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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Handbook on procedures for implementing the National Environmental Policy Act

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6306591

This handbook establishes and presents for the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) a comprehensive, logical set of procedures for implemeting the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). (a) the legal framework with which OSM must comply is detailed in title I of NEPA, as amended. This handbook discusses responsibilities under title I and the following additional requirements resulting from NEPA; Section 2 of Executive Order 11514, Protection and Enhancement of Environmental Quality, as amended by Executive Order 11991; The regulations of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) for implementing the procedural provisions of NEPA (40 CFR 1500-1508); The final procedures of the Department of the Interior (DOI) implementing NEPA (516 DM 1-7); and OSM's draft appendix to the above DOI procedures. (b) OSM is responsible for the implementation of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA), (30 U.S.C. 1201 et seq.). SMCRA has specific environmental protection performance standards designed to protect society and the environment from the adverse effects of surface coal mining operations and to reclaim mined areas left without adequate reclamation within these standards. As a Federal agency making decisions that affect the human environment, OSM must comply with NEPA.

Research Organization:
Hart (Fred C.) Associates, Inc., Denver, CO (USA)
OSTI ID:
6306591
Report Number(s):
PB-91-121384/XAB; CNN: J5191046
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English