Attachment_1_-_Statement_of_Work.pdf
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- Solicitation number
- 140A0126Q0049
About this file
This is a Statement of Work (SOW) from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Great Plains Regional Office, for the preparation of an Environmental Assessment (EA) for The Grass Property on the Pine Ridge Reservation in Bennett County, South Dakota.
The contractor shall prepare a comprehensive EA evaluating the proposed transfer of the approximately 20-acre Grass Property from fee to trust status, in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), 42 U.S.C. §§ 4321 to 4347, Department of Interior Manual Part 516 (Chapters 1-15), and the Bureau of Indian Affairs NEPA Handbook 2026. Key activities include developing and posting a scoping notice in one newspaper, sending up to five scoping letters for review, preparing a draft EA, completing a final EA with a complete administrative record, and preparing a Notice of Availability for posting by the BIA at the Agency and other Tribal locations on the Reservation. The EA must follow a specified document structure addressing purpose and need, alternatives (including no action and the proposed action), and detailed analysis of affected environment and impacts across multiple resource categories: geologic setting and land use, soils, surface and ground water, air quality, threatened and endangered species, wetlands, raptors and wildlife, vegetation, cultural resources, socioeconomic conditions, infrastructure and utilities, and public health and safety. Each section must include cross-reference tables/matrices disclosing potential impacts, mitigation measures, and significance determinations.
The contractor must complete the project within four months from the start date, with expeditious completion emphasized as critical. A conference call with the BIA Division of Environment and Cultural Resources Management (DECRM) is required prior to commencing project activities. Deliverables include a final EA and decision document in electronic copy format and an administrative record of all activities provided following final submittal and the corresponding Decision. The draft EA will be submitted to BIA DECRM Regional Office for a 15-day comment period, with subsequent incorporation of comments into the final document through collaboration between the BIA and contractor. The SOW emphasizes conciseness, public comprehension, and elimination of redundant or unnecessary text through incorporation by reference, use of appendices, tables and figures, and brief descriptions of insignificant items.
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Bureau of Indian Affairs, Great Plains Regional Office Division of Environment and Cultural Resources Management
Statement of Work Environmental Assessment for Pine Ridge Reservation
Scope of Work
The Grass Property is an approximately 20-acre property located on the Pine Ridge Reservation in Bennet County. The Environmental Assessment (EA) will evaluate the proposed action and disclose potential environmental effects associated with the property transfer from fee to trust, in accordance with applicable NEPA requirements. The contractor will prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) for The Grass Property, an approximately 20-acre property located on the Pine Ridge Reservation. For this objective to be achieved, the EA must comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), 42 U.S.C. §§ 4321 to 4347; the Department of the Interior requirements listed in Department Manual Part 516, Chapters 1-15; and the Bureau of Indian Affairs NEPA Handbook 2026.
Activities included in meeting the regulatory needs for the EA are identified below.
• Develop scoping notice and post in one newspaper
• Develop draft letters for review and send up to five (5) scoping letters
• Develop the draft EA
• Complete final EA and provide a complete administrative record
• Complete Notice of Availability and the BIA will post at the Agency and other Tribal locations within the Reservation
General EA Document Structure
• Purpose and Need for Action o Introduction o Description of the Proposed Action o Purpose and Need for the Proposed Action o Regulations that Apply to Fee to Trust Activities
• Alternatives o Introduction o No Action Alternative o Alternatives Considered but removed from further evaluation o Proposed Action
Approval of the “Grass Property” located in Pine Ridge, SD from fee to trust status
• Description of the Affected Environment and Impacts o Introduction o Geologic Setting and Land Use
Geologic Setting and Land Use Impacts/Mitigation o Soils
Soil Impacts/Mitigation o Water Resources Surface Water
• Surface Water Impacts/Mitigation Ground Water
• Ground Water Impacts/Mitigation o Air Quality
Air Quality Impacts/Mitigation o Threatened, Endangered, and Candidate Species
Threatened and Endangered Species Impacts/Mitigation o Wetlands, Raptors, Other Wildlife and Vegetation
Wetlands
• Wetland Impacts/Mitigation
Bald and Golden Eagles
• Bald and Golden Eagle Impacts/Mitigation
Migratory Birds and Other Wildlife
• Migratory Birds and Other Wildlife Impacts/Mitigation
Vegetation
• Vegetation Impacts/Mitigation o Cultural Resources Cultural Resources Impacts/Mitigation o Socioeconomic Conditions Socioeconomic Impacts/Mitigation o Infrastructure and Utilities Infrastructure and Utility Impacts/Mitigation o Public Health and Safety Public Health and Safety Impacts/Mitigation o Cumulative Impacts Past, Present, and Reasonably Foreseeable Actions Cumulative Impact Assessment o Irreversible and Irretrievable Commitment of Resources o Short-term Use of the Environment Versus Long-term Productivity o Permits, as needed o Environmental Commitments/Mitigation, as needed
• Preparers and Agency Coordination o Introduction o Preparer o Agency Coordination o Public Involvement
• References and Acronyms
General Comments on Document Content
• Each section within the document should have its own Cross Reference Table/Matrix, as applicable o Disclose potential impacts o Disclose measures (Design, BMPs, Etc.,) taken to avoid and minimize potential impacts, if applicable o Determination of significance based off measures taken
• Air Quality o Summarize data outside the Reservation and within the Reservation, as needed
• Threatened, Endangered and Candidate Species Determinations o Cross Reference Table/Matrix, as applicable
• Cumulative Impacts Evaluation o Complete cross reference table/matrix compiling individual tables from other sections, as applicable Will disclose the overall impacts from all areas Will also identify all BMPs, Design Standards, etc., if applicable Make a comparative analysis between operations outside the Reservation boundaries to operations within the Reservation boundary.
• Please note the Department of Interior is looking at ways to be more concise and effective within our NEPA documents. We will require the consultant to look at ways to eliminate redundant/duplicative text and unnecessary information within the document. Possibilities are as follows:
o Only briefly describe items that are deemed to be insignificant in nature as it relates to affected environment and impacts. Then document that the items will be removed from further discussion/analysis as no or very limited potentials exist for impacts.
o Incorporate by reference when at all possible.
o Move lengthy descriptions to an Appendix, if the information is needed to support but not necessarily needed for the reader to understand the potential project and related impacts.
o Combining the effected environment with the impact’s discussion may assist with reduction of redundancy.
o Always keep in mind, NEPA documents are to be written for the public to comprehend, not intended to be research or technical documents that requires a higher education to comprehend.
o Additional use of Tables and Figures to reduce unneeded text, if possible o Slight modifications to document structure may be warranted, but any changes to the standard layout will need to be discussed and approved by the BIA prior to implementation.
o Keep page length to the minimum needed to cover the proposed action effectively.
Draft Review Process o Draft document shall be provided to the following Agencies/Offices for review and comment BIA, DECRM, Regional Office o Comment period shall be 15 days on the draft EA o Complete review of comments for incorporation into the document with BIA and Consultant for finalization of the document.
Deliverables and Procedures: Environmental Assessment
The contractor shall begin the NEPA process upon receipt of award. Completion date is 4 months from start date unless additional time can be fully justified, please note the time frame is critical on this project, and the process needs to be completed as expeditiously as possible.
• A conference call is to be conducted with DECRM and the contractor prior to any other project related activities to ensure the goals and needs are identified clearly and early in project development.
• Final EA and decision document (electronic copy)
• Administrative Record of all activities to be provided after final submittal and corresponding Decision.
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