Guides
NEPA and CEQA guides
What each document is, when it is required and what it contains, cited to current law, with an AI draft one click away.
NEPA documents
- NEPA processHow a NEPA review works and the NEPA documents it produces: the threshold check, CE, EA and FONSI, EIS and record of decision.
- Categorical exclusionsWhat a NEPA categorical exclusion covers, how extraordinary circumstances are checked, and what a CE decision memo contains.
- Environmental assessmentWhat a NEPA environmental assessment (EA) is, when one is required, its 75-page and one-year limits, and what a FONSI contains.
- Environmental impact statementWhat an environmental impact statement (EIS) means, when NEPA requires one, page limits, the steps to a ROD and real examples.
- Scoping letterWhat a NEPA scoping letter should include, what the law requires for scoping and public comment, and an outline to draft from.
- NEPA regulationsWhere NEPA regulations live after CEQ's rules were removed: agency procedures, the 2023 limits, Seven County and FAST-41.
- Environmental impact assessmentWhat an environmental impact assessment (EIA) is, the EIA process step by step, and how NEPA and CEQA carry it out in the US.
- Environmental permittingWhat environmental permitting is, how NEPA review fits with federal permits such as CWA 404, and the usual permits to plan for.
- Environmental planningWhat environmental planning is, and what environmental planners do day to day: NEPA and CEQA documents, consultation and permits.
CEQA documents
- CEQAWhat CEQA is, who it applies to, the CEQA Guidelines process from exemption to EIR, the lead agency, and where CEQA documents go.
- Initial studyWhat a CEQA initial study contains, the Appendix G checklist, when it leads to an ND, an MND or an EIR, and review periods.
- CEQA exemptionsHow CEQA exemptions work: statutory and categorical exemptions, the exceptions, the Notice of Exemption and AB 130 and SB 131.
- Environmental impact reportWhen CEQA requires an EIR, the NOP and scoping, AB 52 consultation, draft and final EIR contents, and the notice of determination.
- CEQA and NEPAWhen CEQA and NEPA both apply to a project, how the two reviews differ, which documents match, and how to prepare a joint EIR/EIS.
Reviews alongside NEPA
- Section 106What Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act requires: the 36 CFR part 800 steps, SHPO and tribal consultation.
- HUD environmental reviewHow a HUD environmental review works under 24 CFR Part 58: exemptions, levels of review, the ERR, public notices and the RROF.
- ESA Section 7How Endangered Species Act section 7 consultation works: IPaC species lists, biological assessments, informal vs formal, timelines.
Agency NEPA procedures
- Forest Service NEPAForest Service NEPA under USDA's 7 CFR 1b: categorical exclusions, decision memos (FANECs) and the 36 CFR 218 objection process.
- Interior and BLM NEPABLM NEPA in 2026: the DOI NEPA Handbook, what's left of 43 CFR part 46, BLM categorical exclusions, DNAs, and ePlanning.
- FHWA NEPAHow FHWA NEPA works under 23 CFR part 771: 771.117 categorical exclusions, CE agreements, NEPA assignment, EAs and EISs.
- DOE NEPADOE NEPA in 2026: what stays in 10 CFR 1021, the 2026 DOE NEPA procedures, its categorical exclusions and CX determinations.
- FAA NEPAFAA NEPA under Order 1050.1G: when NEPA applies to FAA actions, categorical exclusions (CATEXs), and airport EAs and EISs.
- FEMA EHP reviewHow FEMA EHP review works for Public Assistance and Hazard Mitigation grants: NEPA levels, CATEXs, the REC and submittals.
State environmental review
- State environmental reviewWhich states have a little NEPA, how state environmental policy acts differ from NEPA, and how CEQA, SEQR and SEPA work.
- New York SEQRANew York SEQRA and SEQR step by step: Type I, Type II and Unlisted actions, the Full EAF, declarations and the 2026 amendments.
- Washington SEPAWashington SEPA step by step: exemptions, the SEPA environmental checklist, DNS, MDNS and DS determinations, and the EIS.
- Massachusetts MEPAHow MEPA review works in Massachusetts: the review thresholds, the Environmental Notification Form, EIRs and Certificates.
- Hawaii HEPAHEPA Hawaii: what triggers HRS Chapter 343 review, its exemptions, the environmental assessment, and a FONSI or an EISPN.
Research tools and examples
- NEPA examplesReal EIS, EA and CE decision memo examples from 2024 to 2026, where each one is published, and how to pick your precedent.
- NEPA timelinesHow long NEPA takes: Forest Service and CEQ medians for CEs, EAs and EISs by year, and the 1-year EA and 2-year EIS deadlines.
- Decision memo examples12 signed Forest Service decision memos (now FANECs), one per CE, with 36 CFR 220.6 and 7 CFR 1b.4 numbers and days taken.
- EIS databaseHow to search EPA's EIS database by title, agency and state, read a record, and download the EISs and comment letters it holds.
- NEPAssistWhat EPA's NEPAssist screening tool reports, the map layers it draws on, and how to use its report in an affected environment section.
- IPaCHow USFWS IPaC works: official species lists vs resource lists, 90-day validity, critical habitat and determination keys.
- CEQAnetWhat CEQAnet holds, how to search it for CEQA precedent by document type, agency and county, SCH numbers and CEQA Submit.