(a) In Commission management. (1) In the management of the natural, cultural, and human resources under its jurisdiction, the Commission must consider and balance a wide range of economic, environmental, and social objectives at the local, regional, and national levels, not all of which are quantifiable in comparable terms. In considering and balancing these objectives, Commission plans, proposals, and decisions often require recognition of complements and resolution of conflicts among interrelated uses of these natural, cultural, and human resources within technological, budgetary, and legal constraints.

(2) Commission project reports, program proposals, issue papers, and other decision documents must carefully analyze the various objectives, resources, and constraints, and comprehensively and objectively evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of the proposed actions and their reasonable alternatives. Where appropriate, these documents will utilize and reference supporting and underlying economic, environmental, and other analyses.

(3) The underlying environmental analyses will factually, objectively, and comprehensively analyze the environmental effects of proposed actions and their reasonable alternatives. They will systematically analyze the environmental impacts of alternatives, and particularly those alternatives and measures which would reduce, mitigate, or prevent adverse environmental impacts or which would enhance environmental quality.

(b) In internally initiated proposals. Officials responsible for development or conduct of planning and decision making systems within the Commission shall incorporate to the maximum extent necessary environmental planning as an integral part of these systems in order to insure that environmental values and impacts are fully considered and in order to facilitate any necessary documentation of those considerations.

(c) In externally initiated proposals. Officials responsible for development or conduct of grant, contract, or other externally initiated activities shall require applicants, to the extent necessary and practicable, to provide environmental information, analyses, and reports as an integral part of their applications. This will serve to encourage applicants to incorporate environmental considerations into their planning processes as well as provide the Commission with necessary information to meet its own environmental responsibilities.