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NEPA scoping letters: what to include

A scoping letter is an early notice that describes a proposed action and invites agencies, Tribes, the applicant and the public to say which issues and alternatives the NEPA review should cover[1]. On scoping, the statute requires only that an EIS notice of intent request public comment[2]; agency procedures set the rest, and USDA's make scoping optional[1].

By Ilya Volodarsky. 18 sources, last read on . This page explains the law; it is not legal advice.

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    Describe the project and ePlan drafts the scoping letter in your agency's letter format, following a reference letter, with every unconfirmed fact marked for you, as in this sample.

    ePlan vs. by hand

    How ePlan compares to drafting a Scoping Letter by hand

    The same document, two ways to a first draft.

    ComparedePlan.aiBy hand
    Letter formatePlan.aiFollows the letterhead, structure and tone of a reference scoping letterBy handCopy an old letter and edit it by hand
    Starting pointePlan.aiA plain-language project description, or the PDFs, Word files and GIS files (shapefile, GeoJSON, KML, GeoPackage) you already haveBy handA blank template, or last year's document retyped
    Precedent researchePlan.aiA research agent searches agency project pages, CEQAnet, the Federal Register, eCFR and EPA's EIS database for your project and up to two analog projectsBy handSearching each agency site and PDF library by hand
    Missing factsePlan.aiEvery fact ePlan can't confirm stays a highlighted [INSERT] placeholder until someone fills itBy handGaps surface in review, or not at all
    Cost to startePlan.aiScoping letters are free. EAs, EIRs and decision memos are on Max at $199 a monthBy handStaff or consultant hours for every draft

    ePlan.ai as of October 2026. “By hand” means a Word template, past documents and agency PDFs. Your team reviews, edits and signs every draft.

    What is NEPA scoping?

    DOE defines scoping as the process, internal or public, to identify the scope of the NEPA review[4]. Under USDA's procedures, scoping for an EIS identifies the substantive issues and sets aside non-substantive issues and alternatives that are not technically or economically feasible or do not meet the purpose and need[1].

    An agency that scopes can invite comment, hold scoping meetings or publish scoping information[1]; DOE says early scoping should be driven by the need to begin the review promptly[4]. A scoping letter is the written invitation.

    Public scoping for an EA

    With CEQ's government-wide rules removed in 2025[5], each agency's procedures set the details[6]. USDA treats a notice of intent for an EA as the exception, for national, regional or otherwise complex proposals, and leaves public comment to the responsible official[7]. DOE may publish a notice requesting scoping comments on an EA[4].

    Scoping letter examples from 2025 and 2026

    Eight real scoping letters and notices from the Forest Service, BLM, the National Park Service and Caltrans, sent from November 2025 to September 2026. Each names the expected level of review and gives a window for comments; each row cites the project page or notice.

    NEPA scoping letters and notices, read on October 4, 2026. Date is the letter's date or the first day of comment.
    AgencyProjectDateReviewComment period
    BLM, Siuslaw Field Office, OregonThirty-Six Divide Thinning: a 5,800-acre planning area in Lane County[8]Sep 23, 2026EA20 days
    BLM, Utah and Nevada field officesSilver Rock Transmission Line: about 330 miles, up to 600 kV; notice of intent[9]Sep 3, 2026EIS30 days
    National Park Service, George Washington Memorial ParkwayVista Management Plan[10]Mar 12, 2026EA30 days
    Forest Service, Rogue River-Siskiyou National ForestMoon Fire Recovery: removing fire-killed trees along forest roads[11]Feb 25, 2026EA, emergency procedures23 days
    Forest Service, Finger Lakes National ForestFinger Lakes Trail re-route: a safer trailhead and a 0.1-mile connector[12]Feb 3, 2026CE17 days
    BLM Idaho Falls District and Caribou-Targhee National ForestDry Ridge Extension Exploration: phosphate drilling with up to 400 acres of disturbance[13]Jan 23, 2026EA30 days
    Forest Service, Shawnee National ForestAmeren Merlot-Grand Tower transmission line rebuild, sent with a draft decision memo[14]Dec 4, 2025CE21 days
    Caltrans District 5, for FHWA under NEPA assignmentState Route 25, Hollister to Gilroy: revised notice of preparation and scoping[15]Nov 5, 2025EIR/EA (CEQA and NEPA)44 days

    How long is a scoping comment period?

    NEPA sets no length. It requires only that an EIS notice of intent request public comment[2], and USDA calls scoping a step with no prescribed process[1]. Where the Forest Service's objection rules apply, the legal notice for an EA opens a 30-day comment period that can't be extended, and a draft EIS gets at least 45 days[3][16].

    The letters above gave 17 to 44 days: 17 and 21 for the two CEs, 20 to 30 for EAs, 30 for the EIS notice of intent and 44 for Caltrans' joint CEQA and NEPA review. CEQA's counterpart for an EIR is the notice of preparation: responsible and trustee agencies have 30 days to say what the EIR must cover[17][18].

    Outline

    Scoping letter template: what it contains

    Built from the notice-of-intent contents in USDA's and DOE's procedures[1][4]. Adapt it to your agency's template.

    1. Project, location and lead office

      The project name, a map or description of the location, the lead agency and office, and the responsible official.

    2. Purpose and need

      Why the agency is acting.

    3. Proposed action and known alternatives

      What would happen, where and how much: acres, miles, structures and timing.

    4. Expected review and issues

      Whether the agency expects a CE, an EA or an EIS, and the effects it expects to analyze.

    5. Permits and other agencies

      Other authorizations the project needs, and any cooperating or participating agencies.

    6. Schedule

      The timeline for the decision.

    7. How to comment

      Where to send comments, the deadline, and the input that helps most: alternatives, effects, and relevant information or studies.

    8. Contact

      A person who can answer questions about the proposal.

    Sources

    Where each statement comes from

    Show all 18 sources
    1. [1]7 CFR 1b.7 - Environmental impact statements (USDA). Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), current. Read October 2, 2026.
    2. [2]42 U.S.C. 4336a - Timely and unified Federal reviews. United States Code, 2023 edition (GovInfo). Read October 2, 2026.
    3. [3]36 CFR 218.24 - Notification of opportunity to comment on proposed projects and activities (Forest Service). Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), current. Read October 2, 2026.
    4. [4]DOE National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Implementing Procedures. U.S. Department of Energy, July 13, 2026. Read October 2, 2026.
    5. [5]Removal of National Environmental Policy Act Implementing Regulations (interim final rule), 90 FR 10610. Council on Environmental Quality, Federal Register, February 25, 2025. Read October 2, 2026.
    6. [6]Agency NEPA Procedures and Contacts. Council on Environmental Quality, nepa.gov. Read October 2, 2026.
    7. [7]7 CFR 1b.5 - Environmental assessments (USDA). Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), current. Read October 2, 2026.
    8. [8]Thirty-Six Divide Thinning Environmental Assessment (DOI-BLM-ORWA-N030-2026-0010-EA): public scoping letter, September 23, 2026. Bureau of Land Management, Siuslaw Field Office (National NEPA Register), September 23, 2026. Read October 4, 2026.
    9. [9]Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Silver Rock Transmission Line Project, 91 FR 56664. Bureau of Land Management, Federal Register (GovInfo), September 3, 2026. Read October 4, 2026.
    10. [10]Vista Management Plan / EA Scoping (PEPC project 135328). National Park Service, George Washington Memorial Parkway (PEPC), March 12, 2026. Read October 4, 2026.
    11. [11]Moon Fire Recovery (#68897): letter to interested parties, February 25, 2026. USDA Forest Service, Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, February 25, 2026. Read October 4, 2026.
    12. [12]Finger Lakes Trail Re-Route (#68790): invitation to comment, February 3, 2026. USDA Forest Service, Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests, February 3, 2026. Read October 4, 2026.
    13. [13]Dry Ridge Extension Exploration Project (#68945, DOI-BLM-ID-I000-2026-0003-EA): scoping information document and legal notice, January 23, 2026. USDA Forest Service, Caribou-Targhee National Forest, with the Bureau of Land Management, Idaho Falls District, January 23, 2026. Read October 4, 2026.
    14. [14]Ameren Illinois Merlot-Grand Tower Transmission Line Rebuild (#68888): scoping notice, December 4, 2025. USDA Forest Service, Shawnee National Forest, December 4, 2025. Read October 4, 2026.
    15. [15]State Route 25 Corridor Improvement Project: revised notice of preparation of a draft programmatic EIR/EA and notice of scoping meetings. California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), District 5, November 5, 2025. Read October 4, 2026.
    16. [16]36 CFR 218.25 - Comments on proposed projects and activities (Forest Service). Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), current. Read October 4, 2026.
    17. [17]CEQA Guidelines, 14 CCR § 15082: Notice of Preparation and Determination of Scope of EIR. California Code of Regulations (Office of Administrative Law, Westlaw), December 28, 2018. Read October 2, 2026.
    18. [18]Public Resources Code § 21080.4: notice that an EIR is required; 30-day agency responses. California Legislative Information (leginfo.legislature.ca.gov), January 1, 2022. Read October 2, 2026.

    Written by

    Ilya Volodarsky

    Ilya Volodarsky founded ePlan.ai. He co-founded Segment and is co-founder and CEO of Wildfires.org.

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    • Agencies post scoping letters with each project's documents, for example on Forest Service project pages and the National Park Service's PEPC site. Pick a recent one from your office for a similar project.

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