Appendix D to Part 651 - Public Participation Plan
32:4.1.1.3.6.10.1.1.6 : Appendix D
Appendix D to Part 651 - Public Participation Plan
The objective of the plan will be to encourage the full and open
discussion of issues related to Army actions. Some NEPA actions
will be very limited in scope, and may not require full public
participation and involvement. Other NEPA actions will obviously be
of interest, not only to the local community, but to others across
the country as well.
(a) To accomplish this objective, the plan will require:
(1) Dissemination of information to local and installation
communities through such means as news releases to local media,
announcements to local citizens groups, and Commander's letters.
Such information may be subject to Freedom of Information Act and
operations security review.
(2) The invitation of public comments through two-way
communication channels that will be kept open through various
means.
(3) The use of fully informed public affairs officers at all
levels.
(4) Preparation of EAs which incorporate public involvement
processes whenever appropriate (40 CFR 1506.6).
(5) Consultation of persons and agencies such as:
(i) Municipal, township, and county elected and appointed
officials.
(ii) Tribal, state, county, and local government officials and
administrative personnel whose official duties include
responsibility for activities or components of the affected
environment related to the proposed Army action.
(iii) Local and regional administrators of other federal
agencies or commissions that may either control resources
potentially affected by the proposed action (for example, the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service) or who may be aware of other actions by
different federal agencies whose effects must be considered with
the proposed Army action (for example, the GSA).
(iv) Members of identifiable population segments within the
potentially affected environments, whether or not they have clearly
identifiable leaders or an established organization such as farmers
and ranchers, homeowners, small business owners, and Native
Americans.
(v) Members and officials of those identifiable interest groups
of local or national scope that may have an interest in the
environmental effects of the proposed action or activity (for
example, hunters and fishermen, Isaak Walton League, Sierra Club,
and the Audubon Society).
(vi) Any person or group that has specifically requested
involvement in the specific action or similar actions.
(b) Public involvement should be solicited using the following
processes and procedures:
(1) Direct individual contact. Such limited contact may suffice
for all required public involvement, when the expected
environmental effect is of a very limited scope. This contact
should identify:
(i) Persons expected to express an opinion and later
participate.
(ii) Preliminary positions of such persons on the scope of
issues that the analysis must address.
(2) Small workshops or discussion groups.
(3) Larger public gatherings that are held after some
formulation of the potential issues, inviting the public to express
views on the proposed courses of action. Public suggestions or
additional alternative courses of action may be expressed at these
gatherings which need not be formal public hearings.
(4) Any other processes and procedures to accomplish the
appropriate level of public involvement.
(c) Scoping Guidance. All affected parties must be included in
the scoping process (AR 360-5). The plan must include the
following:
(1) Information disseminated to local and installation
communities through such means as news releases to local media,
announcements to local citizens groups, and Commander's letters at
each phase or milestone (more frequently if needed) of the project.
Such information may be subject to Freedom of Information Act and
operations security review.
(2) Each phase or milestone (more frequently if needed) of the
project will be coordinated with representatives of local, state,
and federal government agencies.
(3) Public comments will be invited and two-way communication
channels will be kept open through various means as stated
above.
(4) Public affairs officers at all levels will be kept
informed.
(5) When an EIS is being prepared, public involvement is a
requisite element of the scoping process (40 CFR 1501.7(a)(1)).
(6) Preparation of EAs will incorporate public involvement
processes whenever appropriate (40 CFR 1506.6).
(7) Persons and agencies to be consulted include the
following:
(i) Municipal, township, and county elected and appointed
officials.
(ii) Tribal, state, county, and local government officials and
administrative personnel whose official duties include
responsibility for activities or components of the affected
environment related to the proposed Army action.
(iii) Local and regional administrators of other federal
agencies or commissions that may either control resources
potentially affected by the proposed action (for example, the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service); or who may be aware of other actions by
different federal agencies whose effects must be considered with
the proposed Army action, (for example, the GSA).
(iv) Members of identifiable population segments within the
potentially affected environments, whether or not they have clearly
identifiable leaders or an established organization such as farmers
and ranchers, homeowners, small business owners, and Indian
tribes.
(v) Members and officials of those identifiable interest groups
of local or national scope that may have interest in the
environmental effects of the proposed action or activity (for
example, hunters and fishermen, Isaak Walton League, Sierra Club,
and the Audubon Society).
(vi) Any person or group that has specifically requested
involvement in the specific action or similar actions.
(8) The public involvement processes and procedures by which
participation may be solicited include the following:
(i) The direct individual contact process identifies persons
expected to express an opinion and participate in later public
meetings. Direct contact may also identify the preliminary
positions of such persons on the scope of issues that the EIS will
address. Such limited contact may suffice for all required public
involvement, when the expected environmental effect is of very
limited scope.
(ii) Small workshops or discussion groups.
(iii) Larger public gatherings that are held after some
formulation of the potential issues. The public is invited to
express its views on the proposed courses of action. Public
suggestions or alternative courses of action not already identified
may be expressed at these gatherings that need not be formal public
hearings.
(iv) Identifying and applying other processes and procedures to
accomplish the appropriate level of public involvement.
(9) The meetings described above should not be public hearings
in the early stages of evaluating a proposed action. Public
hearings do not substitute for the full range of public involvement
procedures under the purposes and intent of (a) of this
appendix.
(10) Public surveys or polls to identify public opinion of a
proposed action will be performed (AR 335-15, chapter 10).
(d) Preparing the Notice of Intent. In preparing the NOI, the
proponent will:
(1) In the NOI, identify the significant issues to be analyzed
in the EIS.
(2) In the NOI, identify the office or person responsible for
matters related to the scoping process. If they are not the same as
the proponent of the action, make that distinction.
(3) Identify the lead and cooperating agency, if already
determined (40 CFR 1501.5 and 1501.6).
(4) Identify the method by which the agency will invite
participation of affected parties; and identify a tentative list of
the affected parties to be notified.
(5) Identify the proposed method for accomplishing the scoping
procedure.
(6) Indicate the relationship between the timing of the
preparation of environmental analyses and the tentative planning
and decision-making schedule including:
(i) The scoping process itself.
(ii) Collecting or analyzing environmental data, including
studies required of cooperating agencies.
(iii) Preparation of DEISs and FEISs.
(iv) Filing of the ROD.
(v) Taking the action.
(7) For a programmatic EIS, preparing a general expected
schedule for future specific implementing actions that will involve
separate environmental analysis.
(8) If applicable, in the NOI, identify the extent to which the
EIS preparation process is exempt from any of the normal procedural
requirements of this part, including scoping.