(a) The responsible action officer shall ensure compliance with these regulations at the earliest practicable stage of Departmental study, consideration or planning of a proposed major Federal action which could significantly affect the quality of the human environment. To accomplish this the responsible action officer must ensure that data developed during the review process is collected, analyzed and made available for consideration early in planning and decisionmaking when it will be most valuable in formulating, reviewing and deciding upon proposals for Departmental action.

(b) Environmental analysis and review of a proposed Departmental action shall be conducted as early as practicable so as to be timely, yet late enough to be relevant to the decisionmaking.

(c) Environmental documents should, whenever possible, accompany the principal action memorandum relating to a proposed action. An environmental document required in conjunction with conclusion of an international agreement shall, where possible, be prepared and circulated for review and comment before final negotiations begin. The completed environmental document should thus ordinarily accompany the principal action memorandum or request for authority to negotiate an agreement under the Department's Circular 175 regulation (11 FAM 720).

(d) To the maximum extent possible an environmental document should be prepared before the establishment of a final United States position on a proposal. In such cases the document should indicate the alternatives under consideration without specifying a Departmental preference. If the content and dimensions of a proposed action will not be clear until after the conclusion of an international negotiation or if a decision to proceed on an action involving another nation or international organization is required on short notice and before the environmental document can be prepared, the environmental document should be prepared as soon as possible after the conclusion of an agreed text of a treaty or agreement on the proposed action. If the Senate's advice and consent to a treaty with potential significant environmental effects in the United States will be sought, the final environmental impact statement should accompany other decision documentation for ratification. Legislative environmental impact statements on proposed treaties or legislation shall conform to the requirements of § 1506.8 of the CEQ Regulations and must be prepared in time for Congressional hearings and deliberations.

(e) Because actions having effects on the United States may to varying degrees be initiated, influenced and conducted by other countries, it is recognized that the preparation of environmental documents for such actions must be adjusted to meet a variety of circumstances. Bearing in mind the degree to which other countries possess information on and the ability to affect the decision under consideration, responsible action officers shall seek at all times to prepare environmental analysis documents as early as feasible in the decisionmaking process.

(a) General. As a general rule, responsibility for preparing environmental analysis documents will follow the Department's standard organizational practices; in this way environmental considerations and awareness of environmental responsibilities will be integrated most readily and effectively into the usual decisionmaking processes.

(1) Departmental bureaus. Each bureau within the Department shall be responsible for:

(i) Implementing these regulations and incorporating them into its normal decisionmaking processes;

(ii) Identifying actions it intends to initiate which may affect significantly the environment of the United States and employing the environmental evaluation procedures outlined in these regulations to ensure that necessary actions are taken to meet the requirements of applicable laws and regulations;

(iii) Coordinating environmental assessment-related activities for which it is responsible with the Office of Environmental Quality and Transboundary Issues in the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs and supporting and assisting the Office of Environmental Quality and Transboundary Issues in implementing these regulations as required; and

(iv) Providing the personnel required to implement these regulations, informing the Office of Environmental Quality and Transboundary Issues and the Office of the Legal Adviser whenever it is anticipated that environmental documents will be prepared under these regulations, and consulting the Office of Environmental Quality and Transboundary Issues and the Office of the Legal Adviser as necessary for guidance and assistance in the preparation of such documents.

(2) Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs. Through its Office of Environmental Quality and Transboundary Issues the Bureau shall have the primary responsibility for ensuring the Department's compliance with environmental policies, regulations and procedures. It shall provide policy and professional direction and guidance within the Department for implementing these regulations. It shall also assist other bureaus in obtaining appropriate scientific advice and budgetary resources to implement the regulations. The Office of Environmental Quality and Transboundary Issues will act as the focal point for implementation, working closely with the Departmental bureaus and the Office of the Legal Adviser. The Bureau and other involved bureaus will work closely with the Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs in the preparation of environmental documents relating to legislation. In carrying out its responsibilities the Bureau shall:

(i) Coordinate the formulation, development and revision of Departmental policies and positions on matters pertaining to environmental evaluation and review;

(ii) Develop and ensure the implementation of Departmentwide standards, procedures and working relationships for environmental review and compliance with applicable environmental laws and regulations;

(iii) Develop, as an integral part of the Department's basic decision processes, procedures to ensure that environmental factors are properly considered in all relevant proposals and decisions;

(iv) Monitor these processes to ensure that Departmental procedures are achieving their purposes;

(v) Advise, assist and inform Departmental bureaus of the technical and management aspects of environmental analysis, and of the relevant expertise available in and outside the Department;

(vi) Establish and maintain working relationships with the Council on Environmental Quality, Environmental Protection Agency, and other federal, State and local governmental agencies concerned with environmental matters;

(vii) Represent the Department in working with other government agencies and organizations to formulate, revise and achieve uniform understanding and application of government-wide policies relating to the environment;

(viii) Consolidate and transmit to the appropriate parties Departmental comments on environmental impact statements and other environmental reports prepared by other agencies; and

(ix) Acquire information for and prepare other Departmental reports on environmental assessment matters.

(3) Office of the Legal Adviser. The Office of the Legal Adviser is the principal Departmental authority on the legal aspects of environmental matters and the implementation of these regulations and shall advise and assist Departmental Bureaus in these matters.

(4) Bureau Environmental Coordinators. Each Departmental bureau and major office shall designate an officer to act as coordinator, adviser and principal point of contact for environmental matters within the bureau. The bureau coordinator will advise and assist the bureau in implementing these regulations and serve as a member of the Departmental Committee of Environmental Coordinators.

(5) Departmental Committee of Environmental Coordinators. A Departmental Committee of Environmental Coordinators shall be established to assist in coordinating Departmental implementation of these regulations; in providing advice on major issues, policies and procedures relating to the Department's implementation of environmental analysis requirements; and in ensuring general conformity of Departmental implementation practices. The Committee's responsibility will be to exchange information on the implementation of these regulations, assist bureaus in early identification of Departmental actions which should be analyzed for environmental effects and help to coordinate and provide the appropriate analysis. The Committee will be chaired by the Office of Environmental Quality and Transboundary Issues and will be comprised of bureau and office coordinators designated by the respective bureaus and offices.

(6) Outside contractors. Qualified outside contractors may be employed to assist Departmental officers in preparing environmental documents as required under these regulations.

Departmental officers shall review each major Departmental action having a potentially significant effect on the quality of the environment in the United States. The need to prepare formal environmental documents will depend on the scope of the action and the context and intensity of any environmental effects expected if the action is implemented. Departmental actions can generally be grouped into three categories, as follows:

(a) Actions normally requiring environmental impact statements. Any Departmental action deemed to have a “significant effect upon the quality of the human environment” of the United States requires the preparation of an environmental impact statement. The criteria to be used in determining significance are set forth in § 1508.27 of the CEQ Regulations. The Department has reviewed representative actions and has found no common pattern which would enable it to specify actions normally requiring environmental impact statements. If developments later enable such designations to be made the Department will publish a description of proposed actions for such designation in the Federal Register.

(b) Actions categorically excluded from the requirement to prepare environmental impact statements. Categorical exclusion, as defined in § 1508.4 of the CEQ Regulations, provides for exclusion from environmental review of specified actions which have as a class been found to have no significant impact on the quality of the human environment. Neither an environmental assessment nor an environmental impact statement is ordinarily required for such actions. Departmental actions categorically excluded from the requirements of these regulations include the following:

(1) Routine conduct of Departmental and overseas political and economic functions, including reporting on political and economic developments, trends and activities, communicating to host governments United States Government views, maintaining contact with foreign officials and individuals, and facilitating trade opportunities abroad and U.S. business expansion in foreign markets;

(2) Provision of consular services—visas, passports and citizenship, and special consular services, such as issuing or reviewing passports and visas, taking legal depositions, notarizing absentee ballots and other documents and delivering retirement checks, social security payments and veterans benefits;

(3) Conduct of routine administrative functions, such as budget and finance, personnel and general services. This includes routine administrative procurements (e.g., general supplies, negotiating leases for office space or staff housing, ordering supplies and arranging for customs clearances); financial transactions, including salaries, expenses and grants; routine management, formulation and allocation of the Department's budget at all levels (this does not exempt the preparation of environmental documents for proposals included in the Department's budget when required); and personnel actions (e.g., promotions, hirings, and counseling American and host country employees who work for the Department of State);

(4) Preparing for and participating in conferences, workshops or meetings for information exchange, data collection or research or study activities; and

(5) Document and information exchanges.

(c) Actions normally requiring environmental assessments. An environmental assessment shall provide the basis of the determination whether an environmental impact statement is required. A Departmental action shall require the preparation of an environmental assessment if the action is not one known normally to require an environmental impact statement and is not categorically excluded. Departmental actions normally included in this category are actions for which the Department has lead-agency responsibility and which may significantly affect the human environment of the United States, such as those actions involving:

(1) [Reserved]

(2) Wetlands, floodplains, endangered species and national historical, archeological and recreational sites (see also specific requirements for environmental review and consultation in § 161.11 of these regulations); and

(3) Ocean dumping, control of toxic substances, disposal and storage of wastes and radioactive substances.

(d) Emergencies and other exceptional circumstances. Not every Departmental activity will be considered a major Federal action for the purposes of these regulations. Several limited classes of action which might ordinarily be subject to these regulations will not be considered major Federal actions requiring the preparation of an environmental impact statement. Among them are the following:

(1) Actions taken in emergency circumstances and disaster and emergency relief activities as defined in § 1506.11 of the CEQ Regulations (in such circumstances the responsible action officer should consult with the Office of Environmental Quality and Transboundary Issues which shall consult with the Council on Environmental Quality about appropriate alternative arrangements);

(2) Mandatory actions required under any treaty or international agreement to which the United States Government is a party, or required by the decisions of international organizations or authorities in which the United States is a member or participant except when the United States has substantial discretion over implementation of such requirements;

(3) Payment of contributions, either assessed or voluntary, to any international organization of which the United States is a member pursuant to the obligation of a treaty or other international agreement or which is not for the purpose of carrying out a specifically identifiable action which would affect the environment; and

(4) Support for or acquiescence in (by affirmative vote or agreement to consensus) an activity or expenditure of funds by an international organization where the United States has no unilateral right to control such expenditures.