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This page last updated:
November 02, 2006
Environmental Compliance

Responsibilities

Responsibilities for an EA

The Regional Supervisor for Leasing and Environment (RS-LE) or the Regional Supervisor for Environmental Evaluation (RS-EE) is responsible for the following when an EA is prepared in the Region for a permit or plan:

bulletInforms the Regional Supervisor for Field Operations (RS-FO) or Regional Supervisor, Office of Development, Operations, and Safety (RS-ODOS) of all additional environmental information needed from the applicant for preparation of the EA.
bulletEnsures relevant, available environmental information is considered in the preparation of the EA.
bulletDetermines, based on the analysis in the EA, whether to prepare a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) or to recommend to the Regional Director, after conferring with the decisionmaker (RS-FO/ODOS or Regional Supervisor for Resource Evaluation (RS-RE)), that an EIS be prepared.
bulletSign FONSIs for permits and plans.
bulletIssues public notice of the availability of the EA and the FONSI, using appropriate methods identified in 40 CFR 1506.6(b), when the EA is used as a basis for determining that an EIS will not be prepared. 

The RS-FO or RS-ODOS shall require the applicant to provide the information needed to prepare the EA.  Before approval is given for a proposal requiring an EA, the EA and associated FONSI, or an EIS, shall be completed.  Similar procedures should be followed with the RS-RE for geological and geophysical EAs. 

The Regional Director recommends preparation of an EIS to the Associate Director for Offshore Minerals Management when an EA concludes that a proposed action would have significant impacts. 

The Associate Director for Offshore Minerals Management:

bulletDevelops, maintains, and evaluates MMS policy and procedures for preparation of EAs relating to offshore mineral activities.
bulletReviews regional recommendations/justification and decides whether to prepare an EIS.
bulletInforms the RD of actions related to EAs taken by the MMS Director or the Department of the Interior.

For more information, contact James F. Bennett.

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