Greater New Orleans (GNO) Infrastructure Projects
The federal government is assisting the rebuilding of Greater New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. One of the mechanisms to assist in the rebuilding of public infrastructure after a Presidentially declared disaster is the Stafford Act's Public Assistance (PA) Grant Program. This program is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and provides federal grant funding for the repair, replacement, or restoration of infrastructure facilities owned by public agencies and eligible private nonprofit organizations.
NEPA Alternative Arrangements for FEMA-funded reconstruction of critical infrastructure in Greater New Orleans
Projects funded by FEMA's Public Assistance Program must comply with federal environmental laws including the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Using Alternative Arrangements (AA) is a way for FEMA to comply with the NEPA requirements.
Alternative Arrangements for NEPA compliance were approved by the White House Council on Environmental Quality for FEMA Public Assistance Program activities in the area following the hurricanes in 2005.
The NEPA Alternative Arrangements were approved for GNO because of the unprecedented situation where the environmental sensitivity of the area, the level of devastation and the density of reconstruction that is being addressed through FEMA PA grants warranted that the agency consider all FEMA funding of projects rather than assessing the environmental impacts of each grant application individually. The combined effects of these numerous actions are highly uncertain, may involve risks that are difficult to identify and could result in cumulatively significant environmental impacts.
The main purpose of this section of the FEMA web site is to inform the public about the use of Alternative Arrangements for NEPA compliance in rebuilding critical infrastructure (hospitals, schools, utilities, etc.) in Greater New Orleans. These critical infrastructure facilities include many federally funded projects under the FEMA PA Grant Program.
This section is divided into two parts:
- Recovery Projects in My Parish
This section highlights the projects by location. It provides basic information about the PA process and detailed information about the individual projects. You can click on the map or links below to go directly to the Parish projects page. - Program and Process Information
This section focuses on the PA program and process, providing documentation of what is being done with the Alternative Arrangements. This section also offers an interactive mapping application that allows users to design and develop custom maps; however, a high speed internet connection is required for optimal performance.
The content presented here will change as additional information becomes available on infrastructure projects in the Greater New Orleans area funded by FEMA Public Assistance. Check back often to see updated information.
Disclaimer
Information presented on this website is collected, maintained, and provided for the convenience of the user. While every effort is made to keep such information accurate and up to date, FEMA does not certify the authenticity, accuracy, or completeness of the information on this website. Information such as eligible project funding, project locations and political boundaries are intended to illustrate the general limits of these areas. This information should not be considered suitable for engineering or design purposes. Under no circumstances shall FEMA be liable for any actions taken from reliance on any information contained herein, nor shall the agency be liable for any other consequences from any such reliance.
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