The I-81 project debate revved up again Thursday, as the group Save 81 shared a 3-year-old document the group is making public. They say the author, the Department of Transportation, should have made it available to the public.

It's nearly 12,000 pages of findings from a 2016 Draft Environmental Impact Statement. Members of the organization, in favor of a tunnel option for the project, say they think the document proves the community grid option is no good.

But a closer look at the report shows it does not favor any alternative, it simply outlines the potential impact of each option.

A DOT spokesperson calls the draft "outdated and obsolete," and says it was shared with a federal agency for review in 2016.

He went on to say, "The official project DEIS has not yet been released and is currently in the process of being finalized by DOT."

Despite the pushback, Save 81 members say the initial report should have been released to the public sooner. Their copy came from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, through a Freedom of Information request. 

"But to have this data unavailable for over two years, while the public is going back and forth debating this issue, I mean we really needed this information," said Save 81 member Minch Lewis. 

State officials have projected the official draft will be released at some point this year. The project can't move forward without it.