Page 27 - Highway Engineering Handbook Building and Rehabilitating the Infrastructure

10 CHAPTER ONE

is provided in Table 1.2. These are actions that have been categorically found not to result
in significant adverse environmental impacts. The second group of actions is found in 23
CFR 771.117(d) and is provided in Table 1.3. These include actions that have been found
generally not to result in significant adverse environmental impacts, but for which FHWA
must make a final determination.
When satisfied that the project meets one or more exclusion criteria and that other envi-
ronmentally related requirements have been met, FHWA will indicate approval by signing
a Categorical Exclusion form. A copy of documentation required to support this determi-
nation must be sent to FHWA by the sponsoring agency.
In certain cases, FHWA has reached agreement with sponsoring agencies on the treat-
ment of very routine, repetitive projects with little or no environmental impact implica-
tions. Such projects may be processed on the basis of a “programmatic” categorical
exclusion if certain specified conditions are met. Use of this programmatic process is sub-
ject to annual review by FHWA.
Classification of a project as a categorical exclusion does not exclude a project from the
requirements of other federal environmentally related processes. These requirements must
be met before FHWA will make an exclusion determination. In addition, Congress may, at
its discretion, also exempt a specific federal project or program from NEPA through spe-
cific legislation.
Environmental Assessments. An EA is conducted for projects that are not categorically
excluded and for which it is not clear whether an EIS is required. The primary purpose of
an EA is to help FHWA decide whether an EIS is needed. Consequently, an EA should pro-
vide the evaluations critical to determining whether a proposed action would result in a
significant impact on one or more of the environmental resources considered under NEPA,
thereby necessitating a more complete analysis in an EIS. If it is determined that a proposed
action does not have the potential to result in one or more significant environmental
impacts, then FHWA will issue a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI), thereby ter-
minating the environmental review process under NEPA. If it is determined that a proposed
action has the potential to result in one or more significant impacts, then FHWA has the
option to require that an EIS be prepared.

Contents and Format of an EA. The contents of an EA are determined through
agency and public scoping, preliminary data gathering, and field investigation. These
steps will identify potentially affected resources and the level of analysis that is neces-
sary to identify whether an action would have the potential to result in a significant envi-
ronmental impact.
The EA should be a concise document, including only the data and technical analyses
needed to support decision making, and be focused on determining whether the proposed
action would have a significant effect on the environment. It is not necessary to provide
detailed assessments of those resources for which significant environmental impacts are
very unlikely.
In addition to a cover sheet and table of contents, the following elements should be
included in an EA:

• Purpose and need for the proposed action
• Project description and alternatives
• Environmental setting, impacts, and mitigation
• Comments and coordination
• Appendices (as necessary)