National Environmental Policy Act Compliance for Habitat Restoration

Through funding, technical assistance, or as a Natural Resource Damage Assessment Trustee, the Restoration Center supports numerous habitat restoration projects each year. When these projects qualify as federal actions, they are assessed for environmental impacts in accordance with the NEPA process.

The Restoration Center uses its Programmatic EIS to provide timely, complete analysis of the environmental impacts of its restoration activities, reduce administrative costs, and maximize program efficiency. All projects that receive NEPA documentation under the Programmatic EIS are evaluated through a multi-step process involving habitat restoration specialists, agency NEPA experts, and the Restoration Center’s top officials.

This final Programmatic EIS was prepared pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to assess the environmental impacts of NOAA’s proposed action to fund or otherwise implement coastal habitat restoration activities through its existing programmatic framework and related procedures. Projects implemented by NOAA vary in terms of their size, complexity, geographic location, and NOAA involvement, and they often benefit a wide range of habitat types and affect a number of different species. Fish passage, hydrologic/tidal reconnection, shellfish restoration, coral recovery, salt marsh and barrier island restoration, erosion prevention, debris removal, and invasive species removal, are among the project types implemented by NOAA through its various programs.

More Information

• NOAA’s NEPA process 
• NOAA’s implementing regulations
• NOAA NEPA Companion Manual