CANON CITY, Colo.—A federal official says his agency is committed to issuing a final statement soon on environmental impacts of artist Christo’s proposal to hang huge fabric panels over the Arkansas River, but he says it’s not a simple process.
Bureau of Land Management district manager Greg Shoop says the final environmental impact statement on Christo’s Over the River project should be available this spring. He expects a final decision this summer on whether to issue Christo a permit for his project and if so, under what conditions.
The project in southern Colorado has drawn strong supporters and opponents.
In an essay released Friday, Shoop says the BLM is “hard at work” crafting measures to mitigate potential impacts of Christo’s proposal and of alternate versions that it asked the public to review.
