[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 40, Volume 31]
[Revised as of July 1, 2007]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 40CFR1502.5]

[Page 877]
 
                   TITLE 40--PROTECTION OF ENVIRONMENT
 
               CHAPTER V--COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
 
PART 1502_ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT--Table of Contents
 
Sec.  1502.5  Timing.

    An agency shall commence preparation of an environmental impact 
statement as close as possible to the time the agency is developing or 
is presented with a proposal (Sec.  1508.23) so that preparation can be 
completed in time for the final statement to be included in any 
recommendation or report on the proposal. The statement shall be 
prepared early enough so that it can serve practically as an important 
contribution to the decisionmaking process and will not be used to 
rationalize or justify decisions already made (Sec.  Sec.  1500.2(c), 
1501.2, and 1502.2). For instance:
    (a) For projects directly undertaken by Federal agencies the 
environmental impact statement shall be prepared at the feasibility 
analysis (go-no go) stage and may be supplemented at a later stage if 
necessary.
    (b) For applications to the agency appropriate environmental 
assessments or statements shall be commenced no later than immediately 
after the application is received. Federal agencies are encouraged to 
begin preparation of such assessments or statements earlier, preferably 
jointly with applicable State or local agencies.
    (c) For adjudication, the final environmental impact statement shall 
normally precede the final staff recommendation and that portion of the 
public hearing related to the impact study. In appropriate circumstances 
the statement may follow preliminary hearings designed to gather 
information for use in the statements.
    (d) For informal rulemaking the draft environmental impact statement 
shall normally accompany the proposed rule.