Regulacje i polityka gospodarcza · 16/12/2002

National Environmental Policy Act Documentation Needed for Fire Management Activities; Categorical Exclusions

The Department of Agriculture, Forest Service and Department of the Interior give notice of, and request comment on, their proposal to revise their procedures for implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations. These revisions are being made to Forest Service Handbook 1909.15, chapter 30, and Department of the Interior Manual 516 DM, chapter 2, Appendix 1, which describe categorical exclusions, i.e., categories of actions that will not result in significant impacts on the environment and therefore normally do not require further analysis in either an environmental assessment or an environmental impact statement. The proposal would add two such categories of actions to the agencies' NEPA procedures: (1) Hazardous fuels reduction activities (such as thinning overstocked stands and brush); and (2) activities for rehabilitating and stabilizing lands and infrastructure (such as reseeding) impacted by wildland fires or fire suppression. The Departments reviewed over 3,000 hazardous fuel reduction and rehabilitation/stabilization projects and concluded that these categories of actions do not individually or cumulatively res