Environmental Compliance

Environmental Services

APHIS General Environmental Guidance

The following general guidance is provided for APHIS staff or others who may be interested in "plain language" explanations of environmental processes. These files represent one perspective; their concepts and procedures may be interpreted or applied somewhat differently by other organizations.

Types of Documents and Action Classifications

• Environmental Impact Statements
• Environmental Assessments
• Categorical Exclusions
• Biological Assessments
• Risk Assessments

Environmental Analysis Procedures

• Defining Purpose and Need
• Scope and Scoping
• Public Involvement in the NEPA Process
• Determining Alternatives
• Integrating NEPA Compliance Strategies with Other Strategies
• Integrating Scientific Methodology into the NEPA Process
• Social and Economic Impact Analysis

Principles of Environmental Analysis

• " Reasonable" Alternatives
• Incomplete or Unavailable Information
• Determination of "Significance" for Environmental Impacts
• Cumulative Impact Assessment
• Mitigation and Mitigated Findings of No Significant Impact
• Programmatic v. Site-specific Environmental Impact Std Exceptions: Actions Not Subject to the NEPA Process
• The "Hard Look" Doctrine - A Lay Explanation