The Department of Fish and Game has released the Newhall Ranch Project final Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report.

The report includes revisions made during the public review of the draft environmental analysis April to August 2009.

The final EIS/EIR marks the end of a year-long effort by DFG and the Corps to complete written responses to comments regarding the draft report. The final report also marks nearly a decade of DFG and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers environmental review of the Newhall Ranch Project previously approved by Los Angeles County. Completion and public release of the final EIS/EIR does not mark final agency action by DFG, final action is not expected by DFG until late summer 2010 at the earliest.

The report provides a detailed analysis of the environmental impacts expected to occur with build-out of the Newhall Ranch Project and two other properties also owned by the Newhall Land and Farming Company. The draft and final EIS/EIR focus on, among other things, the environmental impacts to biological resources expected to occur with implementation of the Newhall Land’s proposed Resource Management and Development Plan and Spineflower Conservation Plan. The former is a conservation, mitigation and permitting plan for sensitive biological resources within the previously approved Newhall Ranch Specific Plan area. The latter is a conservation and management plan to permanently protect and manage a system of preserves designed to maximize the long-term persistence of the San Fernando Valley spineflower, a federal candidate and state-listed endangered plant species.

The final EIS/EIR is available via DFG’s web page here.

Copies of the final EIS/EIR are also available to the public at the following locations:

• Valencia library, 23743 West Valencia Boulevard, Santa Clarita
• Sylmar library, 14561 Polk Street, Sylmar
• E.P. Foster library, 651 East Main Street, Ventura
• Castaic library, 27971 Sloan Canyon Road, Castaic
• Department of Fish and Game, 4665 Lampson Avenue, Los Alamitos

The release of the report begins a 30-day public comment period initiated by the Corps. Inquiries regarding the final EIS/EIR, Clean Water Act Alternatives Analysis and the related federal public comment period may be directed to:

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Ventura Field Office

Attn.: Aaron O. Allen

2151 Alessandro Drive, Suite 110

Ventura, CA 93001

Fax (805) 585-2154

E-mail Aaron.O.Allen@usace.army.mil

Additional information regarding the ACOE review of the Newhall Ranch Project is available here.