[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: 40CFR1502.2]



[Page 874]

 

                   TITLE 40--PROTECTION OF ENVIRONMENT

 

               CHAPTER V--COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY

 

PART 1502_ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT--Table of Contents

 

Sec.  1502.2  Implementation.



    To achieve the purposes set forth in Sec.  1502.1 agencies shall 

prepare environmental impact statements in the following manner:

    (a) Environmental impact statements shall be analytic rather than 

encyclopedic.

    (b) Impacts shall be discussed in proportion to their significance. 

There shall be only brief discussion of other than significant issues. 

As in a finding of no significant impact, there should be only enough 

discussion to show why more study is not warranted.

    (c) Environmental impact statements shall be kept concise and shall 

be no longer than absolutely necessary to comply with NEPA and with 

these regulations. Length should vary first with potential environmental 

problems and then with project size.

    (d) Environmental impact statements shall state how alternatives 

considered in it and decisions based on it will or will not achieve the 

requirements of sections 101 and 102(1) of the Act and other 

environmental laws and policies.

    (e) The range of alternatives discussed in environmental impact 

statements shall encompass those to be considered by the ultimate agency 

decisionmaker.

    (f) Agencies shall not commit resources prejudicing selection of 

alternatives before making a final decision (Sec.  1506.1).

    (g) Environmental impact statements shall serve as the means of 

assessing the environmental impact of proposed agency actions, rather 

than justifying decisions already made.