National environmental policy act counsel on environmental. Under nepa, congress established the white house council on environmental quality ceq to ensure that federal agencies meet their obligations of the act. Practitioners handbook on preparing highquality nepa documents. National environmental policy act nepa compliance guide. Mitigation and monitoring guidance national environmental policy. Home environmental, social and governance ceq seeks input on potential revisions to nepa regulations. Policies and procedures is the faas guidance for complying with nepa. Chapter iii national environmental policy act nepa.
Nepa also requires integrating analyses and consultations undertaken pursuant to other. Moving on to expediting and otherwise improving the nepa process. An environmental assessment ea is a concise public document that briefly provides sufficient evidence and analysis for determining whether to prepare and environmental impact statement eis or a finding of no significant impact fonsi. Eas written to comply with the national environmental policy act nepa. Epas nepa compliance database contains epas nepa documents, issued after august 1, 20, for its own actions. The national environmental policy act of 1969, as amended pub. Finally, title ii of nepa establishes the council of environmental quality ceq, an executive office of the president, with responsibility for promulgating regulations to implement nepa. Ceq to revise key nepa regs that govern ferc environmental. National environmental policy act nepa documents and. Ceq nepa regulations 40 cfr parts 15001508 doe nepa regulations 10 cfr part 1021. Final guidance clarifying use of categorical exclusions. Agencies council on environmental quality federal register. Doi implementation of the national environmental policy act of 1969 43 cfr part 46 national park service directors order 12, conservation planning, environmental impact analysis department of the interior departmental manual, environmental quality programs, national environmental policy act 516 dm 115 department of the interior. Parts 1500 through 1508 of this title provide regulations applicable to and binding on all federal agencies for implementing the procedural provisions of the national environmental policy act of i 969, as amended pub.
Due to this concern congress passed the national environmental policy act of 1969 nepa. Categorical exclusion, environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact. Blm handbooksthe bureau of land management handbooks provide detailed instructions for implementing the policy and direction described in the blm manual sections. National environmental policy act nepa compliance guide volume 1 general nepa references 11991. The council on environmental quality ceq initially issued guidelines for implementing nepa in 1970, revised those guidelines in 1973, and subsequently promulgated its nepa implementing regulations in 1978. Accordingly, agency procedures, resources, and efforts should focus. Handbooks do not contain broad objectives, policies or assignment of responsibilities. The ceq regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of the national environmental policy act, 40 c.
If you click on the link above and the target url does not connect to a u. Nepa was the first major environmental law in the united states and is. It is these regulations, which have as their basis the earlier guidelines, that specify the procedural requirements outlined in nepa section 1022c. Quality of environmental documents a report of the joint aashtoacec committee. Home guidance regarding nepa regulations ceq, 1983 this document provides council on environmental quality guidance on several topics. Ceq seeks input on potential revisions to nepa regulations. A number of agencies have developed lists of actions that are generally categorically excluded from environmental evaluation under their nepa regulations. National environmental policy act national environmental. National environmental policy act national environmental policy act nepa requires agency and public participation in planning process requires disclosure about the action, alternatives, environmental effects,and mitigation brings out environmental concerns of the affected publics. This document provides guidance to indian affairs ia to help comply with the national environmental policy act nepa, the council on environmental qualitys ceq nepa regulations 40 cfr parts 15001508 and the department of the interior doi nepa regulations 43cfr part 46. National environmental policy act nepa compliance checklist. United states department of agriculture farm service agency.
Departmental regulations for the national environmental policy act pdf. This article is brought to you for free and open access by the school of law at. Nextgen national environmental policy act nepa plan. The nepa program area provides guidance, policies, and examples of federal regulations and agency policies for the implementation of nepa, including the development of environmental assessments ea, environmental impact statements eis, findings of no significant impact fonsis, and other nepa related documentation please use the links below to quickly jump to the information area needed. The national environmental policy act and the ceq regulations are concerned primarily with those major federal actions signficantly affecting the quality of the human environment 42 u. Implementing the procedural provisions of the national environmental policy act, 40 cfr 15001508 ceq memorandum, forty most asked questions concerning ceqs nepa regulations 1992 fhwa environmental impact and related procedures, 23 cfr 771 fhwa technical advisory t 6640. Revised national environmental policy act implementing. White house council on environmental quality ceq regulations implementing the national environmental policy act nepa, 40 cfr parts 15001508. Ceqregulations for implementing nepa agencies shall focus on significant environmental.
Ceq regulations for implementing the procedural provisions. Office of nepa policy and compliance independence avenue, s. Praise for the previous book, effective environmental assessments. Ceq regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of nepa. Impact significance, not size or cost, dictates the class of action, and thereby, the nepa process and requirements for documentation and public. Such federal agencies themselves typically have in place regulations that address nepa requirements applicable to its activities. These regulations are issued pursuant to nepa, the environmental quality improvement act of 1970, as amended 42 u. How to manage and write nepa assessments crc press, 2001. Nrcs programs are administered in accordance with the national environmental policy act nepa.
Congress enacted nepa to establish a national policy for the environment, provide for the establishment of the council on environmental quality ceq, and for other purposes. Section i sequence of events in the nepa analysis processsection ii nepa compliance documentssection iii applicant prepared environmental assessments this nepa guidebook has been designed to help facilitate the writing, processing and routing of internally or externally produced environmental assessments and internally produced. Ensuring that figures are clear and errorfree requires a concentrated effort. March 2016 pdf, 8 mb eqip fonsi, march 2016 pdf, 3 mb. The environmental quality improvement act of 1970 42 u. It was designed to ensure that agencies establish and. Council on environmental quality regulations40 cfr parts 15001508. At the second level of analysis, a federal agency prepares a written environmental assessment ea to determine whether or not a federal undertaking would significantly affect the environment. Nepa does not apply to legislation initiated by members of congress. Chapter iii national environmental policy act nepa documentation 1. Council on environmental quality regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of the national environmental. If a proposed action does not have a significant impact on the environment, a fonsi may be prepared. The national environmental policy act of 1969, 42 u.
National environmental policy act nepa documents and supporting analysis. Categorical exclusions catex environmental assessments ea findings of no significant impacts fonsi. This memorandum was published in the federal register and. Nepa documents for nrcs financial assistance, easement, and grant programs are available for download below. Ceq developed regulations, initially promulgated as guidelines, for federal agency implementation of the procedural provisions of nepa. Ceqs regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of nepa hereinafter ceq nepa regulations are in title 40 of code of federal regulations section 1500 et seq. Indian affairs national environmental policy act nepa.
Review of agency requirements for complying with the. The guidance recommends best practices for appropriate use of categorical exclusions and was developed as part of ceqs effort to modernize and reinvigorate federal agency implementation of nepa. The advisory group for this handbook also included representatives. Procedural provisions of nepa ceq regulations, 40 cfr parts. Eccleston has written a most thorough guide to managing and preparing eas that puts nepa back into its original perspective. Ceq regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of nepa white house council on environmental quality ceq regulations implementing the national environmental policy act nepa, 40 cfr parts 15001508. Department of the interior bureau of reclamation february 2012. Nepa regulatory framework and process categorical exclusion the national environmental policy act, known as nepa, requires the analysis of environmental impacts for all federally funded projects. This codifies portions of chapters 16 of part 516 of the departmental manual departmental manual part 516.
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