[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 18, Volume 1]
[Revised as of April 1, 2004]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 18CFR380.2]

[Page 896]
 
           TITLE 18--CONSERVATION OF POWER AND WATER RESOURCES
 
  CHAPTER I--FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION, DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
 
PART 380_REGULATIONS IMPLEMENTING THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY 
ACT--Table of Contents
 
Sec. 380.2  Definitions and terminology.

    For purposes of this part--
    (a) Categorical exclusion means a category of actions described in 
Sec. 380.4, which do not individually or cumulatively have a 
significant effect on the human environment and which the Commission has 
found to have no such effect and for which, therefore, neither an 
environmental assessment nor an environmental impact statement is 
required. The Commission may decide to prepare environmental assessments 
for the reasons stated in Sec. 380.4(b).
    (b) Commission means the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
    (c) Council means the Council on Environmental Quality.
    (d) Environmental assessment means a concise public document for 
which the Commission is responsible that serves to:
    (1) Briefly provide sufficient evidence and analysis for determining 
whether to prepare an environmental impact statement or a finding of no 
significant impact.
    (2) Aid the Commission's compliance with NEPA when no environmental 
impact statement is necessary.
    (3) Facilitate preparation of a statement when one is necessary. 
Environmental assessments must include brief discussions of the need for 
the proposal, of alternatives as required by section 102(2)(E) of NEPA, 
of the environmental impacts of the proposed action and alternatives, 
and a listing of agencies and persons consulted.
    (e) Environmental impact statement (EIS) means a detailed written 
statement as required by section 102(2)(C) of NEPA. DEIS means a draft 
EIS and FEIS means a final EIS.
    (f) Environmental report or ER means that part of an application 
submitted to the Commission by an applicant for authorization of a 
proposed action which includes information concerning the environment, 
the applicant's analysis of the environmental impact of the action, or 
alternatives to the action required by this or other applicable statutes 
or regulations.
    (g) Finding of no significant impact (FONSI) means a document by the 
Commission briefly presenting the reason why an action, not otherwise 
excluded by Sec. 380.4, will not have a significant effect on the human 
environment and for which an environmental impact statement therefore 
will not be prepared. It must include the environmental assessment or a 
summary of it and must note other environmental documents related to it. 
If the assessment is included, the FONSI need not repeat any of the 
discussion in the assessment but may incorporate it by reference.