§ 641.18 - Comprehensive environmental evaluation.

§ 641.18 Comprehensive environmental evaluation.

(a) Scoping. If it is determined that a CEE will be prepared, the responsible official shall publish a notice of intent to prepare a CEE in the Federal Register, inviting interested persons and government agencies to participate in the process of identifying significant issues relating to the proposed action and determining the scope of the issues to be addressed in the CEE.

(b) Contents of CEE. A CEE shall be a concise and analytical document, prepared in accordance with the range of relevant issues identified in the scoping process. It shall contain sufficient information to permit informed consideration of the reasonably foreseeable potential environmental effects of a proposed action and possible alternatives to that proposed action. Such information shall include the following:

(1) A description of the proposed action including its purpose, location, duration and intensity;

(2) A description of the initial base-line environmental state with which predicted changes are to be compared, and a prediction of the future environmental state in the absence of the proposed action;

(3) A description of the methods and data used to forecast the potential impacts of the proposed action;

(4) An estimate of the nature, extent, duration and intensity of the likely direct potential impacts of the proposed action;

(5) A consideration of the potential indirect or second order impacts from the proposed action;

(6) A consideration of potential cumulative impacts of the proposed action in light of existing activities and other known planned actions and available information on those actions;

(7) A description of possible alternatives to the proposed action, including the alternative of not proceeding, and the potential consequences of those alternatives, in sufficient detail to allow a clear basis for choice among the alternatives and the proposed action;

(8) Identification of measures, including monitoring, that could be employed to minimize, mitigate or prevent potential impacts of the proposed action, detect unforeseen impacts, provide early warning of any adverse effects, and carry out prompt and effective response to accidents;

(9) Identification of unavoidable potential impacts of the proposed action;

(10) Consideration of the potential effects of the proposed action on the conduct of scientific research and on other existing uses and values;

(11) Identification of gaps in knowledge and uncertainties encountered in compiling the information required by this paragraph (b);

(12) A non-technical summary of the information included in the CEE; and

(13) The name and address of the person and/or organization which prepared the CEE, and the address to which comments thereon should be directed.

(c) Circulation of draft CEE. A draft of each CEE shall be provided to the Department of State for circulation to all Parties to the Protocol and to organizations or committees established pursuant to the Protocol or Treaty, as required by the Protocol, and shall be made publicly available. Notice of such public availability shall be published in the Federal Register. All such parties shall have a period of not less than ninety (90) days within which to review and comment upon the draft CEE.

(d) Final CEE. A final CEE shall address, and shall include or summarize, comments received on the draft CEE. The final CEE, notice of any decisions related thereto, and any evaluation of the significance of the predicted impacts in relation to the advantages of the proposed action shall be provided to the Department of State for circulation to all Parties to the Protocol, and shall be available to the public upon request, at least sixty (60) days prior to the commencement of the proposed activity in Antarctica. Notice of such public availability shall be published in the Federal Register.

(e) Implementation of proposed action. No final decision shall be taken to proceed in Antarctica with an action for which a final CEE is required until after the earlier of:

(1) The first Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting taking place at least one hundred and twenty days after circulation of the draft CEE, or

(2) Fifteen months following the circulation of the draft CEE.