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National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
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WHAT IS NEPA?
Signed into law on January 1, 1970, the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (commonly referred to as NEPA) established a national policy, goals, and procedures for the protection, maintenance, and enhancement of the U.S. environment. NEPA is the U.S. law that applies to federal government actions and it requires all federal agencies to:
- Assess the environmental impacts of major federal projects or decisions such as issuing permits, spending federal money, or affecting federal lands
- Consider the environmental impacts when making decisions
- Disclose the environmental impacts to the public
NEPA also established the U.S. Council on Environmental Quality (commonly referred to as CEQ), which oversees NEPA for all federal agencies. CEQ developed regulations for implementing the law.
The principle objective of NEPA and the CEQ regulations is for the federal government, and those regulated by federal agencies, to design, locate, and operate projects in ways that reduce adverse and increase beneficial environmental impacts for existing and succeeding generation.
EPA's Role in NEPA
NEPA Compliance:
As are all federal agencies, EPA is required to comply with NEPA. EPA's
implementing regulations for NEPA are found at 40
CFR Part 6. However, many of EPA's actions are exempted from the requirements
of NEPA by law. Section 511(c) of the Clean Water Act (CWA) exempts most EPA CWA actions
and Section 7(c) of the Energy Supply and Environmental Coordination Act
of 1974 exempts actions under the Clean Air Act (CAA). Courts also consistently
have recognized that EPA procedures or environmental reviews under enabling
legislation are functionally equivalent to the NEPA process and thus exempt
from the procedural requirements of NEPA.
For its wastewater treatment construction grants under Title II of the CWA, EPA-issued National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits for new sources, research and development activities, construction of EPA facilities, and for certain projects funded through EPA annual Appropriations Acts, EPA follows its NEPA implementing regulations and prepares the appropriate documentation.
Go to Region 2 's NEPA Documents
NEPA Reviews:
EPA has another role in the NEPA process. Under Section 309 of the Clean
Air Act (CAA), EPA is required to review and publicly comment on the environmental
impacts of major federal actions including actions which are the subject
of draft and final Environmental Impact Statements, proposed environmental
regulations, and other proposed major actions. If EPA determines that
the action is environmentally unsatisfactory, it is required by Section
309 to refer the matter to the CEQ.
Environmental Impact Assessment
This is the generic term used to describe analyses that are performed to determine the effects, beneficial and/or adverse, on the environment from the implementation of a project, including construction and ultimate usage. The term is also used to refer broadly to documents that record the analyses conducted for a project. The most commonly known documents are Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) or Environmental Assessments (EA).
Submitting an EIS or EA
Where should NEPA documents be sent for review?
Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) must be sent to both EPA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., and to the EPA region where the project is located. For information on how to officially file EISs with EPA Headquarters visit the Office of Federal Activities web site.
EISs for projects occurring in New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands should be sent to:
Environmental Review Section
EPA Region 2
290 Broadway
New York, NY 10007-1866
Generally, 3 copies of the EIS should be submitted for review to the Region 2 EPA office. At a minimum, one complete copy should be in hard copy; additional copies may be submitted on CD. All appendices should be included.
Should I send EPA Environmental Assessments?
Although not required to, EPA Region 2 does review many Environmental
Assessments (EAs). While interested in all EAs, Region 2 is particularly
involved with those projects where mitigation is used to achieve a finding
of no significant impact ("mitigated FNSI").
EAs should be submitted to the Environmental Review Section as listed
above.
EPA Region 2 NEPA Documents
Current NEPA documents are linked below.
NOTE: All documents below are Adobe Acrobat PDF files (about
PDF files).
|
Date |
Name |
Location |
Document Information |
| May 19, 2008 | Southwest Quadrant Sewer Project | Town of Palmyra, Wayne County, New York | 14 pages, 909K |
| 3/31/08 |
Town of Dewitt, Hamlet of Jamesville Sewer Improvement Project | Town of Dewitt Hamlet of Jamesville Sewer Improvement Project | 21 pages, 1.52 MB |
| 2/29/08 | Overpeck Creek Relief Sewer, Elimination of Overflow 006, Bergen County Utilities Authority | Englewood, Leonia. Palisades Park, Ridgefield, and Little Ferry; Bergen County, New Jersey | 14 pages, 1.82 MB |
| 1/25/08 |
Westcott Reservoir Rehabilitation | City of Syracuse, Onondaga County, NY | 13 pages, 2.1 MB |
| 12/26/07 | Quarry Heights District Sewer System | Town of North Castle, Westchester County, New York | 32 pages, 4.5 MB |
| 12/26/07 | Kauneonga Lake Sewer District Extension | Town of Bethel, New York | 12 pages, 2.9 MB |
| 12/19/07 | West End Water Main Improvements | City of Dunkirk and West Town of DunKirk, New York | 3 pages, 483 KB |
| 12/19/07 | City of Wildwood Stormwater Drainage Improvements | Cape May County, New Jersey | 3 pages, 7 KB |
| 12/18/07 | Southern Onondaga Water Districts | Towns of Marcellus, Otisco, and Spafford Onondaga County, New York |
15 pages, 3 MB |
| 12/6/2007 | Mill Pond Park Improvements | Village of Port Washington North Nasau County, New York |
13 pages, 3.6 MB |
| 12/5/2007 | Brady Avenue Drainage Project |
Town of Mt. Pleasant Westchester County, New York |
3 pages, 95 KB |
| 10/12/07 | Northeast LaFayette/Smokey Hollow Rd Water District - FONSI | Town of LaFayette, Onondaga County, New York | 22 pages, 997 KB |
| 8/27/07 | The Peninsula at Bayonne, Water System Improvements | City of Bayonne, Hudson County, New Jersey | 26 pages, 2.7 MB |
| 08/17/07 | City of Corning Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvements - CATEX | City of Corning | 3 pages, 6.6 MB |
| 8/17/07 | Ocean Harvest Aquaculture Inc. NPDES Permit for New Source Discharge from an Offshore Concentrated Aquatic Animal Production Facility | Humacao, Puerto Rico 00791 | 119 pages, 9.3 MB |
| 7/13/07 | Town of Hague - Fonsi | Warren County, New York | 11 pages, 2.2 MB |
| 7/13/07 | Village of Sloan - Sanitary Sewer Upgrade Project | Erie County, New York | 3 pages, 74 KB |
| 6/6/07 | Halfmoon-Dunsbach Road Sewer Improvement Project | Town of Halfmoon - Saratoga County, New York | 24 pages, 10 MB |
| 1/29/07 | Stanlick School Sewage Treatment Plant Upgrade Project | Township of Jefferson, Morris County, New Jersey | 4 pages, 1.5 MB |
| 1/23/07 | Cayuga County Sewer District No. 2 | Village of Fair Haven and Town of Sterling, Cayuga County, New York | 10 pages, 4 MB |
| 11/6/06 | Commuter Parking Lot, Stormwater Control System | Town of New Castle, Westchester County, New York | 3 pages, 1 MB |
| 11/2/2006 | Local Street Flood Mitigation Project | Village of Hewlett Harbor, Nassau County, New York | 3 pages, 1 MB |
| 10/18/2006 | Repair and Stabilization of the Snalvin Diversion Channel | Town of Tully, Onondaga County, New York | 3 pages, 1 MB |
| 9/29/06 | Oswego Phase II - East Side CSO Long Term Control Plan | City of Oswego, Oswego County, New York | 3 pages, 1.2 MB |
| 9/22/06 | Building 1, The Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries | Denning's Point State Park, City of Beacon, Dutchess County, New York | 51 pages, 14 MB |
| 9/22/06 | Vernon Town Center Sanitary Collector Sewers | Vernon Township, Sussex County, New Jersey | 13 pages, 6.9 MB |
| 7/12/06 | Whitney Point Wastewater Collection System and Treatment Plant | Village of Whitney Point, Broome County, New York | 22 pages, 11 MB |
| 7/1/06 | Comprehensive Port Improvement Plan Final Environmental Assessment: Executive Summary, Table of Contents, and Response to Comments. For a complete set of documents on CD, please contact musumeci.grace@epa.gov. | New York / New Jersey Harbor | 14 pages, 185 KB 6 pages, 45 KB 62 pages, 8.5 MB |
| 4/17/2006 | BioGenesis Sediment Washing Technology | Woodbridge Township, Middlesex County, New Jersey | 28 pages, 9.8 MB |
| 3/31/2006 | West Elbridge Water District Water Main Extension | Onondaga County, Elbridge, New York | 13 pages, 4.8 MB |
| 3/23/2006 | Wastewater Treatment Plant and Sewer System Rehabilitation | Broome County, Village of Deposit, New York | 3 pages, 315 KB |
| 3/15/2006 | Incorporated Village of Hempstead Water Supply System Improvements |
Nassau County, Hempstead, New York | 3 pages, 287 KB |
| 3/7/2006 | Grand Island Boulevard Sanitary Sewers | Erie County, Grand Island, New York | 7 pages, 2.3 MB |
| 2/3/2006 | Oswego East Side Wastewater Treatment Facility Improvements | Oswego County, Oswego New York | 3 pages, 372 KB |
| 1/11/2006 | Jordan Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvements | Onondaga County, Jordan, New York | 3 pages, 285 KB |
| 12/19/2005 | Fair Haven Wastewater Collection and Conveyance System | Cayuga County, Fair Haven, New York | 3 pages, 390 KB |
| 12/6/2005 | Western Ramapo Sewer Extension and Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant | Rockland County, NY | 39 pages, 909 KB |
| 11/21/2005 | Ridge Road Water Supply Improvement | Towns of Huron and Rose, Wayne County, NY | 14 pages, 1,428 KB |
| 6/8/2005 | Clinton Street Water Plant Well Reconstruction | Village of Hempstead, Nassau County, NY | 3 pages, 108 KB |
| 5/25/2005 | Sennett Water Districts Infrastructure Improvements | Town of Sennett, Cayuga County, NY | 3 pages, 104 KB |
| 5/25/2005 | Valley Road Area Sewer Improvements | City of Syracuse, Onondaga County, NY | 3 pages, 1,565 KB |
| 5/20/2005 | Jersey City/Parsippany Water Supply Interconnection | Township of Parsippany/Troy Hills, Morris County, NJ | 3 pages, 2,057 KB |
| 4/22/2005 | Grant Blvd/Fordham Rd Area Sewer Improvements | City of Syracuse, Onondaga County, NY | 3 pages, 2,632 KB |
| 4/6/2005 | Corning Water Supply System Improvements | Steuben County, Corning, New York |
1 pages, 111 KB |
| 3/18/2005 | Hill District and West Carteret Sewer Rehabilitation | Borough of Carteret, Middlesex County, NJ | 3 pages, 98 KB |
| 3/18/2005 | Little Switzerland Water Storage Tank Replacement | Town of East Fishkill, Dutchess County, NY | 2 pages, 1,403 KB |
EPA Region 2 Comment Letters
Current comment letters are linked below.
NOTE: All documents below are Adobe Acrobat PDF files (about
PDF files).
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- Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
State/Local
- New York State Environmental Quality Review Act
- New York City Environmental Quality Review
- New Jersey Executive Order 215
