Twenty-seven years inside the agency. Now working the other side of the table.
James R. Kelley, Jr. spent a career writing, defending, and managing the federal environmental record. He now brings that record to independent NEPA consulting - for firms and project sponsors who need a specialist who has seen the process from every angle.
27 years, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ~ Mississippi Flyway Representative, GS-14 ~ EIS Project Manager
I work with organizations that need senior-level expertise
FEDERAL AGENCIES
Expert NEPA support for complex environmental review and compliance.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTING FIRMS
Subject matter expertise, technical review, and proposal support.
RENEWABLE ENERGY DEVELOPERS
NEPA and wildlife experts for utility-scale energy projects.
TRIBAL NATIONS
INFRASTRUCTURE AND TRANSPORTATION
Environmental documents for roads, bridges, airports, and public works.
Environmental review support that respects sovereignty and resources
Why firms bring me on to their projects
EXPERIENCE INSIDE THE FEDERAL REVIEW PROCESS
Twenty-seven years with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service working across all three branches of government.
DOCUMENTS BUILT TO STAND UP TO SCRUTINY
EISs, EAs, rule makings and administrative records that withstand agency review, public comment, and litigation.
WILDLIFE & HABITAT EXPERTISE
Migratory birds, endangered species, habitat conservation, Flyways, and population management.
FLEXIBLE SUPPORT FOR YOUR TEAM
Proposal writing, technical review, QAA/QC, and senior-level support when you need it.
THE DIFFERENTIATOR
NEPA sufficiency from every angle
“I wrote the EA, survived the lawsuit, wrote the withdrawal rule, codified the act of Congress, and then project-managed the EIS that resolved it all - all on one light goose action”
Most NEPA practitioners have written documents. Few have also served as technical support to DOJ during litigation over one, drafted the Federal Register rulemaking that followed a court hearing, drafted the rulemaking implementing an act of Congress, and then project-managed the corrective EIS itself. That full-circle view of what makes a NEPA document legally defensible - not just procedurally complete - is the core of what this practice offers.
I spent 27 years with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the last 8 of which I was the Mississippi Flyway Representative at the GS-14 level — one of four Flyway Representatives in the country.
My career is defined by the Light Goose Management Environmental Impact Statement. I authored the original Final EA and rule that analyzed creation of a conservation order to reduce overabundant light goose populations that had become injurious to migration and breeding habitats (64 FR 7517). When the Humane Society of the United States challenged the original conservation order regulations in federal court, I accompanied DOJ and DOI counsel as the agency's technical representative. The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia denied an injunction but indicated that plaintiffs may prevail on their NEPA argument. I wrote the withdrawal rulemaking (64 FR 32778), codified the Arctic Tundra Habitat Emergency Conservation Act (PL 106-108) that reinstated the conservation order into federal regulation (73 FR 65926), and served as EIS Project Manager for the corrective EIS — spanning all three branches of government on a single wildlife action.
I also originated and edited the American Woodcock Conservation Plan, which remains the cited management reference in current USFWS population status reports as recently as 2024. From 2000-2007 I authored or co-authored the American Woodcock Population Status report.
As a biologist in the Division of Migratory Bird Management I authored several Environmental Assessments involving nontoxic shot approvals and the promulgation of annual migratory bird hunting regulations. I drafted proposed and final rules for nontoxic shot approvals. As Mississippi Flyway Representative, I was intimately involved in drafting proposed and final rules for annual migratory bird hunting season frameworks and State season selections. As Flyway Rep I worked closely with State and Tribal entities on a multitude of migratory bird issues.
J.R. Kelley NEPA Solutions offers this institutional knowledge directly to your project.
How can I help?
NEPA Document Preparation
Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) · Environmental Assessments (EA) · Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) · Notice of Intent (NOI) · Pre-NEPA scoping and alternatives analysis
Federal Rulemaking
Proposed Rules and Final Rules (Federal Register)
Migratory Bird Compliance
Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) compliance consulting · Migratory bird impact analysis for federal actions · Nontoxic shot regulatory frameworks
Wildlife Conservation Planning
Species management plans · Habitat assessment frameworks · Population monitoring program design
Subcontract and Proposal Team Support
Subject-matter specialist for consulting firm proposal teams · Wildlife and NEPA section authorship · Document legal defensibility review
THE FEDERAL RECORD
Work that’s still cited today:
Light Goose Management Environmental Impact Statement
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service — James R. Kelley, Jr., EIS Project Manager
The court-ordered corrective EIS following federal litigation brought by the Humane Society of the United States. Spans an EA, two rulemakings, an act of Congress, and a major EIS — across all three branches of government.
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American Woodcock Conservation Plan
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service — Editors: Kelley et al. 2008
Originated, designed, and edited from concept through publication. Cited as the authoritative USFWS management reference in woodcock population status reports as recently as 2024.
View document →
Get In Touch
If your project involves migratory birds or requires NEPA documentation, reach out directly. I work with environmental consulting firms, renewable energy developers, tribal nations, and state agencies. I respond to all inquiries personally.