[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 7, Volume 6]
[Revised as of January 1, 2008]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 7CFR520.5]

[Page 393]
 
                          TITLE 7--AGRICULTURE
 
   CHAPTER V--AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 
PART 520_PROCEDURES FOR IMPLEMENTING NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT--Table of Contents
 
Sec. 520.5  Categorical exclusions.

    For the following categories of actions, the preparation of an EA or 
EIS is not required:
    (a) Department of Agriculture categorical exclusions (7 CFR 1b.3). 
(1) Policy development, planning and implementation which are related to 
routine activities such as personnel, organizational changes or similar 
administrative functions;
    (2) Activities which deal solely with the functions of programs, 
such as program budget proposals, disbursement, transfer or 
reprogramming of funds;
    (3) Inventories, research activities and studies, such as resource 
inventories and routine data collection when such actions are clearly 
limited in context and intensity;
    (4) Educational and information programs and activities;
    (5) Activities which are advisory and consultative to other 
agencies, public and private entities, and
    (6) Activities related to trade representation and market 
development activities overseas.
    (b) ARS categorical exclusions. ARS actions which, based on previous 
experience, have been found to have limited scope and intensity and 
produce little or no individual or cumulative impacts to the human 
environment. Some examples are:
    (1) Repair, replacement of structural components or equipment, or 
other routine maintenance of facilities controlled in whole or in part 
by ARS;
    (2) Research programs or projects of limited size and magnitude or 
with only short-term effects on the environment. Examples are:
    (i) Research operations conducted within any laboratory, greenhouse 
or other contained facility where research practices and safeguards 
prevent environment impacts such as the release of hazardous materials 
into the environment;
    (ii) Inventories, studies or other such activities that have limited 
context and minimal intensity in terms of changes in the environment;
    (iii) Testing outside of the laboratory, such as in small isolated 
field plots, which does not involve the use of control agents requiring 
containment or a special license or a permit from a regulatory agency.
    (c) Exceptions to categorical exclusions. An environmental 
assessment shall be prepared for an activity which is normally within 
the purview of categorical exclusion if there are extraordinary 
circumstances which may cause such activity to have a significant 
environmental effect.