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NOAA Environmental Check List for Proposed Actions

Date:

Name:

Project Number:

Detailed project description: (please be as specific as possible; include breakdown of tasks, scope of project, schedule (for example, date construction begins, duration of activities, completion date), budget, points of contact, and any permits required ):

CONDITION FOR PROPOSED ACTIONS¹		PRESENT²
CONDITION FOR PROPOSED ACTIONS¹		YES	NO
1.	Will the proposed action degrade, disturb, or alter threatened or endangered animals or plants or their habitat? If it is not known whether the affected animals or plants are threatened or endangered, check YES. Sources: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC)
2.	Will the proposed action degrade or disturb previously undisturbed areas? Sources: TNC and visual site inspection
2a.	Will the proposed action degrade or disturb an area that has been severely degraded? Sources: TNC and visual site inspection
3.	Will the proposed action affect any areas that normally are inundated by water? Sources: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and wetlands delineation maps
3a.	Will the proposed action create erosion and sedimentation or other types of pollution (for example, wastewater, chemical pollution) that will affect inundated areas? Sources: USACE, USGS wetlands delineation maps, county soil conservation office, and county soil survey
5.	Will the proposed action affect other water resources such as surface or groundwater? Sources: USGS wetlands delineation maps, groundwater modeling
6.	Will the proposed action affect areas within the 100-year flood plain? Sources: County planning office, flood insurance rate maps (FIRM), USACE
7.	Will the proposed action disturb archaeological resources? Will the proposed action require any subsurface disturbance? If yes, has the affected area been disturbed previously? If no or unknown, check YES. Source: State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO)
8.	Will the proposed action disturb historic resources? Will the proposed action require the disturbance of any buildings or structures constructed 40 or more years ago? Sources: SHPO and local historic preservation office
9.	Will the proposed action result (directly or indirectly) in the generation of large amounts of air pollution? Sources: Project plans and local or state air regulatory agency
9a.	Will the proposed action require any type of air quality permit? Source: Local or state air regulatory agency
10.	Will the proposed action affect any special status areas? Will the proposed action affect parks, wilderness areas, scenic rivers, or public recreation areas? Sources: National Park Service and county or city planning office
11.	Will the proposed action require a change in land use or create a conflict with existing land use? Sources: County or city planning office or master plan
11a.	Will the proposed action adversely affect the value of adjacent properties? Source: County or city planning office
12.	Will the proposed action generate large amounts of hazardous waste or any toxic waste? Source: Project plans
13.	Will the proposed action have any effects on human health or safety? Sources: Project plans, and state or local department of health
13a.	Will the proposed action emit dangerous levels of ionizing or nonionizing radiation? Source: Project plans
14.	Will the proposed action create high levels of noise for an extended period of time? Sources: Equipment manufacturer's information and noise modeling
15.	Will the proposed action have long or short term aesthetic effects? Will it produce any visual effects or effects on scenery? Source: Project plans
15a.	Will the proposed action require large amounts of outdoor lighting or create any unusual odors? Source: Project plans
16	Will the proposed action require large amounts of water or electricity for an extended period of time? Source: Project plans
17.	Will the proposed action have long- or short-term effects on transportation infrastructure? Will the proposed action result in a large increase in local traffic? Source: Project plans
17a.	Will the proposed action require the expansion or upgrading of roads or bridges? Source: Project plans and state department of transportation.
18.	Although the effects of the proposed action may not be significant, do those effects add measurably to existing or reasonably foreseeable adverse conditions (resulting from local, state, federal, or private actions)?
19.	Will the proposed action require the disturbance of any suspected or confirmed asbestos containing materials?

¹ The proposed action being assessed must be fully or partially funded, regulated, conducted, or approved by NOAA.

² All environmental resource areas for which YES is checked must be addressed in subsections of the "Affected Environment" and "Environmental Consequences" sections of the Environmental Assessment.

If YES was checked for any of the items above, please list the item number, provide additional information about anticipated effects, and contact the NOAA Administrative Support Center Regional Environmental Compliance Officer as soon as possible.

NOAA Categorical Exclusions

If none of the items on the check list were marked YES, select the applicable categorical exclusion (CX) below. If none apply, of if you have any questions about the applicability of the CX, please contact the NOAA Administrative Support Center Regional Environmental Compliance Officer.

APPLICABLE? YES/NO	CATEGORY	DESCRIPTION
	Research	Programs or projects of limited size and magnitude or with only short-term effects on the environment. Examples include natural resource inventories and environmental monitoring programs. Such projects may be conducted in a wide geographic area without need for an EA or an EIS provided related environmental consequences have a short-term effect.
	Financial and Planning Grants	Financial support services and programs, such as federal or state loans or grants where no environmental consequences are anticipated beyond those already analyzed in establishing such programs, laws, or regulations. If no initial analysis was prepared, NOAA would not require preparation of a retroactive environmental document. New financial support services and programs should undergo an environmental analysis at the time of conception to determine if a CX could apply to subsequent actions.
	Minor Planning Activities	Projects where the proposal is for environmental restoration or rehabilitation such as adding picnic facilities to a coastal recreation area unless the project's impacts in conjunction with past, present or reasonably foreseeable future actions could result in a significant impact to the human environment (CEQ sec. 1508.7).
	Pre-proposal Actions	Planning actions before a proposal exists do not require NEPA analysis. A "proposal" exists at that stage in the development of an action when a NOAA organization has a goal and begins its decision-making process, including consideration of environmental impacts, toward realization of that goal (CEQ 1508.23).
	Programmatic Functions	The following NOAA programmatic functions with no potential for significant environmental impacts are generally exempt from the environmental documentation requirements of NEPA: Routine experimental procedures Program plans and budgets Mapping, charting, and surveying services, ship support Fisheries financial support services Basic research or research grants except as provided in section 6.02c.3 of NAO 216-6 Enforcement operations, basic environmental services such as weather observations, communications, analyses, and predictions Environmental satellite services Environmental data and information services Air quality observations and analysis Support of international global atmospheric and Great Lakes Research programs Executive direction Administrative services Administrative support of the National Advisory Committee on Oceans and Atmosphere and other advisory bodies.
	Regulations Implementing Projects or Plans	When an EA or EIS has been or will be prepared for specific projects or plans serving as the basis for the following activities, implementation of regulations within the scope of the plan and related NEPA documents will receive a CX. Examples include: coastal zone management programs; national estuarine or marine sanctuaries; fishery management plans; and regulations and waivers issued under sec. 101(a)(2), and 101(a)(3) of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA).
	Permits	Permits for scientific research and public display under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and MMPA and grants under MMPA.
	Listing Actions Under Sec. 4(a) of ESA	ESA listing, delisting, and reclassifying species and designating critical habitat.
	Others	Other categories of actions which would not have significant environmental impacts, including routine operations, routine maintenance, actions with short-term effects, or actions of limited size or magnitude.