Federal agencies shall to the fullest extent possible:
(a) Interpret and administer the policies, regulations, and public laws of the United States in accordance with the policies set forth in the Act and in these regulations.(b) Implement procedures to make the NEPA process more useful to decision makers and the public; to reduce paperwork and the accumulation of extraneous background data; and to emphasize important environmental issues and alternatives. Environmental documents shall be concise, clear, and supported by evidence that agencies have conducted the necessary environmental analyses.(c) Integrate the requirements of NEPA with other planning and environmental review procedures required by law or by agency practice so that such procedures run concurrently rather than consecutively where doing so promotes efficiency.(d) Encourage and facilitate public engagement in decisions that affect the quality of the human environment, including meaningful engagement with communities such as those with environmental justice concerns.(e) Use the NEPA process to identify and assess the reasonable alternatives to proposed actions that will avoid or minimize adverse effects of these actions upon the quality of the human environment, such as alternatives that will reduce climate change-related effects or address adverse health and environmental effects that disproportionately affect communities with environmental justice concerns.(f) Use all practicable means, consistent with the requirements of the Act and other essential considerations of national policy, to restore and enhance the quality of the human environment and avoid or minimize any possible adverse effects of their actions upon the quality of the human environment. 85 FR 43357 , 9/14/2020; 89 FR 35554 , 7/1/2024