§ 1022.4 - Definitions.

§ 1022.4 Definitions.

The following definitions apply to this part:

Action means any DOE activity necessary to carry out its responsibilities for:

(1) Acquiring, managing, and disposing of Federal lands and facilities;

(2) Providing DOE-undertaken, -financed, or -assisted construction and improvements; and

(3) Conducting activities and programs affecting land use, including but not limited to water- and related land-resources planning, regulating, and licensing activities.

Base floodplain means the 100-year floodplain, that is, a floodplain with a 1.0 percent chance of flooding in any given year.

Critical action means any DOE action for which even a slight chance of flooding would be too great. Such actions may include, but are not limited to, the storage of highly volatile, toxic, or water reactive materials.

Critical action floodplain means, at a minimum, the 500-year floodplain, that is, a floodplain with a 0.2 percent chance of flooding in any given year. When another requirement directing evaluation of a less frequent flood event also is applicable to the proposed action, a flood less frequent than the 500-year flood may be appropriate for determining the floodplain for purposes of this part.

Effects of national concern means those effects that because of the high quality or function of the affected resource or because of the wide geographic range of effects could create concern beyond the locale or region of the proposed action.

Environmental assessment (EA) means a document prepared in accordance with the requirements of 40 CFR 1501.4(b), 40 CFR 1508.9, 10 CFR 1021.320, and 10 CFR 1021.321.

Environmental impact statement (EIS) means a document prepared in accordance with the requirements of section 102(2)(C) of NEPA and its implementing regulations at 40 CFR Parts 1500-1508 and 10 CFR Part 1021.

Facility means any human-made or -placed item other than a structure.

FEMA means the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Homeland Security.

Finding of no significant impact means a document prepared in accordance with the requirements of 40 CFR 1508.13 and 10 CFR 1021.322.

Flood or flooding means a temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of normally dry land areas from the overflow of inland or tidal waters, or the unusual and rapid accumulation or runoff of surface waters from any source.

Floodplain means the lowlands adjoining inland and coastal waters and relatively flat areas and floodprone areas of offshore islands.

Floodplain action means any DOE action that takes place in a floodplain, including any DOE action in a wetland that is also within the floodplain, subject to the exclusions specified at § 1022.5(c) and (d) of this part.

Floodplain and wetland values means the qualities of or functions served by floodplains and wetlands that can include, but are not limited to, living values (e.g., conservation of existing flora and fauna including their long-term productivity, preservation of diversity and stability of species and habitats), cultural resource values (e.g., archeological and historic sites), cultivated resource values (e.g., agriculture, aquaculture, forestry), aesthetic values (e.g., natural beauty), and other values related to uses in the public interest (e.g., open space, scientific study, outdoor education, recreation).

Floodplain or wetland assessment means an evaluation consisting of a description of a proposed action, a discussion of its potential effects on the floodplain or wetland, and consideration of alternatives.

Floodplain statement of findings means a brief document issued pursuant to § 1022.14 of this part that describes the results of a floodplain assessment.

High-hazard areas means those portions of riverine and coastal floodplains nearest the source of flooding that are frequently flooded and where the likelihood of flood losses and adverse impacts on the natural and beneficial values served by floodplains is greatest.

Minimize means to reduce to the smallest degree practicable.

New construction, for the purpose of compliance with E.O. 11990 and this part, means the building of any structures or facilities, draining, dredging, channelizing, filling, diking, impounding, and related activities.

Notice of proposed floodplain action and notice of proposed wetland action mean a brief notice that describes a proposed floodplain or wetland action, respectively, and its location and that affords the opportunity for public review.

Practicable means capable of being accomplished within existing constraints, depending on the situation and including consideration of many factors, such as the existing environment, cost, technology, and implementation time.

Preserve means to prevent modification to the natural floodplain or wetland environment or to maintain it as closely as possible to its natural state.

Restore means to reestablish a setting or environment in which the natural functions of the floodplain or wetland can again operate.

Structure means a walled or roofed building, including mobile homes and gas or liquid storage tanks.

Wetland means an area that is inundated or saturated by surface or groundwater at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances does support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions, including swamps, marshes, bogs, and similar areas.

Wetland action means any DOE action related to new construction that takes place in a wetland not located in a floodplain, subject to the exclusions specified at § 1022.5(c) and (d) of this part.