[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: 40CFR1502.14]



[Page 877]

 

                   TITLE 40--PROTECTION OF ENVIRONMENT

 

               CHAPTER V--COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY

 

PART 1502_ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT--Table of Contents

 

Sec.  1502.14  Alternatives including the proposed action.



    This section is the heart of the environmental impact statement. 

Based on the information and analysis presented in the sections on the 

Affected Environment (Sec.  1502.15) and the Environmental Consequences 

(Sec.  1502.16), it should present the environmental impacts of the 

proposal and the alternatives in comparative form, thus sharply defining 

the issues and providing a clear basis for choice among options by the 

decisionmaker and the public. In this section agencies shall:

    (a) Rigorously explore and objectively evaluate all reasonable 

alternatives, and for alternatives which were eliminated from detailed 

study, briefly discuss the reasons for their having been eliminated.

    (b) Devote substantial treatment to each alternative considered in 

detail including the proposed action so that reviewers may evaluate 

their comparative merits.

    (c) Include reasonable alternatives not within the jurisdiction of 

the lead agency.

    (d) Include the alternative of no action.

    (e) Identify the agency's preferred alternative or alternatives, if 

one or more exists, in the draft statement and identify such alternative 

in the final statement unless another law prohibits the expression of 

such a preference.

    (f) Include appropriate mitigation measures not already included in 

the proposed action or alternatives.