Submitted by the OTR Project Team
The 30-day review and comment period for the Over The River Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) ends this Monday, August 29th. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released the Final EIS in late July, selecting Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s original vision to suspend 5.9 miles of fabric above the Arkansas River. Please take a moment to email the BLM at co_otr_comments@blm.gov and let them know that you support their selection of the artists’ vision (known as Alternative 1a in the Final EIS).
The Final EIS contains a comprehensive evaluation of all project impacts and benefits. After two and a half years of scrutiny, the BLM’s analysis shows that all project issues and concerns can be adequately addressed and that Over The River can be realized with only minimal, temporary impacts, none of which cause any permanent damage.
Want to know what’s in the Final EIS, but don’t have time to review a 1,600 page document?
Although you can download the full document on the BLM’s website, we recommend reviewing our summary of the BLM’s key findings. Here are a few highlights from the document:
- Traffic: “Overall, impacts to local businesses and commercial traffic as a result of traffic delays during installation and removal would be negligible to minor and short term due to the limited time frame of construction activities and the implemented traffic management measures.” Read More About Traffic
- Safety: “Local service providers, including emergency services, would be able to meet demands of both visitors and residents from the beginning of the installation period through the end of the removal period.” Read More About Safety
- Wildlife: The Final EIS identifies no “Significant Impacts” to any terrestrial, avian or aquatic wildlife as a result of Over The River when the identified mitigation measures are implemented. Read More About Wildlife
- Socioeconomic Benefits: Total economic output generated by the project in Colorado would exceed $111.3 million, including the creation of over 620 jobs, the majority of which will be designated to local residents. Read More About Economic Benefits
After the current review and comment period, the BLM will issue a “Record of Decision” this fall, which will determine the agency’s final decision on Over The River. From there, Christo will work to secure all remaining permits, including those from Fremont and Chaffee counties. We are now in the home stretch of the permitting process, and we thank you for your ongoing support.
Over The River is a two-week temporary work of art by the artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude. For more information, visit our website at www.OverTheRiverInfo.com.
…………………….
The FEIS has a lot of language that sounds good but then the authors turn around and dismiss what they’ve presented and come to an opposite conclusion from what the material would lead one to conclude. And then don’t support these non sequitur conclusions in any meaningful way. There’s no new science, however the conclusions they drew in the DEIS, have magically all changed from significant, to minor. HUH ???? Oh, that’s right, Christo is paying AECOM’s tab, surely they can’t be prejudiced in any way. There is a lot of language in the FEIS that is biased (the Artists’ vision, rather than the applicant’s proposal, blossoming rather than installed) as well as vague, non-rigorous and non-scientific assumptions. Some parts are decently written (biology), and others (physical sciences, traffic, socio economic) are vague and FULL of unstated and/or unsupported assumptions and conclusions that come out of the blue
What a crock. Christo’s PR team fails to mention that it’ll devastate the fishing businesses, which is included in the FEIS. Yep, put them right out of business. Put that Socioeconomic benefit in your pipe and smoke it. Ya know how they propose to mitigate impacts to the sheep, for which the canyon is named ? Slash and burn 500 acres away from the river, and hope the sheep vacation there for the 3 to 8 year duration of OTR.
SO, in closing, you DO need to read the FEIS, and ignore the PR drivel from OTR’s PR Machine, Christo thinks we’re all dumb enough to let this ego driven industrial scale environmental disaster just happen. Show him we’re not.