(a) Generally. If an activity is subject to NEPA, as determined following the procedures in § 333.11, and unless the District Engineer finds that the proposed activity is excluded from having to prepare an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement pursuant to a categorical exclusion as determined following the procedures in § 333.14, or by another provision of law, the District Engineer will prepare an environmental assessment with respect to the proposed activity that does not have a reasonably foreseeable significant effect on the quality of the human environment, or if the significance of such effect is unknown. District Engineers must follow Congress' direction that environmental assessments are to be “concise.” NEPA section 106(b)(2); 42 U.S.C. 4336(b)(2). The environmental assessment should normally be combined with any other required documents including Clean Water Act, section 404(b)(1) guidelines documentation, any applicable public interest review, any statement of findings, a finding of no significant impact or a determination that an environmental impact statement is required. Environmental assessment as used throughout this part normally refers to this combined document. When the environmental assessment is a separate document, it must be completed prior to completion of the statement of finding. The District Engineer may delegate the signing of the NEPA document. Should the environmental assessment demonstrate that an environmental impact statement is necessary, the District Engineer shall follow the procedures outlined in subpart C of this part. In those cases where an environmental impact statement is required, an environmental assessment is not required. However, the District Engineer must document their reasons for requiring an environmental impact statement.

(b) Elements. For the purpose of providing evidence and analysis for determining whether to prepare an environmental impact statement or a finding of no significant impact, environmental assessments will:

(1) Briefly discuss the:

(i) Purpose and need for the proposed activity based on the Corps' statutory authority. The purpose and need for the proposed activity will also be informed by the applicant's goals (See 33 CFR 333.22 for considerations in developing purpose and need);

(ii) Alternatives to the extent required by NEPA section 102(2)(H), 42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(H).

(A) If the EA confirms that the impact of the applicant's proposal is not significant and there are no unresolved conflicts concerning alternative uses of available resources, and, for activities evaluated under section 404 of the Clean Water Act, the proposed activity is a “water dependent” activity as defined in 40 CFR 230.10(a)(3), the EA need not include a discussion on alternatives.

(B) In all other cases where the district engineer determines that there are unresolved conflicts concerning alternative uses of available resources, the EA shall include a discussion of the reasonable alternatives which are to be considered. The decision options available to the Corps, which embrace all of the applicant's alternatives, are issue the permit, issue with modifications, or deny the permit. Modifications are limited to those project modifications within the scope of established permit conditioning policy (see 33 CFR 325.4) or within the scope of authority under Section 408. The decision option to deny the permit results in the “no action” alternative (i.e. no activity requiring a Corps permit).

(iii) The reasonably foreseeable effects of the proposed activity and the alternatives considered.

(iv) The combined document shall conclude with a finding of no significant impact or a determination that an environmental impact statement is required.

(c) Agency actions normally requiring an environmental assessment. Most permits or permissions under the authorities identified in § 333.1(b) normally require environmental assessments, but likely do not require an environmental impact statement.

(d) Page limits. (1) The text of an environmental assessment is strictly prohibited from exceeding 75 pages, not including citations or appendices.

(2) Appendices are to be used for voluminous materials, such as scientific tables, collections of data, statistical calculations, and the like, which substantiate the analysis provided in the environmental assessment. Appendices are not to be used to provide additional substantive analysis, because that would circumvent the Congressionally mandated page limits.

(3) Environmental assessments will be formatted for an 8.5”x11” page with one-inch margins using a word processor with 12-point proportionally spaced font, single spaced. Footnotes may be in 10-point font. Such size restrictions do not apply to explanatory maps, diagrams, graphs, tables, and other means of graphically displaying quantitative or geospatial information, although pages containing such material do count towards the page limit. When an item of graphical material is larger than 8.5”x11”, each such item will count as one page.

(4) Certification related to page limits. The breadth and depth of analysis in an environmental assessment will be tailored to ensure that the environmental analysis does not exceed this page limit. As part of the finalization of the environmental assessment, the District Engineer will certify (and the certification will be incorporated into the environmental assessment) that the District Engineer has considered the factors mandated by NEPA; that the environmental assessment represents the Corps' good-faith effort to prioritize documentation of the most important considerations required by the statute within the congressionally mandated page limits; that this prioritization reflects the District Engineer's expert judgment; and that any considerations addressed briefly or left unaddressed were, in the District Engineer's judgment, comparatively not of a substantive nature that meaningfully informed the consideration of environmental effects and the resulting decision on how to proceed.

(e) Deadlines. (1) NEPA is governed by a rule of reason. Congress supplied the measure of that reason in the 2003 revision of NEPA by setting the deadlines in NEPA 107(g), 42 U.S.C. 4336a(g). These deadlines indicate Congress's determination that an agency has presumptively spent a reasonable amount of time on analysis and the document should issue, absent very unusual circumstances. In such circumstances, an extension will be given only for such time as is necessary to complete the analysis. Thus, unless otherwise specified in statute, the District Engineer will complete the environmental assessment not later than the date that is one year after the date on which they determine the preparation of an environmental assessment for the proposed activity is required. The District Engineer will typically make this decision at the start of the comment period for the public notice of the permit application, request for permission, or proposed general permit.

(2) The end date is either:

(i)When the District Engineer reaches a permit decision and initially proffers the permit to the applicant or provides permission to the requestor under 33 U.S.C. 408;

(ii) When the District Engineer denies the permit or denies permission under 33 U.S.C. 408 with or without prejudice; or

(iii) When the District Engineer publishes a general permit or categorical permission; or

(iv) When the District Engineer reaches a decision on the mitigation instrument and provides the bank or in-lieu fee program sponsor with an instrument signed by the Corps.

(3) The District Engineer may publish notification of the environmental assessment (unless the deadline is extended pursuant to the provision below), within a reasonable time after the deadline elapses or the completion of the document, whichever comes first.

(4) Deadline extensions. If the District Engineer determines they are not able to meet the deadline prescribed by NEPA section 107(g)(1)(B), 42 U.S.C. 4336a(g)(1)(B), they must consult with the applicant pursuant to NEPA section 107(g)(2), 42 U.S.C. 4336a(g)(2). After such consultation, if needed, and for cause stated, the District Engineer may establish a new deadline. Cause for establishing a new deadline is only established if the environmental assessment is so incomplete, at the time at which the District Engineer determines it is not able to meet the statutory deadline, that issuance pursuant to § 333.15(e)(3) above would, in the Corps' view, result in an inadequate analysis. Such new deadline must provide only so much additional time as is necessary to complete such environmental assessment. The District Engineer will document in the administrative record for the proposed action the new deadline the reason why the environmental assessment was not able to be completed under the statutory deadline and whether the applicant consented to the new deadline.

(5) Certification related to deadline. When the environmental assessment is complete, the District Engineer will certify (and the certification will be incorporated into the environmental assessment) that the resulting environmental assessment represents the Corps' good-faith effort to fulfill NEPA's requirements within the Congressional timeline; that such effort is substantially complete; that, in the District Engineer's expert opinion, they have thoroughly considered the factors mandated by NEPA; and that, in the District Engineer's judgment, the analysis contained therein is adequate to inform and reasonably explain the District Engineer's final decision regarding the proposed Federal activity.