Council on Environmental Quality 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents
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National Ocean Council-National Ocean Policy Draft Implementation Plan
On July 19, 2010, President Obama signed Executive Order 13547 establishing a National Policy for the Stewardship of the Ocean, our Coasts, and the Great Lakes (National Ocean Policy). As part of the President's charge for Federal agencies to implement the National Ocean Policy, the National Ocean Council developed actions to achieve the Policy's nine priority objectives, and to address some of the most pressing challenges facing the ocean, our coasts, and the Great Lakes. Collectively, the actions are encompassed in a single draft National Ocean Policy Implementation Plan (Implementation Plan). The draft Implementation Plan describes more than 50 actions the Federal Government will take to improve the health of the ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes, which support tens of millions of jobs, contribute trillions of dollars a year to the national economy, and are essential to public health and national security. Next, public comments on the draft Implementation Plan will inform the preparation of the final plan. Per our prior notice, which was published at 77 FR 2514 on January 18, 2012, we welcome your general input, and also pose the following questions: Does the draft Implementation Plan reflect actions you see are needed to address the nine priorities for the ocean, coasts, and the Great Lakes? What is the most effective way to measure outcomes and to detect whether a particular action in the Implementation Plan has achieved its intended outcome? Would a report card format be useful? With this notice, we are pleased to inform you that the comment period on the draft Implementation Plan has been extended. As stated on the National Ocean Council's Web site, https://www.WhiteHouse.gov/ oceans, on February 28, 2012, the new deadline for public comment on the draft Implementation Plan is March 28, 2012. Comments received will be collated and posted on the National Ocean Council Web site. The final Implementation Plan is expected in the spring of 2012.
Revision to Guidance, “Federal Greenhouse Gas Accounting and Reporting”
On October 5, 2009, President Obama signed Executive Order (EO) 13514, ``Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance'' (74 FR 52117), in order to establish an integrated strategy toward sustainability in the Federal government and to make reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions a priority for Federal agencies. Among other provisions, EO 13514 requires agencies to measure, report, and reduce their GHG emissions. On October 6, 2010, The White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) released Guidance on Federal Greenhouse Gas Accounting and Reporting that establishes Government-wide requirements for measuring and reporting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with Federal agency operations. On July 18, 2011, The Department of Energy's (DOE's) Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), Department of Defense (DoD), and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provided recommendations for revision to the Federal GHG reporting and accounting procedures. CEQ provides this draft revision of the guidance for public review and comment to ensure accessibility of Federal accounting and reporting requirements and to enhance the quality of public involvement in governmental decisions relating to the environment.
Final Guidance on Improving the Process for Preparing Efficient and Timely Environmental Reviews Under the National Environmental Policy Act
The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) is issuing its final guidance on Improving the Process for Preparing Efficient and Timely Environmental Reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act. The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and CEQ Regulations implementing NEPA provide numerous techniques for preparing efficient and timely environmental reviews. CEQ is issuing this guidance for Federal departments and agencies to emphasize and clarify that these techniques are available for all NEPA Environmental Assessments and Environmental Impact Statements. These techniques are consistent with a thorough and meaningful environmental review and agencies using these techniques should keep in mind the following basic principles: NEPA encourages straightforward and concise reviews and documentation that are proportionate to potential impacts and effectively convey the relevant considerations in a timely manner to the public and decision makers, while rigorously addressing the issues presented; NEPA shall be integrated into project planning to ensure planning and decisions reflect environmental considerations, avoid delays later in the process, and anticipate and attempt to resolve issues, rather than be an after-the-fact process that justifies decisions already made; NEPA reviews should coordinate and take appropriate advantage of existing documents and studies, including through adoption and incorporation by reference; early and well-defined scoping can assist in focusing environmental reviews on appropriate issues that would be meaningful to a decision on the proposed action; agencies are encouraged to develop meaningful, predictable, and expeditious timelines for environmental reviews; and agencies should respond to comments in proportion to the scope and scale of the environmental issues raised. This guidance applies equally to the preparation of an Environmental Assessment or an Environmental Impact Statement consistent with legal precedent and agency NEPA experience and practice. This guidance does not change or substitute for any law, regulations, or any other legally binding requirement. It does provide CEQ's interpretation of existing regulations promulgated under NEPA.
National Ocean Council-National Ocean Policy Draft Implementation Plan
On July 19, 2010, President Obama signed Executive Order 13547 establishing a National Policy for the Stewardship of the Ocean, our Coasts, and the Great Lakes (National Ocean Policy). As part of the President's charge for Federal agencies to implement the National Ocean Policy, the National Ocean Council developed actions to achieve the Policy's nine priority objectives, and to address some of the most pressing challenges facing the ocean, our coasts, and the Great Lakes. Collectively, the actions are encompassed in a single draft National Ocean Policy Implementation Plan (Implementation Plan). The draft Implementation Plan describes more than 50 actions the Federal Government will take to improve the health of the ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes, which support tens of millions of jobs, contribute trillions of dollars a year to the national economy, and are essential to public health and national security. The draft Implementation Plan will ensure the Federal Government targets limited resources more effectively to deliver demonstrable results for the American people, including predictability for users, more efficient and coordinated decision-making, and improved sharing of data and technology. For each action, the Implementation Plan outlines key milestones, identifies responsible agencies, and indicates the expected timeframe for completion. Experts from the National Ocean Council's member departments, agencies, and offices developed the actions in the draft Implementation Plan with significant input from national, regional, and local stakeholders and the general public. The development process included public comment periods from January through April 2011 and June through July 2011, and 12 regional listening sessions around the country. Next, public comments on the draft Implementation Plan will inform the preparation of the final plan. We welcome your general input, and also pose the following questions: Does the draft Implementation Plan reflect actions you see are needed to address the nine priorities for the ocean, coasts, and the Great lakes? What is the most effective way to measure outcomes and to detect whether a particular action in the Implementation Plan has achieved its intended outcome? Would a report card format be useful? Comments received will be collated and posted on the National Ocean Council Web site. The final Implementation Plan is expected in the spring of 2012.
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