The Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed South Suburban Airport (SSA) focused on the purpose and need for the airport and provided the environmental analysis for initial airport site approval. The first tier EIS did not include approval of airport infrastructure development.

The Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) was issued on April 22, 2002 and the Record of Decision (ROD) approving the Tier 1 EIS was issued on July 12, 2002. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) determined that the Will County site was a technically and environmentally feasible location, and that the benefits of approving a site, so that the State could acquire land to protect against suburban development and protect the airspace, outweighed the adverse environmental impacts of preserving this option, as set forth in Chapter 5.0 of the FEIS.

Below are links to the Tier 1 Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and the Federal Aviation Administration's Record of Decision (ROD) for the Tier 1 EIS:

• Tier 1 Final Environmental Impact Statement

• Tier 1 Record of Decision