§ 520.5 - Guidelines for identifying major actions significantly affecting the environment.

§ 520.5 Guidelines for identifying major actions significantly affecting the environment.

(a) General guidelines. The phrase, “major Federal actions significantly affecting the quality of the human environment,” as used in this part, shall be construed with a view to the overall, cumulative impact of the actions, other Federal projects or actions in the area, and any further contemplated or anticipated actions. Therefore, an environmental impact statement should be prepared in any of the following situations:

(1) Proposed actions which are localized in their impact but which have a potential for significantly affecting the environment;

(2) Any proposed action which is likely to be controversial on environmental grounds;

(3) Any proposed action which has unclear but potentially significant environmental consequences.

(b) Specific guidelines. While a precise definition of environmental significance that is valid in all contexts is not possible, any of the following actions should ordinarily be considered as significantly affecting the quality of the human environment:

(1) Any matter falling under section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act (49 U.S.C. 1653(f)) and section 138 of Federal-aid highway legislation (23 U.S.C. 138), requiring the use of any publicly owned land from a park, recreation area, or wildlife and waterfowl refuge of national, State, or local significance as determined by the Federal, State, or local officials having jurisdiction thereof, or any land from an historic site of national, State, or local significance;

(2) Any matter falling under section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (16 U.S.C. 470(f)), requiring consideration of the effect of the proposed action on any building included in the National Register of Historic Preservation and reasonable opportunity for the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation to comment on such action;

(3) Any action that is likely to affect the preservation and enhancement of sites of historical, architectural, or archaeological significance;

(4) Any action that is likely to be highly controversial regarding relocation housing;

(5) Any action that

(i) divides or disrupts an established community, disrupts orderly, planned development, or is inconsistent with plans or goals that have been adopted by the community in which the project is located; or

(ii) causes significantly increased congestion;

(6) Any action that

(i) involves inconsistency with any Federal, State, or local law or administrative determination relating to the environment;

(ii) has a significantly detrimental impact on air or water quality or on ambient noise levels for adjoining areas;

(iii) involves a possibility of contamination of a public water supply system; or

(iv) affects ground water, flooding, erosion, or sedimentation;

(7) Any action that may directly or indirectly result in a significant increase in noise levels, either within a motor vehicle's closed environment or upon nearby areas;

(8) Any action that may directly or indirectly result in a significant increase in the energy or fuel necessary to operate a motor vehicle, including but not limited to the following:

(i) Actions which may directly or indirectly result in a significant increase in the weight of a motor vehicle; and

(ii) actions which may directly or indirectly result in a significant adverse effect upon the aerodynamic drag of a motor vehicle;

(9) Any action that may directly or indirectly result in a significant increase in the amount of harmful emissions resulting from the operation of a motor vehicle;

(10) Any action that may directly or indirectly result in a significant increase in either the use of or the exposure to toxic or hazardous materials in the manufacture, operation, or disposal of motor vehicles or motor vehicle equipment;

(11) Any action that may directly or indirectly result in a significant increase in the problem of solid waste, as in the disposal of motor vehicles or motor vehicle equipment;

(12) Any action that may directly or indirectly result in a significant depletion of scarce natural resources associated with the manufacture or operation of motor vehicles or motor vehicle equipment; and

(13) Any other action that causes significant environment impact by directly or indirectly affecting human beings through adverse impacts on the environment.

(c) Research activities.

(1) In accord-ance with DOT Order 5610.1B, the Assistant Secretary for Systems Development and Technology (TST) will prepare, with the concurrence of the NHTSA, proposed procedures for assessing the environmental consequences of research activities. Until final procedures are promulgated, the following factors are to be considered for periodic evaluation to determine when an environmental statement is required for such programs:

(i) The magnitude of Federal investment in the program;

(ii) The likelihood of widespread application of the technology;

(iii) The degree of environmental impact which would occur if the technology were widely applied; and

(iv) The extent to which continued investment in the new technology is likely to restrict future alternatives.

(2) The statement or environmental review culminating in a negative declaration must be written late enough in the development process to contain meaningful information, but early enough so that this information can practically serve as an input in the decision-making process. Where it is anticipated that an environmental impact statement may ultimately be required but its preparation is still premature, the office shall prepare a publicly available record briefly setting forth the reasons for its determination that a statement is not yet necessary. This record shall be updated at least quarterly, or as may be necessary when significant new information becomes available concerning the potential environmental impact of the program. In any case, a statement or environmental review culminating in a negative declaration must be prepared before research activities have reached a state of investment or commitment to implementation likely to determine subsequent development or restrict later alternatives. Statements on technology research and development programs shall include an analysis not only of alternative forms of the same technology that might reduce any adverse environmental impacts but also of alternative technologies that would serve the same function as the technology under consideration. Efforts shall be made to involve other Federal agencies and interested groups with relevant expertise in the preparation of such statements because the impacts and alternatives to be considered are likely to be less well defined than in other types of statements.