Federal register national environmental policy act. Council on environmental quality ceq nepa regulations. National environmental policy act nepa seminars and workshops environmental planning strategies, inc. Practitioners handbook the center for environmental excellence by aashto produces the practitioners handbooks. Council on environmental quality regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of the national environmental. Introduction to united states environmental policy. Ceq s proposed rule would incorporate elements of the one federal decision policy, codify certain case law and ceq. Applying the nepa process and writing effective nepa documents. Ceq guidance on mitigation bureau of land management. Ceq regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of nepa. The ceq regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of the national environmental policy act ceq regulations, 40 c. Gsa public buildings services pbs national environmental policy act nepa desk guide will help gsa staff, contractors, and other gsa associates carry out the requirements of nepa in accordance with the council on environmental quality ceq regulations 40 cfr 15001508 and gsa order adm 1095.
The department believes that codifying the procedures in regulations that are consistent with nepa and the ceq regulations will. In this action, the council on environmental quality ceq is proposing to update its regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of the national environmental policy act nepa. Within usda, the animal and plant health inspection service aphis has regulations that set out its procedures for implementing nepa in 7 cfr part 372. 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. Internet link for council on environmental quality forty most asked questions concerning ceqs nepa regulations citation. 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. Ceq is considering updating its nepa implementing regulations and, in an advance notice of proposed rulemaking, solicited recommendations on potential revisions to update the regulations and ensure a more efficient, timely, and effective nepa process. Ceq promulgated its regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of the national environmental policy act ceq s nepa regulations at 40 cfr parts 15001508. We greatly appreciate the good neighbor environmental boards gnebs recommendations. Parts 15001508, set out the levels of analysis and documentation for complying with nepa. Ceq s nepa regulations to reflect their respective decisionmaking authorities. Forest service ebenthall on prodpc60 with rules verdate aug 2005 14. The provisions of the act and of these regulations must be read together as a whole in.
The blm nepa handbook recommends addressing them as reasons for the determination of significance or non. The council on environmental quality ceq is a division of the executive office of the president that coordinates federal environmental efforts in the united states and works closely with agencies and other white house offices on the development of environmental and energy policies and initiatives. Council on environmental quality forty most asked questions. Ceq regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of nepa 40 cfr 15001508. Department of agriculture usda has set forth departmental policy on the implementation of nepa in 7 cfr part 1 b. White house council on environmental quality ceq regulations implementing the national environmental policy act nepa, 40 cfr parts 15001508. Practitioners handbook on preparing highquality nepa documents. Departmental manual the referenced chapter from part 516 of the dm is in.
Judith lee, president pathway consulting service, llc, robert cunningham, principal did you know the purpose of the national environmental policy act nepa is more than the mere writing of environmental impact statements eiss or environmental. Since that time, ceq has amended its nepa regulations substantively only once, to eliminate the worst case. Ceqenvironmental justice guidance under the national environmental policy act pdf 40 pp, 2 mb. The fdic believes that its decisions on part 303 filings will rarely have a significant effect on the human environment. You may need a pdf reader to view some of the files on this page. Finally, we note that ceq is also soliciting comment on whether it should affirmatively state that consideration of indirect effects is not required under nepa. Council on environmental quality, regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of the. The submittals received during the public comment period. The ceq regulations explicitly discusses agency responsibility towards interested and affected parties at 40 cfr 1506. Ceq regulations ceq s regulations for implementing nepa parts 1500 1508 of title 40. In this action, the council on environmental quality ceq is proposing to update its regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of the. Ceq s proposal to modernize its nepa implementing regulations on january 9, 2020, the. These regulations are issued pursuant to nepa, the environmental quality improvement.
Policy and procedures for compliance with the national. The council on environmental quality ceq is the agency within the executive office of the president that is charged with administering federal agency implementation of nepa. Ceq regulations should clearly state that a nepa document need only analyze one alternative in detail if there are no other reasonable alternatives. On behalf of the council, i encourage everyone to engage with the council as we work together to improve and protect connecticuts natural environment. Practitioners handbook the center for environmental excellence by aashto produces the. While ceq has stated in question 36a of the forty questions. The proposed nepa rules procedures for supplementing eas and eiss are.
National environmental policy act nepa compliance checklist. Read more about the official duties of the council here. Council on environmental quality ceq regulations at 40 cfr 1507. It then provided more detail on when and how to do so in its 2010 and 2014 guidance.
The regulations apply to the whole of section 1022 of nepa. Federal register initial list of actions to enhance and. Fedcenter council on environmental qualityceq nepa. Proposed amendments to the regulations implementing. Legal document secondary legal source secondary legal source. All agencies of the federal government shall include in every recommendation or report on proposals for. Council on environmental quality forty most asked questions concerning ceqs nepa regulations. Neumayr is the current chairman of the council on environmental quality ceq.
Federal register agencies council on environmental quality. Ceq handbook estimating the impact of fiscal policy on inequality and poverty nora lustig editor ceq institute at tulane university and brookings institution press, 2018. It supplements council on environmental quality ceq regulations 40 cfr 15001508, november 29, 1978, in accordance with 40 cfr 1507. Actions called for by executive order 807 will guide federal agency efforts to. If ceq intends to incorporate this standard into the nepa regulations, then it should do so with greater precision and clarity. Ceq to revise key nepa regs that govern ferc environmental. An assessment is not necessary if the agency has decided to prepare an environmental impact statement. Improving the quality of environmental documents center for. The handbooks provide practical advice on a range of environmental issues that arise during the planning, development, construction, and operation of transportation projects.
Companion manual for noaa administrative order 2166a. Ceqs regulations for implementing nepa parts 1500 1508 of title 40. Ceq regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of. The national environmental policy act nepa steve kokkinakis.
Environmental quality ceq regulations implementing nepa contain a. On 10 january 2020, ceq issued proposed amendments to its regulations, which contain many significant changes. The council on environmental quality s ceq regulations implementing the national environmental policy act nepa state that the text of environmental impact statements eis shall normally be less than 150 pages and for proposals of unusual scope or complexity shall normally be less than 300 pages. The council on environmental quality ceq regulations and guidance. Ceq seeks input on potential revisions to nepa regulations. Aug 04, 2016 on august 2, 2016, the white house council on environmental quality ceq published a final version of its guidance to federal agencies requiring the consideration of greenhouse gas ghg emissions and effects on climate change when evaluating potential impacts of a federal action under the national environmental policy act nepa. Guidance from ceq on environmental justice and the national environmental policy act. Council on environmental quality washington, dc, 20503 paul ganster chair good neighbor environmental board 5500 campanile drive san diego, ca 921 824403 dear chair ganster, thank you for your june 2010 report, a blueprint for action on the us. A cooperating agency with jurisdiction by law will have to prepare its own record of decision for its action, in which it must explain how it reached its conclusions. Write highquality eas, eiss, fonsis, notices of intent nois, and other environmental documents using approved nepa, ceq, government printing office gpo, and agencyspecific guidelines. It is these regulations, which have as their basis the earlier guidelines, that specify the procedural requirements outlined in nepa section 1022c. Environmental policy act nepa implementing regulations, entitled update to. The primary purpose of an environmental impact statement is to serve as an actionforcing device to insure that the policies and goals defined in the act are infused into the ongoing programs and actions of the federal government.
The regulations apply to the whole of section i 022. The amendments and conversion to regulations will take effect once the notice of the final rule is. Department officials will use this rule in conjunction with and supplementary to these authorities. Legal status of ceqs final guidance on climate change in. Overview of ceq guidance on greenhouse gases and climate change. Ceq regulations allow for alternative arrangements in the event of emergencies. The bpps were developed based primarily on the ceq regulations for. Ceq nepa regulations national environmental policy act. The council on environmental quality, as part of its oversight of implementation of the national environmental policy act, held meetings in the ten federal regions with federal, state, and local officials to discuss administration of the implementing regulations. Environmental policy has grown into a career path since the. It is these regulations, which have as their basis the earlier guidelines, that specify the procedural requirements outlined. Council on environmental quality to take action to enhance. Nepa or the act except where compliance would be inconsistent with other statutory requirements. Each agency should explain how and why its conclusions differ, if that is the case, from those of other agencies which issued their records of decision earlier.
The executive order directs the council on environmental quality ceq to undertake a number of actions. Fish and wildlife service nepa reference handbook table of contents introduction purpose of handbook glossary acronyms and abbreviations related legislative authorities national environmental policy act of 1969, as amended section 309 of the clean air act of 1970, as amended section 4f of the department of transportation act of 1966, as amended. Approve agency nepa procedures and issue guidance to address systemic problems. Ceq issues final greenhouse gas guidance directing federal. A citizens guide to the nepa having your voice heard december 2007. Council on environmental quality ceq nepa regulations, 40 cfr 1500 through 1518. Below are the 10 intensity factors from the ceq regulations 40 cfr 1508. Whenever the guidance in this regulation is unclear or not specific the reader is referred to the ceq regulations. Nepa document writers with practical advice for achieving the states goals to produce.
While united states conservation efforts began more than one hundred years ago, and continued throughout the twentieth century, nepa focused environmental concerns within a comprehensive national policy. Environmental quality ceq regulations for implementing the provisions of the national environmental policy act of 1969 nepa, 40 code of federal regulations cfr parts 1500 1508. The council on environmental quality ceq, the us federal agency tasked with coordinating and overseeing the implementation of the national environmental policy act nepa, has announced its intention to update the ceqs longstanding nepaimplementing regulations. It was designed to ensure that agencies establish and use categorical exclusions appropriately and transparently. The council on environmental quality ceq was established within the executive office of the president by the national environmental policy act of 1969 nepa 42 u. Nepa was passed by congress in 1969, signed into law on january 1, 1970 by president richard nixon and set the stage for environmental policy for the united states 1. Interpret nepa and the ceq regulations in response to requests from federal, state and local agencies and citizens, and. The council on environmental quality ceq has adopted regulations that implement section 1022c of the nepa.
The provisions of the act and of these regulations must be read together as a whole in order to comply with the spirit and letter of the law. Attachment 1 to this handbook includes excerpts from the ceq regulations and ceq guidance documents discussed in this section. Fdic law, regulations, related acts statements of policy. Ceq has not comprehensively updated its regulations since their promulgation in 1978, more than four decades ago. Understanding the nepa and ceq regulations understand nepa law, its fundamental principles, and the relationship of the analysis process to the documents. Ceq issued such regulations in 1978 and they became effective in 1979 43 fed. Update to the regulations implementing the procedural. The regulations apply to the whole of section 1022. 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. President nixon signed the national environmental policy act nepa into law on january 1, 1970. Is there a need to assign a technical writer in addition to the subjectmatter experts to.
Policy and procedures for compliance with the national environmental policy act. Agencies council on environmental quality federal register. The environmental quality improvement act of 1970 42 u. Overview of ceq guidance on greenhouse gases and climate. For eas, ceq proposes new regulatory language that is intended to provide more detailed direction for eas and their scope. She was unanimously confirmed by the united states senate on january 2, 2019, and sworn in as chairman on.
Comments must be received in writing by august 12, 2019. Fish and wildlife service nepa reference handbook table of. Environmental quality ceq regulations implementing nepa. The national environmental policy act nepa is the foundation of modern american environmental protection. The national environmental policy act nepa is one of the shortest laws to exist and is less than 6 pages in length. Fema has reiterated and expanded upon this process in its nepa regulations at 44 cfr 10. Ceq states in the preamble that the proposed regulations ceq expects that for actions that protect or restore the environment, without unresolved conflicts concerning alternative use of available. It is expanded because it allows fema regional administrators to move forward with an emergency. Ceq regulations for implementing the procedural provisions.
591 519 1441 523 1317 421 616 1325 162 375 765 1237 1475 1095 202 866 815 297 60 588 112 245 200 495 1046 1206 175 205 292 925 1434 795 963 1433 1427 869 257 249 981 509 1242 1139 316 251 300 509