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A pamphlet providing information on public participation and NEPA.

To further transparency and openness in its implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Department of Energy (DOE) has established a policy requiring each Program and Field Office to document and post online all categorical exclusion determinations involving classes of actions listed in Appendix B to Subpart D of the Department’s NEPA regulations, 10 CFR Part 1021. The Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance, in consultation with the Office of the Assistant General Counsel for Environment, has prepared implementation guidance to facilitate Departmental compliance with the policy.

In response to Executive Order 12898, DOE prepared and issued its Environmental Justice Strategy in 1995. Since then, the agency has conducted a series of activities to implement the Strategy. Both the Executive Order and the Strategy require that DOE establish and maintain an integrated approach for identifying, tracking, and monitoring environmental justice across the Department.

DOE National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documents, including environmental impact statements (EISs) and environmental assessments (EAs), should explicitly address potential environmental consequences of intentional destructive acts (i.e., acts of sabotage or terrorism).

Statement of Work for DOE-wide Contracts

The articles in this collection, organized by topic, contain procedural interpretations and recommendations developed by the DOE Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance in consultation with the Office of General Counsel, the DOE NEPA Community, and others. The mini-guidance articles were developed to address problems identified in the course of preparing, reviewing, and issuing NEPA documents.

This is a statement by DOE's Assistant Secretary for Environment, Safety, and Health regarding ways to use the NEPA process to help accomplish the Department's mission, consistent with environmental goals.

This DOE guidance presents a series of recommendations to lead those involved in the preparation and review of a final EIS. The guidance addresses both the substance and the mechanics of the comment-response process and provides advice on tracking and categorizing comments, considering comments and preparing responses, and presenting responses and corresponding changes in a final EIS.

DOE guidance to provide assistance in determining whether an action within the scope of an EIS may be taken before a record of decision is issued. The guidance reviews applicable requirements, gives examples of the types of actions that may proceed as interim actions, describes case studies, and outlines the steps in the EIS process for interim actions.

This DOE guidelines sets forth policy and procedures to ensure and maximize the quality, utility, objectivity, and integrity of the information that DOE disseminates to members of the public. DOE has prepared this final report pursuant to OMB government-wide guidelines under section 515 of the Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2001.

This DOE guidance clarifies and supplements "Recommendations for the Preparation of Environmental Assessments and Environmental Impact Statements." It focuses on principles of accident analyses under NEPA.