Berger completed the application processing and developed a draft and final EIS, with Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) oversight. The Berger Team, including Bill Koogler of the Washington Group, was responsible for preparing a combined NEPA-CEQA document to enable regulatory decision making on this new pumped storage and transmission line. The potential federal action is to issue a FERC License to construct and operate the pumped storage project and transmission line including Special Use Permits from the USFS. The FERC and USFS are participating as cooperating agencies in the preparation of this EIS for the LEAPS Project. The FERC will use the EIS to determine whether, and under what conditions, to issue an original hydropower license for the project. The USFS will use the EIS to base its finding under Section 4(e) of the Federal Power Act and to decide whether to issue any necessary special use authorizations, particularly for constructing the Talega-Escondido/Valley-Serrano 500-kilovolt transmission interconnection, including transmission lines associated with the LEAPS Project, as a transmission line only project. The draft and final EIS evaluate the potential natural resource benefits, environmental effects, and economic costs associated with granting a FERC license for the entire LEAPS Project and granting a USFS special use permit for the transmission lines associated with the project.

The Berger Team undertook an extensive engineering review of the constructability of the pumped storage project, developed alternative transmission alignments, and considered approaches such as underground transmission lines, helicopter installation of transmission lines in steeper areas, and the need to locate an alignment that would have minimal conflict with heavy hang glider recreational use in the project vicinity. The team also evaluated the need for both power and transmission as supported by the project, and performed an extensive economic analysis of alternative transmission line alignments and alternative pumped storage project configurations. Other key elements in the evaluation of this approximately 1.3 billion dollar project included seismic and geotechnical risks and socioeconomic, land use and recreational impacts. The Berger Team also analyzed impacts to geological, water, aquatic, terrestrial and cultural resources, as well as visual impacts. Where appropriate, the team recommended environmental protection, enhancement and mitigation measures for consideration by the FERC and USFS for inclusion in any new license and permits. The recommended measures were designed to reduce the environmental impacts of the project as proposed by the license applicants.

In addition to providing primary authorship of the EIS, the Berger Team reviewed the application for adequacy and prepared Additional Information Requests designed to elicit additional information from the applicants that was needed for the environmental analysis, made a field reconnaissance of the project, met with stakeholders and participated in scoping meetings on project issues, and assisted FERC with other process documents such as the Ready for Environmental Analysis Notice.