TagCEQ(8)

This document outlines principles and steps for conducting cumulative effects analysis in environmental impact assessments. It covers identifying cumulative effects issues, establishing geographic and temporal boundaries, and determining which effects are important from a cumulative perspective. https://ceq.doe.gov/docs/ceq-publications/ccenepa/sec2.pdf

This document introduces the concept of cumulative environmental effects analysis under NEPA, explaining how multiple minor actions can combine to create significant environmental impacts. It defines cumulative effects as impacts resulting from incremental effects of actions combined with past, present, and future actions, and discusses the purpose and implementation of cumulative effects analysis by federal

In this Memorandum, the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) provides guidance on the extent to which agencies of the Federal government are required to analyze the environmental effects of past actions when they describe the cumulative environmental effect of a proposed action in accordance with Section 102 of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), 42 U.S.C. § 4332, and the CEQ Regulations for Implementing the Procedural Provisions of NEPA, 40 C.F.R. parts 1500-1508. CEQ's interpretation of NEPA is entitled to deference. Andrus v. Sierra Club, 442 U.S. 347, 358 (1979). II. Guidance The environmental analysis required under NEPA is forward-looking, in that it focuses on the potential impacts of the proposed action that an agency is considering. Thus, review of past actions is required to the extent that this review informs agency decisionmnaking regarding the proposed action. This can occur in two ways: First, the effects of past actions may warrant consideration in the analysis of the cumulative effects of a proposal for agency action. CEQ interprets NEPA and CEQ's NEPA regulations on cumulative effects as requiring analysis and a concise description of the identifiable present effects of past actions to the extent that they are relevant and useful in analyzing whether the reasonably foreseeable effects of the agency proposal for action and its alternatives may have a continuing, additive and significant relationship to those effects. In determining what information is necessary for a cumulative effects analysis, agencies should use scoping to focus on the extent to which information is…

A handbook published by the Council on Environmental Quality providing guidance on analyzing cumulative effects under NEPA. The document covers scoping, describing affected environments, determining environmental consequences, and addressing cumulative impacts in environmental assessments.

A handbook by the Council on Environmental Quality providing guidance on analyzing cumulative effects in NEPA environmental assessments and impact statements. It presents practical methods for addressing coincident effects of related activities and outlines principles for proper scoping and boundary-setting in cumulative effects analysis.