New directory centralizes environmental laws, regulations

  • Published
  • By Shannon Carabajal
  • AFCEC Public Affairs
JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas --  A new comprehensive collection of legal references and guidance related to the environmental impact analysis process and other environmental issues is now available on the Air Force Civil Engineer Center's eDASH website.

"The AFCEC National Environmental Policy Act Center, working in concert with the Air Force Legal Operations Agency Environmental Law Field Support Center, compiled the Air Force EIAP Directory to assist NEPA practitioners in negotiating the complicated field of environmental impact analysis," said Bill Bushman, multi-major command program manager with the AFCEC Environmental Directorate's Air Force National Environmental Policy Act Center.

The directory includes a wide variety of documents from dozens of sources, including the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, executive orders, federal regulations and Air Force instructions concerning environmental issues in the United States and overseas. Bushman plans to regularly update the directory to ensure the content remains current.

The interactive directory includes quick links and is useful to people in many different career fields and functional areas. From the civil engineer squadron to the base legal office, to a wing planner or public affairs officer, anybody involved in a process or project that might impact the environment can use the directory to quickly access all the laws and regulations governing their work, Bushman explained.

"We have a myriad of potential issues in our projects - such as environmental justice, floodplains, public involvement, natural and cultural resources, wetlands, air and water quality - each with its own executive order, instruction or law directing us on how to act and/or comply. It is difficult to navigate to the correct information source and then find the right reference within it to guide our actions in a timely manner," he said. Complicating the process further, regulations often reference other documents or laws that have their own compliance considerations. The EIAP Directory helps simplify the process.

"With this directory, you have everything you need in one place. Everybody using the document can get to the page they need within seconds," Bushman said. "It should be especially helpful to all levels of Air Force NEPA managers and practitioners."

"Since NEPA is an umbrella law, it requires knowledge and application of many different laws, statutes, regulations and executive orders while preparing NEPA documents. The combination of many critical documents in one location provides easily-accessible data for use in preparation and review of NEPA analyses," said Dale Clark, Air Force NEPA Center chief.

The project also exemplifies the move toward a more focused and centralized approach to installation management. "This document is a great example of the type of centralized support the NEPA Center can provide to users across the Air Force," Clark added.

The EIAP Directory, located online at https://eis.af.mil/cs/edash/Lists/Announcements/DispForm.aspx?ID=184, is accessible through a .mil account using a common access card.

For more information, contact the Air Force NEPA Center at 210-395-8448.