2016-03433: Environmental Policies and Procedures

Summary

Rural Development, a mission area within the U.S. Department of Agriculture comprised of the Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBS), Rural Housing Service (RHS), and Rural Utilities Service (RUS), hereafter referred to as the Agency, has unified and updated the environmental policies and procedures covering all Agency programs by consolidating two existing Agency regulations that implement the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other applicable environmental requirements. These final rules supplement the regulations of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), the regulations of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation(ACHP), associated environmental statutes, Executive Orders and Departmental Regulations. The majority of the changes to the existing rules relate to the categorical exclusion provisions in the Agency's procedures for implementing NEPA. These changes consolidate the provisions of the Agency's two current NEPA rules, and better conform the Agency's regulations, particularly for those actions listed as categorical exclusions, to the Agency's current activities and recent experiences and to CEQ's Memorandum for Heads of Federal Departments and Agencies entitled "Establishing, Applying, and Revising Categorical Exclusions under the National Environmental Policy Act" issued on November 23, 2010.

The agency’s own summary, as published.

What this changes

Amends 44 parts of the Code of Federal Regulations — the standing rules this notice rewrites.

• 7 CFR 25 Rural Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities
• 7 CFR 1703 Rural Development
• 7 CFR 1709 Assistance to High Energy Cost Communities
• 7 CFR 1710 General and Pre-Loan Policies and Procedures Common to Electric Loans and Guarantees
• 7 CFR 1717 Post-Loan Policies and Procedures Common to Insured and Guaranteed Electric Loans
• 7 CFR 1720 Guarantees for Bonds and Notes Issued for Utility Infrastructure Purposes
• 7 CFR 1721 Post-Loan Policies and Procedures for Insured Electric Loans
• 7 CFR 1724 Electric Engineering, Architectural Services and Design Policies and Procedures
• 7 CFR 1726 Electric System Construction Policies and Procedures
• 7 CFR 1737 Pre-Loan Policies and Procedures Common to Insured and Guaranteed Telecommunications Loans
• 7 CFR 1738 Rural Broadband Loans, Loan/Grant Combinations, and Loan Guarantees
• 7 CFR 1739 Broadband Grant Program
• 7 CFR 1740 Rural Econnectivity Program
• 7 CFR 1753 Telecommunications System Construction Policies and Procedures
• 7 CFR 1774 Special Evaluation Assistance for Rural Communities and Households Program (Search)
• 7 CFR 1775 Technical Assistance Grants
• 7 CFR 1779 Part 1779 [Reserved]
• 7 CFR 1780 Water and Waste Loans and Grants
• 7 CFR 1781 Resource Conservation and Development (RCD) Loans and Watershed (WS) Loans and Advances
• 7 CFR 1782 Servicing of Water and Waste Programs
• 7 CFR 1784 Rural Alaskan Village Grants
• 7 CFR 1794
• 7 CFR 1924 Construction and Repair
• 7 CFR 1940 General
• 7 CFR 1942 Associations
• 7 CFR 1944 Housing
• 7 CFR 1948 Rural Development
• 7 CFR 1951 Servicing and Collections
• 7 CFR 1955 Property Management
• 7 CFR 1970 Part 1970 [Reserved]
• 7 CFR 1980 General
• 7 CFR 3550 Direct Single Family Housing Loans and Grants
• 7 CFR 3555 Guaranteed Rural Housing Program
• 7 CFR 3560 Direct Multi-Family Housing Loans and Grants
• 7 CFR 3565 Guaranteed Rural Rental Housing Program
• 7 CFR 3570 Community Programs
• 7 CFR 3575
• 7 CFR 4274 Direct and Insured Loanmaking
• 7 CFR 4279 Guaranteed Loanmaking
• 7 CFR 4280 Loans and Grants
• 7 CFR 4284 Grants
• 7 CFR 4287 Servicing
• 7 CFR 4288 Payment Programs
• 7 CFR 4290 Rural Business Investment Company (“Rbic”) Program