Region 2
Serving New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands and Seven Tribal Nations.
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
Related Information
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). Click on the headings to view documents according to their respective details.
| Date | Project | Project Name | Location | Comment Period | Document Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 09/28/2009 | Town of Halfmoon, NY | Halfmoon Water Supply Infrastructure Improvements | Saratoga County, NY | N/A | CATEX 6 pp, 230 KB |
| 09/16/2009 | City of Rahway, NJ | City of Rahway Sanitary Sewer Infiltration and Inflow Reduction | Union County, NJ | N/A | CATEX 2 pp, 95 KB |
| 09/15/2009 | County of Saratoga, NY | Saratoga County Sewer District No. 1 Wastewater Treatment Plant Expansion | Saratoga County, NY | 09/15/2009 to 10/15/2009 | FNSI/EA 24 pp, 2 MB |
| 09/09/2009 | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Facilities Management and Services Division; Architecture, Engineering and Asset Management Branch | Solar Photovoltaic System at the EPA Edison Facility | Middlesex County, NJ | 09/02/09 to 10/02/09 |
EA 80 pp, 2.56 MB |
| 08/28/2009 | Mr. Brian O'Hanlon | Snapperfarm Inc., NPDES Permit for New Source Discharge from an Offshore Concentrated Aquatic Animal Production Facility | Culebra, Puerto Rico | 08/28 to 09/26 | FNSI 168 pp, 19 MB |
| 07/17/2009 | Village of Massena, NY | Village of Massena Replacement of Sanitary Sewer & Drinking Water Lines Project | St. Lawrence County, New York | N/A |
CATEX |
| 07/16/2009 | Borough of Jamesburg, NJ | Lake Street Pump Station and Force Main | Middlesex County, NJ | N/A |
CATEX |
| 07/16/2009 | City of Norwich, NY | Replacement of Rotating Biological Contactors at Wastewater Treatment Plant | Chenango County, NY | N/A |
CATEX |
| 07/16/2009 | Borough of Sussex, NJ | Sanitary Sewer Collection System Improvements | Sussex County, NJ | N/A |
CATEX |
| 07/09/2009 | Village of Bridgewater, NY | Village of Bridgewater Public Water Supply Project | Oneida County, NY | 7/09/2009- 8/08/2009 |
FNSI/EA 13 pages, 1.30MB |
| 06/25/2009 | Town of Saugerties, NY | Town of Saugerties Kings Highway Infrastructure Improvements Project | Ulster County, NY | 6/25/2009- 7/25/2009 |
FNSI/EA |
| 03/27/2009 | Village of Owego, NY | Village of Owego Wastewater Collection Facility Improvements Project | Tioga County, NY | N/A |
CATEX |
02/12/2009 |
Village of Lyndonville, NY |
Orleans County, NY |
N/A |
CATEX, |
|
02/06/2009 |
Village of Briarcliff Manor, NY |
Westchester County, NY |
N/A |
CATEX, |
|
01/30/2009 |
Village of Woodridge, NY |
Sullivan County, NY |
01/30/2009 |
FNSI/EA, |
EPA Region 2 Comment Letters
Current comment letters are linked below.
NOTE: All documents below are Adobe Acrobat PDF files (about
PDF files). Click on the headings to view documents according to their respective details.
| Date | Lead Agency | Name | Location | Rating | Document Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10/20/2009 | U.S. Customs and Border Protection | Modernization of Land Port of Entry | Cannon Corners, State Route 10, Clinton County, New York | N/A | 5 Pages 2 MB |
| 09/21/2009 | Federal Transit Administration | Pennsauken Junction Transit Center and Park and Ride Project | Pennsauken Township, Camden County, New Jersey | N/A | 2 Pages |
| 08/27/2009 | Federal Highway Administration | Two Bridges Road Bridge Over the Pompton River and Extension of West Belt | Borough of Lincoln Park, Fairfield Township, Wayne Township, Morris, Essex, Passaic Counties, New Jersey | N/A | 2 pages |
| 08/10/2009 | FAA | Draft Final Environmental Assessment Essex County Airport Runway Safety Area Improvements and Obstruction Removal | Essex County Airport, New Jersey | N/A | 2 pages |
| 08/07/2009 | Department of Homeland Security | Churubusco Land Port of Entry Modernization and Operation | Churubusco, NY | N/A | 2 pages |
| 7/29/2009 | Department of Army | Environmental Assessment for Range Development Plan | Fort Dix, New Jersey | N/A | 2 pages |
| 7/28/2009 | U.S. Coast Guard | Goethals Bridge Replacement | Staten Island, NY and Elizabeth, NJ | EC-1 | 3 pages |
| 07/17/2009 | NJ Transit | Lackawanna Cut-Off Environmental Assessment 2008 | New Jersey - Pennsylvania | N/A | 3 Pages |
| 07/06/2009 | Bureau of Indian Affairs | Cayuga Nation of New York Conveyance of Lands into Trust | Cayuga and Seneca Counties, NY | N/A |
4 pages, 213K |
| 06/26/2009 | US Army | Multi-Use Child Development Center (Buckner Loop, US Military Academy, West Point, New York) |
US Military Academy, West Point, New York | N/A | 2 pages |
| 06/19/2009 | US Army | U.S. Army Reserve Proposed Military Construction Project Ulster County, New York | Interstate 87 (I-87), Saugerties, Ulster County, New York | N/A | 2 pages |
| 06/04/2009 | Department of Energy | Decommissioning and/or Long-Term Stewardship at the West Valley Demonstration Project and Western New York Nuclear Service Center | West Valley, NY | EC-1 | 5 pages 1835 Kbytes |
| 05/11/2009 | U.S. Department of Navy | Final Environmental Impact Statement for Laurelwood Housing Area Access | Naval Weapons Station Earle, Colts in Neck, New Jersey | Comment Letter 2 pages |
|
02/17/2009 |
FHWA/NYSDOT |
Fort Drum Connector Route Final Environmental Impact Statement |
Towns of Pamelia and Le Ray, Jefferson County, NY |
N/A |
2 pages, 108K |
01/30/2009 |
US Coast Guard |
City of Linden, Union County, NJ |
N/A |
3 pages, 782K |
|
01/28/2009 |
FHWA/NYSDOT |
Kings and Queens Counties, NY |
N/A |
2 pages, 62K |
|
01/26/2009 |
FHWA/NJDOT |
Interstate 295, Interstate 76 and New Jersey State Route 42 Final Environmental Impact Statement |
Bellmawr, Mt. Ephraim & Gloucester City, Camden County, NJ |
N/A |
1 pages, 51K |
01/22/2009 |
US Navy |
Laurelwood Housing Area Access Draft Environmental Impact Statement |
NWS Earle, Monmouth County, NJ |
LO-1 |
3 pages, 93K |
Other Links
Other Agency Websites
- US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
- Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
- US Coast Guard (USCG)
- Department of Energy (DOE)
- Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
- Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
- Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
- Federal Transit Administration (FTA)
- Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
- Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
State/Local