Opinion ID: 164231
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Impacts of Aircraft Accidents

Text: 54 Appellants point to a 2002 Tornado crash near Alamagordo, which sparked a forest fire, as an indication that the EIS was inadequate for failing to discuss the environmental and economic impacts of such a fire. Appellants suggest that a supplemental EIS was needed to address these impacts in light of the dry weather predicted for 2003. We believe the U.S. Air Force adequately addressed the risk of accident in its EIS and was not required to prepare a supplemental EIS under these circumstances. The EIS acknowledged the risk of accident, described its methodology for calculating this risk, and described the results of these calculations. The fact that an accident has since occurred does not indicate that the EIS's analysis was flawed, nor does it make necessary further discussion of the secondary effects of such an accident in a supplemental EIS. Even as to impacts that are ... reasonably foreseeable and merit inclusion [in an EIS], the []EIS need only furnish such information as appears to be reasonably necessary under the circumstances for evaluation of the project. Utahns for Better Transp., 305 F.3d at 1176. The EIS acknowledges that fire and environmental contamination may result from a crash and that this possibility is more likely for crashes in highly vegetated areas during a hot, dry summer. Appellees' Supp.App. at 111. Having concluded that the risk of accident was relatively low, it was not required to describe the potential consequences of a resulting fire in further detail.