Categorical Exclusion

The CEs in this section are for proposals for financial assistance that require an applicant to submit environmental documentation with their application to facilitate agency determination of extraordinary circumstances. At a minimum, the environmental documentation will include a complete description of all components of the applicant's proposal and any connected actions, including its specific location on detailed site plans as well as location maps equivalent to a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) quadrangle map; and information from authoritative sources acceptable to the agency confirming the presence or absence of sensitive environmental resources in the area that could be affected by the applicant's proposal. The environmental documentation submitted must be accurate, complete, and capable of verification. The agency may request additional information as needed to make an environmental determination. Failure to submit the required environmental documentation will postpone further consideration of the applicant's proposal until the environmental documentation is submitted, or the agency may deny the request for financial assistance. The agency will review the environmental documentation and determine if extraordinary circumstances exist. The agency's review may determine that classification as an environmental assessment or an environmental impact statement is more appropriate than a categorical exclusion classification.

Exclusion Text

(USDA-24-1d-RD) Small-scale site-specific development. The following CEs apply to proposals where site development activities (including construction, expansion, repair, rehabilitation, or other improvements) for rural development purposes would impact not more than 10 acres of real property and would not cause a substantial increase in traffic. These CEs are identified in paragraphs (A) through (J) of this subparagraph (i). This paragraph does not apply to new industrial proposals (such as ethanol and biodiesel production facilities). (A) Multi-family housing and Rural Housing Site Loans. (B) Business development. (C) Community facilities such as municipal buildings, libraries, security services, fire protection, schools, and health and recreation facilities. (D) Infrastructure to support utility systems such as water or wastewater facilities; headquarters, maintenance, equipment storage, or microwave facilities; and energy management systems. (E) Installation of new, commercial-scale water supply wells and associated pipelines or water storage facilities that are required by a regulatory authority or standard engineering practice as a backup to existing production well(s) or as reserve for fire protection. (F) Construction of telecommunications towers and associated facilities, if the towers and associated facilities are 450 feet or less in height and would not be in or visible from an area of documented scenic value. (G) Repair, rehabilitation, or restoration of water control, flood control, or water impoundment facilities, such as dams, dikes, levees, detention reservoirs, and drainage ditches, with minimal change in use, size, capacity, purpose, operation, location, or design from the original facility. (H) Installation or enlargement of irrigation facilities on an applicant's land, including storage reservoirs, diversion dams, wells, pumping plants, canals, pipelines, and sprinklers designed to irrigate less than 80 acres. (I) Replacement or restoration of irrigation facilities, including storage reservoirs, diversion dams, wells, pumping plants, canals, pipelines, and sprinklers, with no or minimal change in use, size, capacity, or location from the original facility(s). (J) Vegetative biomass harvesting operations of no more than 15 acres, provided any amount of land involved in harvesting is to be conducted managed on a sustainable basis and according to a Federal, state, or other governmental unit approved management plan.