[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: 40CFR1508.25]



[Page 894-895]

 

                   TITLE 40--PROTECTION OF ENVIRONMENT

 

               CHAPTER V--COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY

 

PART 1508_TERMINOLOGY AND INDEX--Table of Contents

 

Sec.  1508.25  Scope.



    Scope consists of the range of actions, alternatives, and impacts to 

be considered in an environmental impact statement. The scope of an 

individual statement may depend on its relationships to other statements 

(Sec. Sec. 1502.20 and 1508.28). To determine the scope of environmental 

impact statements, agencies shall consider 3 types of actions, 3 types 

of alternatives, and 3 types of impacts. They include:

    (a) Actions (other than unconnected single actions) which may be:

    (1) Connected actions, which means that they are closely related and 

therefore should be discussed in the same impact statement. Actions are 

connected if they:

    (i) Automatically trigger other actions which may require 

environmental impact statements.

    (ii) Cannot or will not proceed unless other actions are taken 

previously or simultaneously.

    (iii) Are interdependent parts of a larger action and depend on the 

larger action for their justification.

    (2) Cumulative actions, which when viewed with other proposed 

actions have cumulatively significant impacts and should therefore be 

discussed in the same impact statement.

    (3) Similar actions, which when viewed with other reasonably 

foreseeable or proposed agency actions, have similarities that provide a 

basis for evaluating their environmental



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consequencies together, such as common timing or geography. An agency 

may wish to analyze these actions in the same impact statement. It 

should do so when the best way to assess adequately the combined impacts 

of similar actions or reasonable alternatives to such actions is to 

treat them in a single impact statement.

    (b) Alternatives, which include:

    (1) No action alternative.

    (2) Other reasonable courses of actions.

    (3) Mitigation measures (not in the proposed action).

    (c) Impacts, which may be: (1) Direct; (2) indirect; (3) cumulative.