(2) A highway project of four or more lanes on a new location.
(3) New construction or extension of fixed rail transit facilities (e.g., rapid rail, light rail, commuter rail, automated guideway transit).
(4) New construction or extension of a separate roadway for buses or high occupancy vehicles not located within an existing highway facility.
(b) Class II (CEs). Actions that do not individually or cumulatively have a significant environmental effect are excluded from the requirement to prepare an EA or EIS. A specific list of CEs normally not requiring NEPA documentation is set forth in § 771.117(c). When appropriately documented, additional projects may also qualify as CEs pursuant to § 771.117(d).
(c) Class III (EAs). Actions in which the significance of the environmental impacts is not clearly established. All actions that are not Class I or II are Class III. All actions in this class require the preparation of an EA to determine the appropriate environmental document required.
§ 771.117 Categorical exclusions.
(a) Categorical exclusions (CEs) are actions which meet the definition contained in
40 CFR 1508.4, and, based on past experience with similar actions, do not involve significant environmental impacts. They are actions which: do not induce significant impacts to planned growth or land use for the area; do not require the relocation of significant numbers of people; do not have a significant impact on any natural, cultural, recreational, historic or other resource; do not involve significant air, noise, or water quality impacts; do not have significant impacts on travel patterns; or do not otherwise, either individually or cumulatively, have any significant environmental impacts.
(b) Any action which normally would be classified as a CE but could involve unusual circumstances will require the Administration, in cooperation with the applicant, to conduct appropriate environmental studies to determine if the CE classification is proper. Such unusual circumstances include:
(1) Significant environmental impacts;
(2) Substantial controversy on environmental grounds;
(3) Significant impact on properties protected by section 4(f) of the DOT Act or section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act; or
(4) Inconsistencies with any Federal, State, or local law, requirement or administrative determination relating to the environmental aspects of the action.
(c) The following actions meet the criteria for CEs in the CEQ regulation (section 1508.4) and §
771.117(a) of this regulation and normally do not require any further NEPA approvals by the Administration:
(1) Activities which do not involve or lead directly to construction, such as planning and technical studies; grants for training and research programs; research activities as defined in
23 U.S.C. 307; approval of a unified work program and any findings required in the planning process pursuant to
23 U.S.C. 134; approval of statewide programs under
23 CFR Part 630; approval of project concepts under
23 CFR Part 476; engineering to define the elements of a proposed action or alternatives so that social, economic, and environmental effects can be assessed; and Federal-aid system revisions which establish classes of highways on the Federal-aid highway system.
(2) Approval of utility installations along or across a transportation facility.
(3) Construction of bicycle and pedestrian lanes, paths, and facilities.
(4) Activities included in the State's highway safety plan under
23 U.S.C. 402.
(5) Transfer of Federal lands pursuant to
23 U.S.C. 317 when the subsequent action is not an FHWA action.
(6) The installation of noise barriers or alterations to existing publicly owned buildings to provide for noise reduction.
(7) Landscaping.
(8) Installation of fencing, signs, pavement markings, small passenger shelters, traffic signals, and railroad warning devices where no substantial land acquisition or traffic disruption will occur.
(10) Acquisition of scenic easements.
(11) Determination of payback under
23 CFR Part 480 for property previously acquired with Federal-aid participation.
(12) Improvements to existing rest areas and truck weigh stations.
(13) Ridesharing activities.
(14) Bus and rail car rehabilitation.
(15) Alterations to facilities or vehicles in order to make them accessible for elderly and handicapped persons.
(16) Program administration, technical assistance activities, and operating assistance to transit authorities to continue existing service or increase service to meet routine changes in demand.
(17) The purchase of vehicles by the applicant where the use of these vehicles can be accommodated by existing facilities or by new facilities which themselves are within a CE.
(18) Track and railbed maintenance and improvements when carried out within the existing right-of-way.
(19) Purchase and installation of operating or maintenance equipment to be located within the transit facility and with no significant impacts off the site.
(20) Promulgation of rules, regulations, and directives.
(d) Additional actions which meet the criteria for a CE in the CEQ regulations (
40 CFR 1508.4) and paragraph (a) of this section may be designated as CEs only after Administration approval. The applicant shall submit documentation which demonstrates that the specific conditions or criteria for these CEs are satisfied and that significant environmental effects will not result. Examples of such actions include but are not limited to:
(1) Modernization of a highway by resurfacing, restoration, rehabilitation, reconstruction, adding shoulders, or adding auxiliary lanes (e.g., parking, weaving, turning, climbing).
(2) Highway safety or traffic operations improvement projects including the installation of ramp metering control devices and lighting.
(3) Bridge rehabilitation, reconstruction or replacement or the construction of grade separation to replace existing at-grade railroad crossings.
(4) Transportation corridor fringe parking facilities.
(5) Construction of new truck weigh stations or rest areas.
(6) Approvals for disposal of excess right-of-way or for joint or limited use of right-of-way, where the proposed use does not have significant adverse impacts.
(7) Approvals for changes in access control.
(8) Construction of new bus storage and maintenance facilities in areas used predominantly for industrial or transportation purposes where such construction is not inconsistent with existing zoning and located on or near a street with adequate capacity to handle anticipated bus and support vehicle traffic.
(9) Rehabilitation or reconstruction of existing rail and bus buildings and ancillary facilities where only minor amounts of additional land are required and there is not a substantial increase in the number of users.
(10) Construction of bus transfer facilities (an open area consisting of passenger shelters, boarding areas, kiosks and related street improvements) when located in a commercial area or other high activity center in which there is adequate street capacity for projected bus traffic.
(11) Construction of rail storage and maintenance facilities in areas used predominantly for industrial or transportation purposes where such construction is not inconsistent with existing zoning and where there is no significant noise impact on the surrounding community.
(12) Acquisition of land for hardship or protective purposes; advance land acquisition loans under section 3(b) of the UMT Act.3 Hardship and protective buying will be permitted only for a particular parcel or a limited number of parcels. These types of land acquisition quality for a CE only where the acquisition will not limit the evaluation of alternatives, including shifts in alignment for planned construction projects, which may be required in the NEPA process. No project development on such land may proceed until the NEPA process has been completed.
(e) Where a pattern emerges of granting CE status for a particular type of action, the Administration will initiate rulemaking proposing to add this type of action to the list of categorical exclusions in paragraph (c) or (d) of this section, as appropriate.
[52 FR 32660, Aug. 28, 1987; 53 FR 11066, Apr. 5, 1988]
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3 Hardship acquisition is early acquisition of property by the applicant at the property owner's request to alleviate particular hardship to the owner, in contrast to others, because of an inability to sell his property. This is justified when the property owner can document on the basis of health, safety or financial reasons that remaining in the property poses an undue hardship compared to others.
Protective acquisition is done to prevent imminent development of a parcel which is needed for a proposed transportation corridor or site. Documentation must clearly demonstrate that development of the land would preclude future transportation use and that such development is imminent. Advance acquisition is not permitted for the sole purpose of reducing the cost of property for a proposed project.
§ 771.119 Environmental assessments.
(a) An EA shall be prepared by the applicant in consultation with the Administration for each action that is not a CE and does not clearly require the preparation of an EIS, or where the Administration believes an EA would assist in determining the need for an EIS.
§ 771.123 Draft environmental impact statements.
(a) A draft EIS shall be prepared when the Administration determines that the action is likely to cause significant impacts on the environment. When the decision has been made by the Administration to prepare an EIS, the Administration will issue a Notice of Intent (
40 CFR 1508.22) for publication in the Federal Register. Applicants are encouraged to announce the intent to prepare an EIS by appropriate means at the local level.
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION
20. General.
a. In the Airports Program, Federal actions which require environmental processing generally involve the approval of specific projects at specific airports. A series of projects may be grouped into an overall plan for development, with successive phases being contingent upon other events such as a projected increase in traffic or a change in the aircraft using the airport. Such programs for development will usually be the subject of tiered environmental actions (see paragraph 101 and CEQ 1508.28).
b. All Federal actions fall in one of three categories:
(1) Those normally requiring an environmental impact statement (CEQ 1508.11).
(2) Those requiring an environmental assessment (CEQ 1508.9).
(3) Those which are normally categorically excluded (CEQ 1508.4).
21. Actions normally requiring an environmental impact
statement.
a. The following Federal actions will normally require an environmental impact statement:
(1) First time airport layout plan approval or airport location approval (see paragraphs 30 and 32) for a commercial service airport located in a standard metropolitan statistical area.
(2) Federal financial participation in, or airport layout plan approval of, a new runway capable of handling air carrier aircraft at a commercial service airport in a standard metropolitan statistical area.
b. Even though these actions normally require an environmental impact statement, the preparation of the environmental impact statement will usually be preceded by an environmental assessment. If the environmental assessment demonstrates that there are no significant impacts, the action shall be processed as a finding of no significant impact instead of an environmental impact statement.
22. Actions normally requiring an environmental assessment.
a. Federal financial participation in, or airport layout plan approval of, the following categories of actions shall be subject to the analysis of an environmental assessment and subsequent decision as to whether to prepare an environmental impact statement or a finding of no significant impact.
(1) Airport location.
(2) New runway.
(3) Major runway extension.
(4) Runway strengthening which would result in a 1.5 Ldn or greater increase in noise over any noise sensitive area located within the 65 Ldn contour.
(5) Construction or relocation of entrance or service road connections to public roads which adversely affect the capacity of such public roads.
(6) Land acquisition associated with any of the above items plus land acquisition which results in relocation of residential units when there is evidence of insufficient comparable replacement dwellings, major disruption of business activities, or acquisition which involves land covered under section 4(f) of the DOT Act (recodified 49 USC Subtitle I, section 303, January 12, 1981).
(7) Establishment or relocation of an instrument landing system, or an approach lighting system.
(8) An airport development action that falls within the scope of paragraph 24 or which involves any of the following:
(a) Use of section 4(f) land.
(b) Effect on property included in or eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places or other Property of state or local historical, architectural, archeological, or cultural significance.
(c) Land acquisition for conversion of farmland, scoring over 160 on Form AD-1006, protected under the Farmland Protection Policy Act (FPPA) to nonagricultural use through Federal financial assistance or through conveyance of government land.
(d) Wetlands, coastal zones, or floodplains.
(e) Endangered or threatened species.
b. FAA requests for conveyance of government land for airport purposes under section 516 of the 1982 Airport Act unless the proposed use of the land falls within the scope of paragraph 23 (see paragraph 34 for more detailed instructions).
c. The actions identified in this paragraph shall be supported through one of the following action choices based upon an environmental assessment:
(1) Environmental impact statements.
(2) Findings of no significant impact (see paragraph 27).
d. Actions identified in this paragraph may be the subject of written reevaluations of previously approved environmental impact statements or findings of no significant impact. (See paragraph 103).
23. Categorical exclusions.
a. Unless specifically covered by paragraphs 21, 22, 24, or 26, the items below are categorically excluded from the requirement for formal environmental assessment. Paragraphs 21 and 22 identify specific airport actions such as major runway extensions which require, as a minimum, an environmental assessment. Paragraph 24 identifies extraordinary circumstances which create a requirement for environmental assessment of actions otherwise excluded. Paragraph 26 deals with cumulative impact. For any of the following specific items, paragraphs 21, 22, 24, and 26 shall be reviewed.
