The administrative record: What constitutes a relevant NEPA document?
- Tetra Tech, Inc., Falls Church, VA (United States)
Neither the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) nor the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Regulations for implementing NEPA address the contents of an administrative record (AR). The AR typically contains the documents and information used in the development of NEPA documents and supports the decisions defined in them. The AR also should include all records pertaining to public comments and all records demonstrating the project`s efforts to involve the public. This paper will attempt to establish comprehensive guidelines to be used in assembling an AR in support of a NEPA document. While the AR is created to support an agency`s decisions, its main purpose is to demonstrate that an agency has adhered to NEPA`s procedural requirements. The CEQ requires that relevant environmental documents, comments and responses be part of the record in formal rulemaking or adjudicatory proceedings. Other Federal agency NEPA implementing procedures generally do not provide additional guidance on the contents of an AR. The CEQ and DOE guidelines make reference to the inclusion of relevant NEPA documents. The guidelines established in this paper will aid the NEPA practitioner in determining what constitutes a relevant NEPA document.
- OSTI ID:
- 500778
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9705100-; TRN: IM9732%%6
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 22. annual conference of the National Association of Environmental Professionals, Orlando, FL (United States), 19-23 May 1997; Other Information: PBD: 1997; Related Information: Is Part Of Proceedings of the 22. annual conference of the National Association of Environmental Professionals; Daugherty, J.R. [ed.] [NOAA/NSSL, Boulder, CO (United States)]; PB: 1118 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Defining the no action alternative for NEPA document of continuing actions
Guidelines and techniques for improving the NEPA process