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00117:) facilities and when fully operational. The proposed rule allows authorized entities of any Lower Division State to enter into an agreement with authorized entities of another Lower Division State for the banking of unused entitlement or apportionment and interstate distribution of the storage credits as long as the procedures in the proposed rule and applicable State Law are followed. The interstate agreement would be subject to the approval of the Secretary. Aspects of the proposed rule relevant to NEP A impact analysis include the following: . The proposed rule does not authorize the construction of any new delivery, storage, or water treatment facilities. However, Reclamation will coordinate and consult with appropriate Federal, State and other interested parties on a case by case basis to address any new facilities and perform additional NEP A analysis as appropriate; . The Secretary, through Reclamation, would operate the Colorado River within its current and projected routine operations consistent with the provisions of the BCP A and the Decree to permit authorized entities to contractually store, recover, and use storage credits on an interstate basis or assign them to other water users in other Lower Division States; . Basic unused apportionment or surplus apportionment identified for interstate off stream storage and subsequent recovery would be delivered by existing facilities (Figure 3); . The water diverted and stored off stream in a Storing State will be accounted for as being consumptively used in that same year in the Storing State, in accordance with Article V of the Decree; . When a Consuming State entity wants to recover all or part of its storage credits from the Storing State entity, the Colorado River water delivered in satisfaction of storage credits will be accounted for as consumptive use of unused apportionment allocated in that same year to the Consuming State, in accordance with Article V of the Decree; and LC Region DEAl I 8 12197 . The Secretary is responsible for ensuring Federal actions taken under the proposed rule (interstate storage, redemption and lor assignment agreements) comply with NEPA, ESA, and all other relevant environmental laws and regulations. The persons or entities who would benefit from a proposed transaction (probably the authorized entities in the Consuming State) would be responsible for bearing the costs of preparing the appropriate environmental compliance documentation, with Reclamation's assistance, in accordance with the standards set forth in Reclamation's NEP A Handbook prior to the Secretary's approval of the proposed action.