NEPA Feasibility Study Talking Points; for general information and response to the PEER article.

January 16, 2008

• The way the FS does NEPA has to change. The PEER article does not refute this statement. That is one of the reasons why the Forest Service undertook the analysis. The need for change remains, regardless of what tool is used. The economic future of the Forest Service remains unstable, with few expectations of improvement. More efficient and effective ways should and will be investigated.

• Chief's letter accepting recommendations is quoted accurately. "The Deputy Chief for National Forest System recommends the program improvements be done by BPR to maximize flexibility and enable open communications throughout the process. A BPR would be coordinated with the transformation project currently being conducted to ensure the efforts are synchronized. I support all the study findings and request your comments on the proposed implementation method." However...

• The study recommendations are only the first step in identifying areas of improvement. This includes the conceptual centralization idea that was created as a baseline to compare any future efficiencies analysis. Service Centers are just one of many options that would be considered. Based on field feedback, the agency will consider all options and alternatives while conducting the BPR.

• Formal content analysis of employee issues was conducted with full involvement of the employees' union, NFFE. This information will be available to all employees and used by any future BPR teams.

• A lot has changed since the NEPA Feasibility Study was completed. Employee feedback and internal management discussions have caused the agency to pause and take a second look. The omnibus budget bill has put the Forest Service Green Plan goals on hold for fiscal year 2008. This allows the agency to reflect on upcoming organizational needs. There are many changes taking place in the Agency and Leadership would like to coordinate these efforts as seamlessly as possible, with the least amount of impact.

• The next steps taken to assess efficiencies and effectiveness of NEPA will include active involvement of all environmental professionals and resource specialists, plus hands on assistance and input from decision makers, at the Forest and District levels. Timeframes will stay fluid, in order to stay as flexible as possible and alleviate the impact on employee’s time.

• Finally, as mentioned before, the report's recommendations are not written in stone, they will be assessed in light of comments/information from field experts and decision makers. Consideration of these issues will be weighed fairly with current operating and fiscal scenarios, to meet all Agency objectives.

Questions? Please contact Jody Sutton, Project Manager at 801-891-7334 or Mark Davis, NFFE representative, at 608-231-9474.

[These talking points were developed by both Union and management representatives to continue partnering efforts on this project.]

A second set of talking points developed exclusively by management is posted at http://www.nffe-fsc.org/Documents/CSIndex/NEPA/FS_080117_NEPA_TP.htm.