regions 2 and 5 close behind (five Reviewers each). Only Region 6 had a decline in the number of Reviewers reporting problems since 2003.

Summary: Among both Transportation and Resource Reviewers, only Region 6 saw improvement over 2003. The biggest differences by percentage between Transportation and Resource Reviewers with commitment to mitigation measures occurred in Regions 6 and 7. In Region 6, 56% of Resource Reviewers and 33% of Transportation Reviewers noted a problem. In Region 7, 29% of Resource and 75% of Transportation Reviewers noted problems. Overall, 51% of Resource Reviewers and 55% of Transportation Reviewers who noted problems noted them in this area.

Chart 12: Finalizing Documents Or Response To Comments - Resource

Chart 12a: Finalizing Documents Or Response To Comments - Transportation

Finalizing Documents or Response to Comments_______________

Resource: Among Resource Reviewers, the highest number of Reviewers noting problems was in Region 3 where 15 out of 26 noted a problem occurring with finalizing documents or response to comments. Another 14 Reviewers in Region 10 noted problems as well. Looking at percentages, the highest were seen in Region 1 where 9 out of 11 (or 82%) of all Reviewers who noted a problem said it was in this area. Region 7 had 71% of its seven Reviewers noting a problem choosing this area. Four regions declined in the number of Reviewers noting problems, Regions 5, 6, 8, and 9. There was no change in Region 2.

Transportation: The highest number of Transportation Reviewers who reported a problem with finalizing documents or response to comments came from Region 9 (22 out of 33). By percentage, Transportation Reviewers from Regions 6 and 7 both had 75% of their problem-reporting Reviewers noting problems in this area. Region 1 experienced the greatest increase, going from 2 Reviewers noting problems in 2003 to 11 doing so in 2006.

Summary: Regions 5, 6, 8, and 9 all showed improvement in having fewer Resource Reviewers noting problems in 2006. Among Transportation Reviewers, those same improvements were seen among regions 3, 7, and 8. The greatest perceptual difference by percentage occurs in Region 5 where 36% of Resource Reviewers experienced problems vs. 65% of Transportation Reviewers.

Type of Project and Problem Occurrence____________________________________

There were also differences seen in problem occurrence based on the type of project. The project categories asked included the following:

·        Environmental Impact Statement (EIS )

·        Environmental Assessment-Finding of No Significant Impact (EA FONSI )

·        Categorical Exclusion (CE)

·        Programmatic Agreement (PA) NOTE: Sample size was too small to include this category in the analysis.

Key additional findings include:

      Generally, Resource Reviewers who categorized their projects as programmatic agreements were most likely to have problems across the different issue areas related to problem occurrence. Resource Reviewers who indicated their projects were CEs were least likely to indicate they experienced problems in the different areas of problem occurrence.

      For Transportation Reviewers, projects categorized as EIS tended to be the most problematic.

Chart 13: EIS Problem Occurrence Transportation vs. Resource

Chart 14: EA FONSI Problem Occurrence Transportation vs. Resource

Chart 15: CE Problem Occurrence Transportation vs. Resource

Early Project Planning____________________       ____________________________

Resource: More than half of Resource Reviewers that described their projects as EIS or EA FONSI indicated they experienced problems in early project planning. Resource Reviewers who described their projects as CE were least likely to indicate they experienced problems, with only 15% of Resource Reviewers with this type of project indicating they experienced a problem.

Transportation: The majority of Transportation Reviewers did not experience problems in the area of early project planning. Transportation Reviewers working on EIS were most likely to note problems, although only 29% said so. Twenty-two percent of Transportation Reviewers whose projects were EA FONSI indicated they experienced problems, while 16% of Transportation Reviewers whose projects were categorized as CEs reported problems.

Summary: Resource Reviewers were more likely than Transportation Reviewers to experience problems with early project planning. Overall, for both Resource and Transportation Reviewers, projects categorized as EIS tended to have the most problems reported in early project planning, while CE projects had the fewest problems reported.

Defining Purpose and Need________________________________________________

Resource: Slightly more than one-half (51%) of Resource Reviewers whose projects were EIS indicated they experienced problems in defining purpose and need. Thirty-two percent of Resource Reviewers whose projects were EA FONSI indicated they experienced problems defining purpose and need while no Resource reviewer in any region working with CE agreements indicated they had a problem with defining purpose and need.  

Transportation: Few Transportation Reviewers had problems with defining purpose and need. Reviewers whose projects were categorized as EIS were most likely to experience problems although only one-quarter (25%) of them did so. For Transportation Reviewers whose projects were categorized as CE agreements, 14% indicated they experienced problems with defining purpose and need while 11% of those working on CEs indicated having a problem.

Summary: Resource Reviewers were far more likely to experience problems in defining purpose and need than were Transportation Reviewers. EA FONSIs were more likely to generate reports of problems among Resource Reviewers (32%) than Transportation Reviewers (11%).

Information and Data Collection____________________________________________

Resource: Almost three-quarters (71%) of Reviewers whose projects were categorized as EA FONSI indicated they had problems in this area. Half (50%) of Resource Reviewers whose projects were EIS indicated they experienced problems. Resource Reviewers whose projects were CE agreements were the least likely to experience problems with only just under one-quarter (23%) indicating they experienced a problem.

Transportation: Just more than one-half (52%) of Transportation Reviewers whose projects were EIS reported problems with information and data collection. For Transportation Reviewers whose projects were categorized as EA FONSI, 31% indicated they experienced problems with information and data collection, while 22% of Transportation Reviewers working with CE agreements reported problems.

Summary: Overall, Resource Reviewers were more likely to experience problems with information and data collections across all types of projects. CE agreements continue to be the least problematic for Resource Reviewers while EIS agreements tended to incur the most problems for Transportation Reviewers in this area.

Development and Analysis_________________________________________________

Resource: Overall, a majority of Resource Reviewers experienced problems in this area. Two-thirds (65%) of Resource Reviewers whose projects were EIS experienced problems in this area. An additional one-half of Resource Reviewers working on EA FONSIs or CEs indicated they experienced problems (56% and 54%, respectively).

Transportation: Overall, Transportation Reviewers were much less likely to report problems in this area than were the Resource Reviewers. Transportation Reviewers whose projects were EIS indicated they experienced problems with development and analysis 45% of the time. For projects categorized as EA FONSI, 26% of Transportation Reviewers indicated they experienced a problem, while 25% said they had a problem with CE agreements.

Summary: Resource Reviewers were more likely to indicate they experienced problems with development and analysis than Transportation Reviewers. Resource and Transportation Reviewers whose projects were EIS were most likely to indicate problems. Resource Reviewers whose projects were CE agreements were least likely to indicate problems (54%), while Transportation Reviewers whose projects were either EA FONSIs or CEs indicated the least problems with 26% and 25%, respectively.

Analysis of Impacts_______________________________________________________

Resource: Overall, a majority of Resource Reviewers in each category except one (CE) reported problems in this area. Reviewers whose projects were EIS also experienced a large number of problems with 68% reporting problems with analysis of impacts. Sixty-three percent of Reviewers whose projects were EA FONSI indicated they experienced problems, while 62% of Resource Reviewers working on CE agreements experienced problems with analysis of impacts.

Transportation: Transportation Reviewers whose projects were categorized as EIS agreements or EA FONSI were most likely to indicate they experienced problems with the analysis of impacts. Sixty-one percent of Transportation Reviewers working on EIS agreements and 62% of those working on EA FONSI agreements indicated they experienced problems. For projects categorized as CE agreements, 4 in 10 (40%) Transportation Reviewers indicated they experienced problems.

Summary: In the analysis of impact area, Reviewers from both Transportation and Resource almost identically reported problems occurring with EIS, EA FONSI, and CE.

Selection of Preferred Alternatives__________________________________________

Resource: Thirty-nine percent of Resource Reviewers whose projects were EA FONSI indicated they experienced problems. Thirty-one percent of Resource Reviewers whose projects were categorized as CE experienced problems with the selection of preferred alternatives.

Transportation: One-third (36%) of Transportation Reviewers working on EIS agreements noted problems in the selection of preferred alternatives. For projects categorized as EA FONSI, 30% of Transportation Reviewers indicated they experienced problems, while 17% of Transportation Reviewers working on CE agreements said the same.

Summary: As with most of the other categories, Resource Reviewers were more likely than Transportation Reviewers to experience problems in the selection of preferred alternatives. For Resource Reviewers, projects categorized as EIS were considered the most problematic (61% reported problems) while projects categorized as CE agreements were the least problematic (31% reported problems). For Transportation Reviewers, about one-third reported problems with EIS agreements (36%) and EA FONSI (30%).

Commitment to Mitigation Measures________________________________________

Resource: For Reviewers who worked on EIS projects, one-half (50%) indicated they experienced some type of problem with commitment to mitigation measures. An additional one-half (48%) of Resource Reviewers working on EA FONSI agreements indicated they experienced problems while one-third (31%) of CE agreement Resource workers experienced problems in the commitment to mitigation measures.

Transportation: Transportation Reviewers whose projects were categorized as EA FONSI were most likely to indicate they experienced problems with 63% of Reviewers indicating they experienced problems in this area for these types of projects. Fifty-eight percent of Transportation Reviewers whose projects were EIS indicated they experienced problems with these types of projects. While 40% of Transportation Reviewers whose projects were CE agreements indicated they experienced problems.

Summary: In the commitment to mitigation measures, both agencies reported almost equal levels of problems. It is in the commitment of mitigation measures where both Transportation and Resource Reviewers reported a high number of problems.

Finalizing Documents or Response to Comments______________________________

Resource: Two-thirds (63%) of Resource Reviewers working on EA FONSI reported problems with finalizing documents or response to comments. For Resource Reviewers working on either CE or EIS, more than one-half (54% and 51%, respectively) indicated they experienced problems in finalizing documents or response to comments.  

Transportation: Transportation Reviewers working on CE agreements were most likely to indicate experiencing problems with finalizing documents or response to comments with three-quarters (73%) indicating they a problem. Almost two-thirds (65%) of those working on EIS agreements reported problems, while a little more than one-half (57%) of those working on an EA FONSI reported a problem.

Summary: It is in the finalizing documents and responses to comments where Transportation Reviewers were more likely to note a problem existed than were Resource Reviewers. For Transportation Reviewers, CE agreements were the most problematic while EA FONSI agreements were the most problematic for Resource Reviewers.

Odds Ratios: Overall Satisfaction vs. Problem Occurrence_____________________

The following analysis focuses on the relationship between overall satisfaction and problem occurrence. The odds ratios below indicate the odds of being satisfied based on whether or not Reviewers experienced problems in each of the problem occurrence areas. An increase is signified by a ratio greater than 1.0 and a decrease is signified by a ratio of less than 1.0.

Chart 16: Predicting Overall Satisfaction From Problem Occurrence For Resource And Transportation

Using the odds ratios, three problem occurrence areas showed an elevated relationship to overall satisfaction, two for Transportation and one for Resource. For Resource Reviewers, the important relationship to satisfaction was in the area of analysis of impacts. In other words, the odds of a Resource reviewer being satisfied is about three times greater for Reviewers who did not experience problems in the analysis of impacts than for those who did experience a problem. For Transportation Reviewers, the two areas that showed an elevated relationship with overall satisfaction was early project planning and finalizing documents. In particular, the odds of a Transportation reviewer being satisfied is about three and a half times greater for a Transportation reviewer who did not experience a problem with early project planning compared to a Transportation reviewer who did experience a problem. The odds of being satisfied are also about three and a half times greater for Transportation Reviewers if they do not experience a problem with finalizing documents than it is for Transportation Reviewers who did experience problems finalizing documents.

Summary_______________________________________________________________

On the Resource side, several regions declined in their occurrence of problems from 2003 while others saw increases.

Table 1: Resource Percentage Change From 2003 to 2006 by Problem

Table 1a: Transportation Percentage Point Change From 2003 to 2006 by Problem

EARLY PROJECT PLANNING: Among Resource Reviewers, Regions 1, 2, and 8 reduced their occurrence of problems from 2003 in early project planning while Regions 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9 had increases. The greatest reduction of problems for the three-year period occurred in Region 2 while the greatest increase in occurred in Regions 3, 5, and 7. No change was noted in Region 10.

For Transportation, Regions 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8 reduced their numbers of problems in early project planning while Regions 5, 9, and 10 had increases. Region 4 had the greatest reduction while Region 7 had the greatest increase in problems since 2003.

DEFINING PURPOSE AND NEED: Among Resource Reviewers who noted a problem, Regions 1, 4, 6, 8, 9, and 10 reduced their problems pertaining to defining purpose and need while Regions 2, 3, and 5 increased the number of problems reported. The region with the greatest decrease in problems from 2003 was Region 6 while Region 2 had the greatest increase over 2003. Region 7 had no change from 2003.

For Transportation, Regions 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, and 10 all decreased the number of problems reported in defining purpose and need while Regions 3, 5, 8, and 9 all had increases since 2003. The greatest problem decline occurred in Region 10, while the greatest increase occurred in Region 5.

INFORMATION OR DATA COLLECTION: Among Resource Reviewers, Regions 5, 8, 9, 10 decreased the number of problems associated with information or data collection since 2003, while Regions 1, 3, 4, 6, and 7 increased their number of reported problems. Region 1 had the greatest increase in problems with a 23% over 2003. Region 8 had the greatest decrease. Regions 10 and 5 also had a significant reduction in problems with a decline of 37 and 32 percentage points, respectively. Region 2 had no change over 2003.

Among Transportation Reviewers, the number of problems reported declined in Regions 3, 4, and 6. Regions 1, 2, 7, 8, 9 and 10 had increases in problems from 2003. Region 2 had the greatest increase in problems from 2003, while Region 6 had the most significant decrease in problems from 2003. Region 5 had no change from 2003.

DEVELOPMENT AND ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATIVES: Among Resource Reviewers who reported a problem, Regions 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 10 experienced an increase in problems associated with development and analysis of alternatives. Regions 2, 3, 8, and 9 experienced decreases. Region 1 experienced the greatest increase in problems associated with development and analysis with more Reviewers saying they had a problem in this area than was reported in 2003. Region 8 experienced the greatest improvement with a reduction of problems being reported.

Among Transportation Reviewers who reported a problem with the process, Regions 1, 6, 7, 8, and 9 experienced increases over 2003, while Regions 2, 3, 4, 5, 10 experienced decreases. Region 1 experienced the greatest increase in problems with more Reviewers noting a problem in this area. Region 10 experienced the greatest decrease in problems from 2003.

ANALYSIS OF IMPACTS: Among Resource Reviewers who reported a problem, Regions 2, 3, and 7 experienced increases over 2003. Regions 1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10 experienced decreases in the area of analysis of impacts. Region 2 experienced the greatest increase with an increase over 2003, while Region 8 experienced the greatest decrease. Of all problem occurrence issue areas queried by Resource Reviewers, this one had the most improvement over 2003.

Among Transportation Reviewers who reported that a problem occurred, Regions 1, 2, and 8 experienced increases with analysis of impacts. Regions 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, and 10 experienced decreases. Region 8 had the greatest increase over 2003, while Region 7 had the greatest reduction. Along with Resource Reviewers, the analysis of impacts also had the most improvement for Transportation Reviewers.

SELECTION OF PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE: For Resource, Regions 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, and 10 all experienced increases in problems associated with the selection of preferred alternatives. Regions 1 and 7 experienced the greatest increase in problems with 44 and 33 percentage points, respectively. Region 8 is the only region that experienced a decrease in problems with a reduction in problems since 2003. This problem occurrence area had the greatest increase in Resource Reviewers expressing problem occurrence from 2003. Region 2 had no change in problem occurrence from 2003.

For Transportation, Regions 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 experienced an increase in problems since 2003 in this area. Regions 7, 8, and 1 had the greatest increase in problems at 23, 22, and 20 percentage points, respectively. Regions 2, 4, and 10 experienced decreases in problems. Region 4 experienced the greatest decrease in problems with a reduction of 24 percentage points from 2003. This problem occurrence area had the greatest increase in Transportation Reviewers expressing problem occurrence from 2003.

COMMITMENT TO MITIGATION MEASURES: For Resource, Regions 1, 2, 4, 5, and 9 experienced increases in problems with the commitment to mitigation measures from 2003. Region 5 experienced the greatest increase in problems associated with commitment to mitigation measures with an increase of 40 percentage points. Region 7 experienced no change from 2003. Regions 3, 6, 8, and 10 experienced decreases in problems. Region 8 experienced the most significant decrease in problem occurrence with a decrease of -9 percentage points.

For Transportation, Regions 1, 2, 4, 7, 8, and 9 all experienced an increase in problems related to commitment to mitigation measures. Region 4 had the greatest increase in problems from 2003. Regions 3, 5, 6, and 10 experienced decreases in problems associated with commitment to mitigation measures with Region 6 experiencing the most significant improvement with a -27 percentage point reduction in problems from 2003.

FINALIZING DOCUMENTS OR RESPONSE TO COMMENTS: For Resource, Regions 1, 3, 4, 7 experienced increases in problems associated with finalizing documents or response to comments. Region 7 had the most significant increase in problems with a change of 71%. Regions 2, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10 experienced decreases in problems with finalizing documents or response to comments. Region 6 had the greatest decrease in problems.

For Transportation, Regions 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 10 experiencing an increase in problems with Region 1 seeing the greatest increase. Regions 2, 3, and 8 experienced a reduction in problems with Region 3 having the greatest reduction.

Table 2: Resource Summary Chart Of Problems For Percentage Responding "Yes"

Table 2a: Transportation Summary Chart Of Problems For Percentage Responding "Yes"

As reported in this chapter, Resource Reviewers experienced more problems in the different problem occurrence areas than Transportation Reviewers. For Resource Reviewers, the analysis of impacts appeared to be most problematic with 63% of Resource Reviewers indicating they experienced problems in this issue area. For Transportation Reviewers, finalizing documents or response to comments appeared to be the most problematic with 64% of Transportation Reviewers indicating they experienced problems. There were six issue areas where more than half of Resource Reviewers indicated experiencing problems. These issue areas were: information or data collection, development/analysis of alternatives, analysis of impacts, selection of preferred alternatives, commitment to mitigation measures, and finalizing documents or response to comments.

The issue area least problematic for Resource Reviewers was defining purpose and need and this is also the case for Transportation Reviewers. Thirty-nine percent of Resource Reviewers indicated experiencing problems with defining purpose and need while 17% of Transportation Reviewers indicated experiencing problems with this area.

However, despite the differences there were three common problem areas where Resource and Transportation Reviewers both indicated problems. These areas include: analysis of impacts (63% of Resource Reviewers, 55% of Transportation Reviewers) commitment to mitigation measures (51% of Resource Reviewers, 55% of Transportation Reviewers), and finalizing documents or response to comments (55% of Resource Reviewers, 64% of Transportation Reviewers).