The purpose of an environmental assessment is to allow the Responsible Official to determine whether to prepare an environmental impact statement or a finding of no significant impact.

(a) A bureau must ensure that an environmental assessment is prepared for all proposed Federal actions, except those:

(1) That are covered by a categorical exclusion;

(2) That are covered sufficiently by an earlier environmental document as determined and documented by the Responsible Official; or

(3) For which the bureau has already decided to prepare an environmental impact statement.

(b) A bureau may prepare an environmental assessment for any proposed action at any time to:

(1) Assist in planning and decision-making;

(2) Further the purposes of NEPA when no environmental impact statement is necessary; or

(3) Facilitate environmental impact statement preparation.

(a) The bureau must, to the extent practicable, provide for public notification and public involvement when an environmental assessment is being prepared. However, the methods for providing public notification and opportunities for public involvement are at the discretion of the Responsible Official.

(1) The bureau must consider comments that are timely received, whether specifically solicited or not.

(2) Although scoping is not required, the bureau may apply a scoping process to an environmental assessment.

(b) Publication of a “draft” environmental assessment is not required. Bureaus may seek comments on an environmental assessment if they determine it to be appropriate, such as when the level of public interest or the uncertainty of effects warrants, and may revise environmental assessments based on comments received without need of initiating another comment period.

(c) The bureau must notify the public of the availability of an environmental assessment and any associated finding of no significant impact once they have been completed. Comments on a finding of no significant impact do not need to be solicited, except as required by 40 CFR 1501.4(e)(2).

(d) Bureaus may allow cooperating agencies (as defined in § 46.225) to participate in developing environmental assessments.

(a) At a minimum, an environmental assessment must include brief discussions of:

(1) The proposal;

(2) The need for the proposal;

(3) The environmental impacts of the proposed action;

(4) The environmental impacts of the alternatives considered; and

(5) A list of agencies and persons consulted.

(b) When the Responsible Official determines that there are no unresolved conflicts about the proposed action with respect to alternative uses of available resources, the environmental assessment need only consider the proposed action and does not need to consider additional alternatives, including the no action alternative. (See section 102(2)(E) of NEPA).

(c) In addition, an environmental assessment may describe a broader range of alternatives to facilitate planning and decision-making.

(d) A proposed action or alternative(s) may include adaptive management strategies allowing for adjustment of the action during implementation. If the adjustments to an action are clearly articulated and pre-specified in the description of the alternative and fully analyzed, then the action may be adjusted during implementation without the need for further analysis. Adaptive management includes a monitoring component, approved adaptive actions that may be taken, and environmental effects analysis for the adaptive actions approved.

(e) The level of detail and depth of impact analysis should normally be limited to the minimum needed to determine whether there would be significant environmental effects.

(f) Bureaus may choose to provide additional detail and depth of analysis as appropriate in those environmental assessments prepared under paragraph 46.300(b).

(g) An environmental assessment must contain objective analyses that support conclusions concerning environmental impacts.

(a) An environmental assessment may be prepared in any format useful to facilitate planning, decision-making, and appropriate public participation.

(b) An environmental assessment may be accompanied by any other planning or decision-making document. The portion of the document that analyzes the environmental impacts of the proposal and alternatives must be clearly and separately identified and not spread throughout or interwoven into other sections of the document.

(a) A Responsible Official may adopt an environmental assessment prepared by another agency, entity, or person, including an applicant, if the Responsible Official:

(1) Independently reviews the environmental assessment; and

(2) Finds that the environmental assessment complies with this subpart and relevant provisions of the CEQ Regulations and with other program requirements.

(b) When appropriate, the Responsible Official may augment the environmental assessment to be consistent with the bureau's proposed action.

(c) In adopting or augmenting the environmental assessment, the Responsible Official will cite the original environmental assessment.

(d) The Responsible Official must ensure that its bureau's public involvement requirements have been met before it adopts another agency's environmental assessment.

Upon review of the environmental assessment by the Responsible Official, the environmental assessment process concludes with one of the following:

(1) A notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement;

(2) A finding of no significant impact; or

(3) A result that no further action is taken on the proposal.