[Code of Federal Regulations]

[Title 40, Volume 31]

[Revised as of July 1, 2006]

From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access

[CITE: 40CFR1500.4]



[Page 868]

 

                   TITLE 40--PROTECTION OF ENVIRONMENT

 

               CHAPTER V--COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY

 

PART 1500_PURPOSE, POLICY, AND MANDATE--Table of Contents

 

Sec.  1500.4  Reducing paperwork.



    Agencies shall reduce excessive paperwork by:

    (a) Reducing the length of environmental impact statements (Sec.  

1502.2(c)), by means such as setting appropriate page limits (Sec. Sec.  

1501.7(b)(1) and 1502.7).

    (b) Preparing analytic rather than encyclopedic environmental impact 

statements (Sec.  1502.2(a)).

    (c) Discussing only briefly issues other than significant ones 

(Sec.  1502.2(b)).

    (d) Writing environmental impact statements in plain language (Sec.  

1502.8).

    (e) Following a clear format for environmental impact statements 

(Sec.  1502.10).

    (f) Emphasizing the portions of the environmental impact statement 

that are useful to decisionmakers and the public (Sec. Sec.  1502.14 and 

1502.15) and reducing emphasis on background material (Sec.  1502.16).

    (g) Using the scoping process, not only to identify significant 

environmental issues deserving of study, but also to deemphasize 

insignificant issues, narrowing the scope of the environmental impact 

statement process accordingly (Sec.  1501.7).

    (h) Summarizing the environmental impact statement (Sec.  1502.12) 

and circulating the summary instead of the entire environmental impact 

statement if the latter is unusually long (Sec.  1502.19).

    (i) Using program, policy, or plan environmental impact statements 

and tiering from statements of broad scope to those of narrower scope, 

to eliminate repetitive discussions of the same issues (Sec. Sec.  

1502.4 and 1502.20).

    (j) Incorporating by reference (Sec.  1502.21).

    (k) Integrating NEPA requirements with other environmental review 

and consultation requirements (Sec.  1502.25).

    (l) Requiring comments to be as specific as possible (Sec.  1503.3).

    (m) Attaching and circulating only changes to the draft 

environmental impact statement, rather than rewriting and circulating 

the entire statement when changes are minor (Sec.  1503.4(c)).

    (n) Eliminating duplication with State and local procedures, by 

providing for joint preparation (Sec.  1506.2), and with other Federal 

procedures, by providing that an agency may adopt appropriate 

environmental documents prepared by another agency (Sec.  1506.3).

    (o) Combining environmental documents with other documents (Sec.  

1506.4).

    (p) Using categorical exclusions to define categories of actions 

which do not individually or cumulatively have a significant effect on 

the human environment and which are therefore exempt from requirements 

to prepare an environmental impact statement (Sec.  1508.4).

    (q) Using a finding of no significant impact when an action not 

otherwise excluded will not have a significant effect on the human 

environment and is therefore exempt from requirements to prepare an 

environmental impact statement (Sec.  1508.13).



[43 FR 55990, Nov. 29, 1978; 44 FR 873, Jan. 3, 1979]