NPS Director's Order 12: Conservation Planning, Environmental Impact Analysis and Decision Making
Table of Contents
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Introduction | Overview of the NEPA Process | Categorical Exclusions | Environmental Impact Statements | Environmental Assessments | Decision Documents | Programmatic Documents and Planning | NPS Review of Non-NPS Documents | Definitions and Acronyms | Appendix 1: Environmental Screening Form | Appendix 2: Categorical Exclusion Form | Contacts | Index
Antietam National Battlefield, MD3.1 Categorical Exclusions — Definition
Definition | Process to Follow | CEs for Which No Formal Documentation is Necessary | CEs for Which a Record is Needed | Exceptions to CEs | Using the CE Lists | Public Involvement | Administrative Process | Consideration of Multiple Actions

In NPS, CEs are applicable to actions that, under normal circumstances, are not considered major federal actions and that have no measurable impacts on the human environment. However, under exceptional circumstances (see section 3.5), these same actions may have measurable or even significant impacts, and a CE would no longer be applicable. Therefore, each time you consider a CE for a park action, it is important to decide whether any exceptional circumstances exist.

Departmental legal activities including such things as arrests, investigations, patents, claims and legal opinions are not considered actions for the purposes of NEPA. Similarly, regulatory and enforcement actions, including inspections, administrative hearings and related decisions are not NEPA related actions.

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