§ 1940.307 - Environmental responsibilities within the State Office.

(a) State Director. The State Director will:

(1) Serve as the responsible FmHA or its successor agency under Public Law 103-354 official at the State Office level for ensuring compliance with the requirements of this subpart; and

(2) Appoint one individual to serve as the SEC. Thereafter, the SEC will report directly to the State Director on the environmental matters contained in this subpart.

(b) State Environmental Coordinator (SEC). The SEC will:

(1) Act as advisor to the State Director on environmental matters and coordinate the requirements of this subpart;

(2) Review those Agency actions which are not categorically excluded from this subpart (see §§1940.311 and 1940.312 of this subpart) and which require the approval and/or clearance of the State Office and recommend to the approving official either project approval, disapproval, or modification after analyzing and considering the—

(i) Anticipated adverse environmental impacts,

(ii) The anticipated benefits, and

(iii) The action's consistency with this subpart's requirements;

(3) Represent the State Director at conferences and meetings dealing with environmental matters of a State Office nature;

(4) Maintain liaison on State Office environmental matters with interested public groups and local, State, and other Federal agencies;

(5) Serve as the State Director's alternate on State-level USDA committees dealing with environmental, land use and historic preservation matters;

(6) Solicit, whenever necessary, the expert advice and assistance of other professional staff members within the State Office in order to adequately implement this subpart;

(7) Provide technical assistance as needed on a project-by-project basis to State, District, and County Office staffs;

(8) Develop controls for avoiding or mitigating adverse environmental impacts and monitor their implementation;

(9) Provide assistance in resolving post-approval environmental matters at the State Office level;

(10) Maintain records for those actions required by this subpart;

(11) Coordinate for the State Director the development of the State Office natural resource management guide;

(12) Provide direction and training to State, District, and County Office staffs on the requirements of this subpart; and

(13) Coordinate for the State Director the monitoring of the State Office's compliance with this subpart and keep the State Director advised of the results of the monitoring process.

(c) Program Chiefs. State Office Program Chiefs will:

(1) Be responsible for the adequacy of the environmental impact reviews required by this subpart for all program actions to be approved at the State Office level or concurred in at that level;

(2) Coordinate the above reviews as early as possible with the SEC, so that the latter can assist in addressing the resolution of any unresolved or difficult environmental issues in a timely manner; and

(3) Incorporate into projects and actions measures to avoid or reduce potential adverse environmental impacts identified in environmental reviews.