9629

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 9629
• Author: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
• Title: Selected NEPA Documents.
• USFW Year: 1993.
• USFW - Doc Type: \
• Copyright Material: NO

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(b) Intensity. This refers to the severity of impact. Responsible officials must bear in
mind that more than one agency may make decisions about partial aspects of a major action.
The following should be considered in evaluating intensity:
(1) Impacts that may be both beneficial and adverse. A significant effect may exist even
if the Federal agency believes that on balance the effect will be beneficial.
(2) The degree to which the proposed action affects public health or safety.
(3) Unique characteristics of the geographic area such as proximity to historic or cultural
resources, park lands, prime farmlands, wetlands, wild and scenic rivers, or ecologically
critical areas.
(4) The degree to which the effects on the quality of the human environment are likely to
be highly controversial.
(5) The degree to which the possible effects on the human environment are highly
uncertain or involve unique or unknown risks.
(6) The degree to which the action may establish a precedent for future actions with
significant effects or represents a decision in principle about a future consideration.
(7) Whether the action is related to other actions with individually insignificant but
cumulatively significant impacts. Significance exists if it is reasonable to anticipate a
cumulatively significant impact on the environment. Significance cannot be avoided by
terming an action temporary or by breaking it down into small component parts.
(8) The degree to which the action may adversely affect districts, sites, highways,
structures, or objects listed in or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic
Places or may cause loss or destruction of significant scientific, cultural, or historical
resources.
(9) The degree to which the action may adversely affect an endangered or threatened
species or its habitat that has been determined to be critical under the Endangered Species
Act of 1973.
(10) Whether the action threatens a violation of Federal, State, or local law or
requirements unposed for the protection of the environment.
1508.28 Tiering.
"Tiering" refers to the coverage of general matters in broader environmental impact
statements (such as national program or policy statements) with subsequent narrower
statements or environmental analyses (such as regional or basinwide program statements or
ultimately site-specific statements) incorporating by reference the general discussions and
concentrating solely on the issues specific to the statement subsequently prepared. Tiering is
appropriate when the sequence of statements or analyses is:
(a) From a program, plan, or policy environmental impact statement to a program, plan,
or policy statement or analysis of lesser scope or to asite-specific statement or analysis.
(b) From an environmental impact statement on a specific action at an early stage (such
as need and site selection) to a supplement (which preferred) or a subsequent statement or
analysis at a later stage (such as environmental mitigation). Tiering in such cases is
appropriate when it helps the lead agency to focus on the issues which are ripe for decision
and exclude from consideration issues already decided or not yet ripe.