[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 7, Volume 5]
[Revised as of January 1, 2003]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 7CFR372.8]

[Page 509-510]
 
                          TITLE 7--AGRICULTURE
 
 CHAPTER III--ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH INSPECTION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF 
                               AGRICULTURE
 
PART 372--NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT IMPLEMENTING PROCEDURES--Table of Contents
 
Sec. 372.8  Major planning and decision points and public involvement.

    (a) Major planning and decisions points. The NEPA process will be 
fully coordinated with APHIS planning in cooperation with program 
personnel. Specific decision points or milestones will be identified and 
communicated to

[[Page 510]]

the public and others in a notice of intent and in the context of the 
public scoping process.
    (b) Public involvement. There will be an early and open process for 
determining the scope of issues to be addressed in the environmental 
impact statement process.
    (1) A notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement 
will be published in the Federal Register as soon as it is determined 
that a proposed major Federal action has the potential to affect 
significantly the quality of the human environment. The notice may 
include a preliminary scope of environmental study. All public and other 
involvement in APHIS' environmental impact statement process, including 
the scoping process, commenting on draft documents, and participation in 
the preparation of any supplemental documents, will be pursuant to CEQ's 
implementing regulations.
    (2) Opportunities for public involvement in the environmental 
assessment process will be announced in the same fashion as the 
availability of environmental assessments and findings of no significant 
impact.
    (3) Notification of the availability of environmental assessments 
and findings of no significant impact for proposed activities will be 
published in the Federal Register, unless it is determined that the 
effects of the action are primarily of regional or local concern. Where 
the effects of the action are primarily of regional or local concern, 
notice will normally be provided through publication in a local or area 
newspaper of general circulation and/or the procedures implementing 
Executive Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.''
    (4) All environmental documents, comments received, and any 
underlying documents, including interagency correspondence where such 
correspondence transmits comments of Federal agencies on the 
environmental impact of proposals for which documents were prepared 
(except for privileged or confidential information (50 FR 38561)), will 
be made available to the public upon request. Materials to be made 
available will be provided without charge, to the extent practicable, or 
at a fee not more than the actual cost of reproducing copies required to 
be sent to other Federal agencies, including CEQ.