Selected Guidance for NEPA Compliance on DOI Projects

The Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance provides guidance to bureaus and offices of the Department to ensure compliance with various pollution control and environmental protection statutes through it’s Environmental Memoranda series, along with other guidance documents.  The following documents are listed by NEPA topic.

Overall NEPA Implementation Procedures

• ESM 13-13:  Approving and Publishing Proposed and Final Bureau Categorical Exclusions (CEs) under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
• ESM 13-7:  Publication and Distribution of Department of the Interior National Environmental Policy Act Compliance Documents via Electronic Methods
• ESM 13-5:  Review and Approval of Bureau and Office NEPA Chapters, Categorical Exclusions, Handbooks, and Other Guidance
• The Deputy Secretary Memo – Additional Direction for Implementing Secretary’s Order 3398 and Designating a Senior Agency Official for the National Environmental Policy Act
• Compiling Contemporaneous Decision Files

Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) and Environmental Assessments (EAs)

• ERM 10-9: Entering Information into the Department’s National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Tracking Database
• ERM 10-11: Departmental Clearance Process for Environmental Impact Statements
• ESM 13-2: Approving and Filing Environmental Impact Statements
• ESM 13-10:  Implementing Integrated Analyses in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Process
• ESM 13-6:  State and Local Agency Review of Environmental Statements
• Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Pre-Notice of Intent (NOI) Best Practices

Categorical Exclusions

• ESM 13-4:  Use of Departmental Categorical Exclusion for Policies, Directives, Regulations, and Guidelines
• ESM 13-8:  Preparing a Decision Memorandum When Using the Department's Categorical Exclusions for Fuels Treatment or Rehabilitation

• DOI and Bureau Categorical Exclusions

  DOI and Bureau Categorical Exclusions

Public Participation

• ESM 13-9:  Implementing Public Participation and Community-Based Training

Adaptive Management

• ESM 13-11:  Coordinating Adaptive Management and National Environmental Policy Act Processes

NEPA Compliance in Emergencies

• ESM 13-3:  National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Compliance in Emergency Situations

Environmental Justice