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Government Command Center 15 items

NEPA Environmental Review Checklist

Guides an agency or grantee through the National Environmental Policy Act review pathway: categorical exclusion, environmental assessment, or environmental impact statement.

NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321)40 CFR 1500-1508Agency NEPA Procedures

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Applicability & Level of Review

  • Is the action a 'major federal action' subject to NEPA (including federally funded actions)? *
  • Level of NEPA review determined: *
  • If a categorical exclusion is claimed, is it listed in the agency's NEPA procedures and free of extraordinary circumstances? *
  • Have other environmental laws (ESA, NHPA Section 106, Clean Water/Air Act) been coordinated? *

Environmental Assessment (EA)

  • Does the EA describe the purpose and need, alternatives, and affected environment? *
  • Does the EA analyze direct, indirect, and cumulative effects? *
  • Was the public and affected agencies given opportunity to comment on the EA? *
  • Does the review result in a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) or a decision to prepare an EIS? *

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)

  • Was a Notice of Intent published and scoping conducted? *
  • Does the draft EIS analyze a reasonable range of alternatives including no-action? *
  • Was the draft EIS circulated for the required public comment period? *
  • Does the final EIS respond to substantive comments and lead to a Record of Decision (ROD)? *

Documentation & Mitigation

  • Is the administrative record complete and available for the decision? *
  • Are mitigation commitments identified and a monitoring/enforcement plan established? *
  • Were page and time limits (75/150/300 pages; 1-2 year presumptive limits) observed? *

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