§ 215.14 - Appeal content.

(a) It is the appellant's responsibility to provide sufficient project- or activity-specific evidence and rationale, focusing on the decision, to show why the Responsible Official's decision should be reversed (paragraph (b)(6-9)).

(b) The appeal must be filed with the Appeal Deciding Officer §215.8 in writing. At a minimum, an appeal must include the following:

(1) Appellant's name and address (§215.2), with a telephone number, if available;

(2) Signature or other verification of authorship upon request (a scanned signature for electronic mail may be filed with the appeal);

(3) When multiple names are listed on an appeal, identification of the lead appellant (§215.2) and verification of the identity of the lead appellant upon request;

(4) The name of the project or activity for which the decision was made, the name and title of the Responsible Official, and the date of the decision;

(5) Any specific change(s) in the decision that the appellant seeks and rationale for those changes;

(6) Any portion(s) of the decision with which the appellant disagrees, and explanation for the disagreement;

(7) Why the appellant believes the Responsible Official's decision failed to consider the substantive comments; and

(8) How the appellant believes the decision specifically violates law, regulation, or policy.

(c) The Appeal Deciding Officer shall not process an appeal when one or more of the following applies:

(1) An appellant's identity is not provided or cannot be determined from the signature (written or electronically scanned) and a reasonable means of contact is not provided.

(2) The appellant has not provided a reasonable means of contact.

(3) The decision cannot be identified.

(4) The appeal is illegible for any reason, including those submitted electronically in a format different from that specified in the legal notice.

[68 FR 33595, June 4, 2003, as amended at 78 FR 33723, June 5, 2013]