Appendix 31: Policy and Procedures for the Review of Federal Actions Impacting the Environment

• Author: Nicholas C. Yost
• Pages: 529-563

Policy and Procedures for the Review of Federal Actions Impacting the Environment Page 529

Policy and Procedures for the Review of Federal

Actions Impacting the Environment

October 3, 1984

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1 - PURPOSE, POLICY, AND MANDATES

1. Purpose

2. Statutory Authorities

3. Policy

CHAPTER 2 - MANAGEMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW PROCESS

1. General Responsibilities

2. Office of Federal Activities

❍ A. Federal Agency Liaisons

❍ B. Management Information Unit

3. Regional Office

4. Program Offices

5. Specific Review Management Responsibilities

❍ A. Headquarters and Regional Environmental Review Coordinators

❍ B. Principal Reviewer

❍ C. Associate Reviewer

❍ D. Consolidation of Comments

6. Routing and Lead Responsibility of EIS's and Other Federal Actions

CHAPTER 3 - PRE-EIS REVIEW ACTIVITIES

1. Policy

2. General Liaison

3. EPA's Participation in Scoping

❍ A. General

❍ B. Responding to Scoping Requests

❍ C. Input to the Scoping Process

4. EPA as a Cooperating Agency

5. General

6. Responding to Requests To Be a Cooperating Agency

Page 530 NEPA Deskbook

7. Providing Guidance as a Cooperating Agency

8. EPA as Lead Agency

❍ A. Determining Lead Agency

9. Reporting and Control

CHAPTER 4 - REVIEW OF DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENTS

1. Policy

2. Draft EIS Review Management

❍ A. Establishing Deadlines and Time Extensions

❍ B. Categorization and Agency Notification System for Draft EIS's

3. Scope of Comments on the Draft EIS

❍ A. General

❍ B. Mitigation (40 CFR 1508.20)

❍ C. Statutory Authorities

❍ D. Alternatives

❍ E. Purpose and Need

❍ F. Projects Subject to Section 404(r) of the Clean Water Act

❍ G. Projects Potentially Affecting a Designated "Sole Source"Aquifer Subject to Section

❍ 1424(e) of the SDWA

4. Rating System Criteria

❍ A. Rating the Environmental Impact of the Action

❍ B. Adequacy of the Impact Statement

5. Approving and Distributing Comments on Draft EIS's

❍ A. Categories LO, EC, EO, 1, or 2

❍ B. Categories EU or 3

❍ C. Checklist for Distribution of Agency Comments on the Draft EIS

6. Reporting and Control

CHAPTER 5 - POST-DRAFT EIS FOLLOW-UP

1. Policy

2. Post-Draft Consultations

3. Status Reports

4. Reporting and Control

CHAPTER 6 - REVIEW OF FINAL EIS'S

1. Policy

2. Final EIS Review Management

❍ A. Designating Lead Responsibility and Principal and Associate Reviewers

❍ B. Establishing Deadlines and Time Extensions

Policy and Procedures for the Review of Federal Actions Impacting the Environment Page 531

❍ C. Categorizing Final EIS's

3. Scope of Comments on Final EIS's

❍ A. General

❍ B. Mitigation Measures

❍ C. Projects Under Section 404(r) of the Clean Water Act

❍

D. Projects Subject to Groundwater Evaluation Under Section 1424(e) of the SDWA 4.

❍ Unresponsive Final EIS

4. Distribution of the Final EIS Comment Letter

5. Reporting and Control

CHAPTER 7 - MONITORING AND FOLLOW-UP

1. Policy

2. Monitoring and Follow-up

3. Review of the Record of Decision

4. Reporting and Control

CHAPTER 8 - REVIEW OF DOCUMENTS OTHER THAN EIS'S

1. Policy

2. General Review Procedures

❍ A. Lead Responsibility for Review of Other Actions

❍ B. Conducting Reviews of Other Actions

❍ C. Rating Other Federal Actions

3. Legislation Reviews

4. Regulation Reviews

5. Other Agency Action Reviews

6. Determining the Need for an EIS

7. Environmentally Unsatisfactory Actions

8. Reporting and Control

CHAPTER 9 - REFERRALS TO THE COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY

1. Policy

2. Criteria for Referral

3. Referral Procedures

4. Referral Package Development Sequence

5. Content and Organization of the Referral Package

❍ A. Administrator's Referral Package

❍ B. CEQ Referral Package

❍ C. Lead Agency Referral Package

6. Approving and Distributing the Referral Package