Federal Agencies prepare Environmental Assessments for proposed actions in accordance with NEPA regulations.  An Environmental Assessments analyzes the environmental effects of a proposed activity to determine the significance of potential impacts.  Any significant impacts identified in an Environmental Assessments must be analyzed in an Environmental Impact Study.  An Environmental Assessments also documents the potential environmental impacts of proposals that do not require an Environmental Impact Study, and identifies as early as possible mitigation measures.

We assume that the proposal evaluated in an Environmental Assessments includes mitigation required by lease stipulations, regulations, other Federal and State environmental laws, and specific measures committed to in writing by the lessee, operator, or applicant prior to completion of the Environmental Assessments.  Mitigation measures not identified in the proposal may be evaluated in the Environmental Assessments to determine whether such measures, if approved as part of the proposal, would reduce impacts to a less-than-significant level.