NEPA Policy - Environmental Assessments
Federal Agencies prepare Environmental Assessments (EAs) for proposed actions in
accordance with NEPA regulations (40 CFR 1500-1508).
An EA analyzes the environmental effects of a proposed activity to determine the
significance of potential impacts. Any significant impacts identified in an EA must
be analyzed in an EIS. An EA also documents the potential environmental impacts of
proposals that do not require an EIS, and identifies as early as possible mitigation
measures that MMS may require to avoid or minimize adverse effects of a proposal.
We assume that the proposal evaluated in an EA includes mitigation required by lease
stipulations, regulations, other Federal and State environmental laws, and specific
measures committed to in writing by the lessee, operator, or applicant prior to completion
of the EA. Mitigation measures not identified in the proposal may be evaluated in
the EA to determine whether such measures, if approved as part of the proposal, would
reduce impacts to a less-than-significant level.
