This page provides information regarding Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council (Council) compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other environmental requirements.
Efficient, Effective and Transparent Environmental Compliance
As with all federal agencies, the Council must comply with applicable federal environmental laws, regulations and Executive Orders. Compliance with these laws and other requirements is critical for avoiding unintended adverse impacts, informing funding decisions and providing important public engagement opportunities. The Council is committed to meeting the highest standard for efficient, effective and transparent environmental compliance. Consistent with this commitment, on October 20, 2016, the Office of Management and Budget and Council on Environmental Quality issued a memorandum to all federal departments and agencies calling for increased interagency coordination to ensure timely permitting for Gulf Coast ecosystem restoration projects. The link for this memorandum is below.
Memorandum: Federal Coordination, Permitting and Review of Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Projects
NEPA Procedures
In May 2015, the Council published its NEPA Procedures. These procedures establish the Council's policies for ensuring compliance with NEPA. Here is a link to the Council's NEPA Procedures:
Council NEPA Procedures (PDF) (12pp, 213.53 KB)
Record of Establishment of Council NEPA Procedures (PDF) (7pp, 198 KB)
Programmatic Environmental Assessment
The Council is responsible for developing a Comprehensive Plan to restore the ecosystem and the economy of the Gulf Coast Region. In August 2013, the Council finalized its Initial Comprehensive Plan, which provides a framework to implement a coordinated, region-wide restoration effort in a way that restores, protects and revitalizes the Gulf Coast. The Council also produced a NEPA Programmatic Environmental Assessment for the Initial Comprehensive Plan. Here are links to these documents:
Initial Comprehensive Plan (PDF) (32pp, 8.51MB)
Initial Comprehensive Plan in Vietnamese (PDF) (21pp, 366.58 KB)
Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PDF) (117pp, 1.07 MB)
Programmatic Environmental Assessment in Vietnamese (PDF) (1pp, 63.26 KB)
Finding of No Significant Impact (PDF) (2pp, 486.07 KB)
Funded Priorities List Environmental Compliance
On December 9, 2015, the Council approved an Initial Funded Priorities List (FPL) that includes activities to be funded under the Council-Selected Restoration Component of the RESTORE Act. Environmental compliance documentation for the activities approved for funding in this FPL can be found at the link below.
FPL Environmental Compliance Library
For additional information on Environmental Compliance please contact John Ettinger (Director of Environmental Compliance) or Heather Young (Ecosystem Restoration Specialist).