[Title 40 CFR 1508.25]
[Code of Federal Regulations (annual edition) - July 1, 1996 Edition]
[Title 40 - PROTECTION OF ENVIRONMENT]
[Chapter V - COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY]
[Part 1508 - TERMINOLOGY AND INDEX]
[Sec. 1508.25 - Scope.]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]




  40
  PROTECTION OF ENVIRONMENT
  18
  1996-07-01
  1996-07-01
  false
  
  1508.25
  Sec. 1508.25
  
    PROTECTION OF ENVIRONMENT
    COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
    TERMINOLOGY AND INDEX
  


Sec. 1508.25  Scope.

    Scope consists of the range of actions, alternatives, and impacts to 
be considered in an environmental impact statement. The scope of an 
individual statement may depend on its relationships to other statements 
(Secs. 1502.20 and 1508.28). To determine the scope of environmental 
impact statements, agencies shall consider 3 types of actions, 3 types 
of alternatives, and 3 types of impacts. They include:
    (a) Actions (other than unconnected single actions) which may be:
    (1) Connected actions, which means that they are closely related and 
therefore should be discussed in the same impact statement. Actions are 
connected if they:
    (i) Automatically trigger other actions which may require 
environmental impact statements.
    (ii) Cannot or will not proceed unless other actions are taken 
previously or simultaneously.
    (iii) Are interdependent parts of a larger action and depend on the 
larger action for their justification.
    (2) Cumulative actions, which when viewed with other proposed 
actions have cumulatively significant impacts and should therefore be 
discussed in the same impact statement.
    (3) Similar actions, which when viewed with other reasonably 
foreseeable or proposed agency actions, have similarities that provide a 
basis for evaluating their environmental consequencies together, such as 
common timing or geography. An agency may wish to analyze these actions 
in the same impact statement. It should do so when the best way to 
assess adequately the combined impacts of similar actions or reasonable 
alternatives to such actions is to treat them in a single impact 
statement.
    (b) Alternatives, which include: (1) No action alternative.
    (2) Other reasonable courses of actions.
    (3) Mitigation measures (not in the proposed action).
    (c) Impacts, which may be: (1) Direct; (2) indirect; (3) cumulative.

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