(p) Using categorical exclusions to define categories of actions which do not individually or cumulatively have a significant effect on the human environment and which are therefore exempt from requirements to prepare an environmental impact statement (§ 1508.4).
(q) Using a finding of no significant impact when an action not otherwise excluded will not have a significant effect on the human environment and is therefore exempt from requirements to prepare an environmental impact statement (§ 1508.13).
[43 FR 55990, Nov. 29, 1978; 44 FR 873, Jan. 3, 1979]
§ 1500.5 Reducing delay.
Agencies shall reduce delay by:
(a) Integrating the NEPA process into early planning (§ 1501.2).
(b) Emphasizing interagency cooperation before the environmental impact statement is prepared, rather than submission of adversary comments on a completed document (§ 1501.6).
(c) Insuring the swift and fair resolution of lead agency disputes (§ 1501.5).
(d) Using the scoping process for an early identification of what are and what are not the real issues (§ 1501.7).
(e) Establishing appropriate time limits for the environmental impact statement process (§§ 1501.7(b)(2) and 1501.8).
(f) Preparing environmental impact statements early in the process (§ 1502.5).
(g) Integrating NEPA requirements with other environmental review and consultation requirements (§ 1502.25).
(h) Eliminating duplication with State and local procedures by providing for joint preparation (§ 1506.2) and with other Federal procedures by providing that an agency may adopt appropriate environmental documents prepared by another agency (§ 1506.3).
(i) Combining environmental documents with other documents (§ 1506.4).
(j) Using accelerated procedures for proposals for legislation (§ 1506.8).
(k) Using categorical exclusions to define categories of actions which do not individually or cumulatively have a significant effect on the human environment (§ 1508.4) and which are therefore exempt from requirements to prepare an environmental impact statement.
(l) Using a finding of no significant impact when an action not otherwise excluded will not have a significant effect on the human environment (§ 1508.13) and is therefore exempt from requirements to prepare an environmental impact statement.
§ 1506.8 Proposals for legislation.
(a) The NEPA process for proposals for legislation (§ 1508.17) significantly affecting the quality of the human environment shall be integrated with the legislative process of the Congress. A legislative environmental impact statement is the detailed statement required by law to be included in a recommendation or report on a legislative proposal to Congress. A legislative environmental impact statement shall be considered part of the formal transmittal of a legislative proposal to Congress; however, it may be transmitted to Congress up to 30 days later in order to allow time for completion of an accurate statement which can serve as the basis for public and Congressional debate. The statement must be available in time for Congressional hearings and deliberations.
(b) Preparation of a legislative environmental impact statement shall conform to the requirements of these regulations except as follows:
(1) There need not be a scoping process.
(2) The legislative statement shall be prepared in the same manner as a draft statement, but shall be considered the “detailed statement" required by statute; Provided, That when any of the following conditions exist both the draft and final environmental impact statement on the legislative proposal shall be prepared and circulated as provided by §§1503.1 and 1506.10.
(i) A Congressional Committee with jurisdiction over the proposal has a rule requiring both draft and final environmental impact statements.
(ii) The proposal results from a study process required by statute (such as those required by the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (
16 U.S.C. 1271 et seq.) and the Wilderness Act (
16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.)).
(iii) Legislative approval is sought for Federal or federally assisted construction or other projects which the agency recommends be located at specific geographic locations. For proposals requiring an environmental impact statement for the acquisition of space by the General Services Administration, a draft statement shall accompany the Prospectus or the 11(b) Report of Building Project Surveys to the Congress, and a final statement shall be completed before site acquisition.
(iv) The agency decides to prepare draft and final statements.
(c) Comments on the legislative statement shall be given to the lead agency which shall forward them along with its own responses to the Congressional committees with jurisdiction.
§ 1508.4 Categorical exclusion.
“Categorical exclusion" means a category of actions which do not individually or cumulatively have a significant effect on the human environment and which have been found to have no such effect in procedures adopted by a Federal agency in implementation of these regulations (§ 1507.3) and for which, therefore, neither an environmental assessment nor an environmental impact statement is required. An agency may decide in its procedures or otherwise, to prepare environmental assessments for the reasons stated in § 1508.9 even though it is not required to do so. Any procedures under this section shall provide for extraordinary circumstances in which a normally excluded action may have a significant environmental effect.
§ 1508.17 Legislation.
“Legislation" includes a bill or legislative proposal to Congress developed by or with the significant cooperation and support of a Federal agency, but does not include requests for appropriations. The test for significant cooperation is whether the proposal is in fact predominantly that of the agency rather than another source. Drafting does not by itself constitute significant cooperation. Proposals for legislation include requests for ratification of treaties. Only the agency which has primary responsibility for the subject matter involved will prepare a legislative environmental impact statement.
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION AND URBAN MASS TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION
§ 771.115 Classes of actions.
There are three classes of actions which prescribe the level of documentation required in the NEPA process.
(a)
Class I (EISs). Actions that significantly affect the environment require an EIS (
40 CFR 1508.27). The following are examples of actions that normally require an EIS:
(1) A new controlled access freeway.
(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.
