Key Challenges

A multi-billion-dollar project must be approved by leading federal agencies under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to determine whether it has a significant environmental impact. The decision on whether an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is required is critical, as project approval can take months or even years.

Solution

NxtGen Analytics analyzed the NEPA submission process and leveraged large language models (LLMs) to optimize the language of submissions, ensuring alignment with federal criteria and increasing the likelihood of a faster review track.

Benefits

By collecting over 10 years of past EIS and Environmental Assessment (EA) submissions, including litigated cases, the software used language models to identify formulations that influence whether an EA or EIS review is required. The framework ensured that documents exceeding 400 pages adhered to best practices, regulatory standards, and legal requirements. Compliance assessments followed a structured, tiered approach to evaluate completeness, clarity, and adherence to key issue requirements.