§ 1940.306 - Environmental responsibilities within the National Office.

(a) Administrator. The Administrator of FmHA or its successor agency under Public Law 103-354 has the direct responsibility for Agency compliance with all environmental laws, Executive orders, and regulations that apply to FmHA or its successor agency under Public Law 103-354's program and administrative actions. As such, the Administrator ensures that this responsibility is adequately delegated to Agency staff and remains informed on the general status of Agency compliance, as well as the need for any necessary improvements. The Administrator is also responsible for ensuring that the Agency's manpower and financial needs for accomplishing adequate compliance with this subpart are reflected and documented in budget requests for departmental consideration.

(b) Deputy Administrator Program Operations. (1) The Deputy Administrator for Program Operations has the delegated overall Agency responsibility for developing and implementing environmental policies and compliance procedures, monitoring their effectiveness, and advising the Administrator on the status of compliance, to include recommendations for any necessary changes in this subpart. The incumbent is also responsible for developing and documenting, as part of the Agency's budget formulation process, the manpower and financial needs necessary to implement this subpart.

(2) The specific responsibilities of the Deputy Administrator—Program Operations are as follows:

(i) Provide for the Agency an interdisciplinary approach to environmental impact analysis and problem resolution, as required by the CEQ regulations;

(ii) Provide the leadership and technical expertise for the implementation of the Agency's environmental policies with special emphasis being placed on those policies relating to natural resource management, energy conservation, and orderly community development;

(iii) Coordinate the implementation of this subpart with affected program offices;

(iv) Provide policy direction and advice on the implementation of this subpart to Agency staff, particularly to SECs and technical support personnel within State Offices;

(v) Consult and coordinate, as needed or upon request, with the Department's interagency committees dealing with environmental, land use, and historic preservation matters;

(vi) Monitor the Agency's record in complying with this subpart;

(vii) Provide training programs and materials for the Agency staff assigned the functions identified in this subpart;

(viii) Review, as necessary, applications for funding assistance, proposed policies and regulations, and recommend their approval, disapproval, or modification after analyzing and considering their anticipated adverse environmental impacts, their benefits, and their consistency with the requirements of this subpart;

(ix) Develop and direct Agency procedures for complying with environmental legislation, Executive orders, and regulations, including, but not limited to, those listed in §1940.301(c) of this subpart;

(x) Maintain a position identified as the Senior Environmental Specialist (hereafter called the Environmental Specialist), who will serve as the responsible Agency official under the National Environmental Policy Act and the National Historic Preservation Act, maintain liaison on environmental matters with interested public groups and Federal agencies, and serve as the focal point for developing and coordinating the Agency's procedures for the requirements listed in §1940.301(c) of this subpart; and

(xi) Review and evaluate legislative and administrative proposals in terms of their environmental impact.

(c) Assistant Administrators for Programs. The Assistant Administrators for Programs will:

(1) Ensure, as necessary, that environmental assessments and EISs for proposed program regulations are prepared by their staff;

(2) Ensure that all proposed actions that fall under the requirements of this subpart, and that are submitted to the National Office for approval or concurrence, contain adequate analyses and documentation of their potential environmental impacts (Transfer of program funds from National Office to State Office control to enable the State Office to approve an application is not considered to be National Office approval of or concurrence in an application);

(3) Consider and include, in the development of program regulations, feasible policies and mechanisms that promote program goals in a manner that either enhances environmental quality or reduces unnecessary adverse environmental impacts; and

(4) Designate one or more staff members to serve as a program environmental coordinator, having generally the same duties and responsibilities within the program office as the SEC has within the State Office (See §1940.307(b) of this subpart).