(a) It is the responsibility of all Assistant Secretaries, the General Counsel, and the HUD approving official to assure that the requirements of this part are implemented.

(b) The Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development (A/S CPD), represented by the Office of Community Viability, whose Director shall serve as the Departmental Environmental Clearance Officer (DECO), is assigned the overall Departmental responsibility for environmental policies and procedures for compliance with NEPA and the related laws and authorities. To the extent permitted by applicable laws and the CEQ regulations, the A/S CPD shall approve waivers and exceptions or establish criteria for exceptions from the requirements of this part.

(a) The HUD approving official shall make an independent evaluation of the environmental issues, take responsibility for the scope and content of the compliance finding, EA or EIS, and make the environmental finding, where applicable. (Also, see § 50.32.)

(b) Copies of environmental reviews and findings shall be maintained in the project file for projects, in the rules docket files for Federal Register publications, and in program files for non-Federal Register policy documents.