‘‘(A) carry out obligations of the Federal 
agency under other applicable law concurrently 
and in conjunction with the review required 
under NEPA; and 
‘‘(B) in accordance with the rules made by 
the Council on Environmental Quality pursuant 
to subsection (n)(1), make and carry out such 
rules, policies, and procedures as may be reason-
ably necessary to enable the agency to ensure 
completion of the environmental review and en-
vironmental decisionmaking process in a timely, 
coordinated, and environmentally responsible 
manner. 
‘‘(8) COMMENTS.—Each participating agency 
shall limit its comments on a project to areas that are 
within the authority and expertise of such partici-
pating agency. Each participating agency shall iden-
tify in such comments the statutory authority of the 
participating agency pertaining to the subject matter 
of its comments. The lead agency shall not act upon, 
respond to or include in any document prepared 
under NEPA, any comment submitted by a partici-
pating agency that concerns matters that are outside 
of the authority and expertise of the commenting par-
ticipating agency. 
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‘‘(f) PROJECT INITIATION REQUEST.— 
‘‘(1) NOTICE.—A project sponsor shall provide 
the Federal agency responsible for undertaking a 
project with notice of the initiation of the project by 
providing a description of the proposed project, the 
general location of the proposed project, and a state-
ment of any Federal approvals anticipated to be nec-
essary for the proposed project, for the purpose of in-
forming the Federal agency that the environmental 
review should be initiated. 
‘‘(2) LEAD AGENCY INITIATION.—The agency re-
ceiving a project initiation notice under paragraph 
(1) shall promptly identify the lead agency for the 
project, and the lead agency shall initiate the environ-
mental review within a period of 45 days after receiv-
ing the notice required by paragraph (1) by inviting 
or designating agencies to become participating agen-
cies, or, where the lead agency determines that no 
participating agencies are required for the project, by 
taking such other actions that are reasonable and nec-
essary to initiate the environmental review. 
‘‘(g) ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS.— 
‘‘(1) PARTICIPATION.—As early as practicable 
during the environmental review, but no later than 
during scoping for a project requiring the prepara-
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tion of an environmental impact statement, the lead 
agency shall provide an opportunity for involvement 
by cooperating agencies in determining the range of 
alternatives to be considered for a project. 
‘‘(2) RANGE OF ALTERNATIVES.—Following par-
ticipation under paragraph (1), the lead agency shall 
determine the range of alternatives for consideration 
in any document which the lead agency is responsible 
for preparing for the project, subject to the following 
limitations: 
‘‘(A) NO EVALUATION OF CERTAIN ALTER-
NATIVES.—No Federal agency shall evaluate any 
alternative that was identified but not carried 
forward for detailed evaluation in an environ-
mental document or evaluated and not selected 
in any environmental document prepared under 
NEPA for the same project. 
‘‘(B) ONLY FEASIBLE ALTERNATIVES EVAL-
UATED.—Where a project is being constructed, 
managed, funded, or undertaken by a project 
sponsor that is not a Federal agency, Federal 
agencies shall only be required to evaluate alter-
natives that the project sponsor could feasibly 
undertake, consistent with the purpose of and the 
need for the project, including alternatives that 
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can be undertaken by the project sponsor and 
that are technically and economically feasible. 
‘‘(3) METHODOLOGIES.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The lead agency shall 
determine, in collaboration with cooperating 
agencies at appropriate times during the envi-
ronmental review, the methodologies to be used 
and the level of detail required in the analysis 
of each alternative for a project. The lead agency 
shall include in the environmental document a 
description of the methodologies used and how 
the methodologies were selected. 
‘‘(B) NO
EVALUATION
OF
INAPPROPRIATE 
ALTERNATIVES.—When a lead agency determines 
that an alternative does not meet the purpose 
and need for a project, that alternative is not re-
quired to be evaluated in detail in an environ-
mental document. 
‘‘(4) PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE.—At the discre-
tion of the lead agency, the preferred alternative for 
a project, after being identified, may be developed to 
a higher level of detail than other alternatives in 
order to facilitate the development of mitigation 
measures or concurrent compliance with other appli-
cable laws if the lead agency determines that the de-
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velopment of such higher level of detail will not pre-
vent the lead agency from making an impartial deci-
sion as to whether to accept another alternative which 
is being considered in the environmental review. 
‘‘(5) EMPLOYMENT ANALYSIS.—The evaluation of 
each alternative in an environmental impact state-
ment or an environmental assessment shall identify 
the potential effects of the alternative on employment, 
including potential short-term and long-term employ-
ment increases and reductions and shifts in employ-
ment. 
‘‘(h) COORDINATION AND SCHEDULING.— 
‘‘(1) COORDINATION PLAN.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The lead agency shall 
establish and implement a plan for coordinating 
public and agency participation in and com-
ment on the environmental review for a project 
or category of projects to facilitate the expedi-
tious resolution of the environmental review. 
‘‘(B) SCHEDULE.— 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—The lead agency 
shall establish as part of the coordination 
plan for a project, after consultation with 
each participating agency and, where ap-
plicable, the project sponsor, a schedule for 
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completion of the environmental review. The 
schedule shall include deadlines, consistent 
with subsection (i), for decisions under any 
other Federal laws (including the issuance 
or denial of a permit or license) relating to 
the project that is covered by the schedule. 
‘‘(ii) FACTORS FOR CONSIDERATION.— 
In establishing the schedule, the lead agency 
shall consider factors such as— 
‘‘(I) the responsibilities of partici-
pating agencies under applicable laws; 
‘‘(II) resources available to the 
participating agencies; 
‘‘(III) overall size and complexity 
of the project; 
‘‘(IV) overall schedule for and cost 
of the project; 
‘‘(V) the sensitivity of the natural 
and historic resources that could be af-
fected by the project; and 
‘‘(VI) the extent to which similar 
projects in geographic proximity were 
recently subject to environmental re-
view or similar State procedures. 
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‘‘(iii) COMPLIANCE WITH THE SCHED-
ULE.— 
‘‘(I) All participating agencies 
shall comply with the time periods es-
tablished in the schedule or with any 
modified time periods, where the lead 
agency modifies the schedule pursuant 
to subparagraph (D). 
‘‘(II) The lead agency shall dis-
regard and shall not respond to or in-
clude in any document prepared under 
NEPA, any comment or information 
submitted or any finding made by a 
participating agency that is outside of 
the time period established in the 
schedule or modification pursuant to 
subparagraph (D) for that agency’s 
comment, submission or finding. 
‘‘(III) If a participating agency 
fails to object in writing to a lead 
agency decision, finding or request for 
concurrence within the time period es-
tablished under law or by the lead 
agency, the agency shall be deemed to 
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have concurred in the decision, finding 
or request. 
‘‘(C) CONSISTENCY WITH OTHER TIME PERI-
ODS.—A schedule under subparagraph (B) shall 
be consistent with any other relevant time peri-
ods established under Federal law. 
‘‘(D) 
MODIFICATION.—The 
lead 
agency 
may— 
‘‘(i) lengthen a schedule established 
under subparagraph (B) for good cause; and 
‘‘(ii) shorten a schedule only with the 
concurrence of the cooperating agencies. 
‘‘(E) DISSEMINATION.—A copy of a sched-
ule under subparagraph (B), and of any modi-
fications to the schedule, shall be— 
‘‘(i) provided within 15 days of com-
pletion or modification of such schedule to 
all participating agencies and to the project 
sponsor; and 
‘‘(ii) made available to the public. 
‘‘(F) ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITY OF LEAD 
AGENCY.—With respect to the environmental re-
view for any project, the lead agency shall have 
authority and responsibility to take such actions 
as are necessary and proper, within the author-
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ity of the lead agency, to facilitate the expedi-
tious resolution of the environmental review for 
the project. 
‘‘(i) DEADLINES.—The following deadlines shall apply 
to any project subject to review under NEPA and any deci-
sion under any Federal law relating to such project (includ-
ing the issuance or denial of a permit or license or any 
required finding): 
‘‘(1) ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW DEADLINES.—The 
lead agency shall complete the environmental review 
within the following deadlines: 
‘‘(A) ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT 
PROJECTS.—For projects requiring preparation 
of an environmental impact statement— 
‘‘(i) the lead agency shall issue an en-
vironmental impact statement within 2 
years after the earlier of the date the lead 
agency receives the project initiation request 
or a Notice of Intent to Prepare an Envi-
ronmental Impact Statement is published 
in the Federal Register; and 
‘‘(ii) in circumstances where the lead 
agency has prepared an environmental as-
sessment and determined that an environ-
mental impact statement will be required, 
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the lead agency shall issue the environ-
mental impact statement within 2 years 
after the date of publication of the Notice of 
Intent to Prepare an Environmental Im-
pact Statement in the Federal Register. 
‘‘(B) 
ENVIRONMENTAL
ASSESSMENT 
PROJECTS.—For projects requiring preparation 
of an environmental assessment, the lead agency 
shall issue a finding of no significant impact or 
publish a Notice of Intent to Prepare an Envi-
ronmental Impact Statement in the Federal Reg-
ister within 1 year after the earlier of the date 
the lead agency receives the project initiation re-
quest, makes a decision to prepare an environ-
mental assessment, or sends out participating 
agency invitations. 
‘‘(2) EXTENSIONS.— 
‘‘(A) REQUIREMENTS.—The environmental 
review deadlines may be extended only if— 
‘‘(i) a different deadline is established 
by agreement of the lead agency, the project 
sponsor, and all participating agencies; or 
‘‘(ii) the deadline is extended by the 
lead agency for good cause. 
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‘‘(B) LIMITATION.—The environmental re-
view shall not be extended by more than 1 year 
for a project requiring preparation of an envi-
ronmental impact statement or by more than 
180 days for a project requiring preparation of 
an environmental assessment. 
‘‘(3) ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW COMMENTS.— 
‘‘(A) COMMENTS ON DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL 
IMPACT STATEMENT.—For comments by agencies 
and the public on a draft environmental impact 
statement, the lead agency shall establish a com-
ment period of not more than 60 days after pub-
lication in the Federal Register of notice of the 
date of public availability of such document, un-
less— 
‘‘(i) a different deadline is established 
by agreement of the lead agency, the project 
sponsor, and all participating agencies; or 
‘‘(ii) the deadline is extended by the 
lead agency for good cause. 
‘‘(B) OTHER
COMMENTS.—For all other 
comment periods for agency or public comments 
in the environmental review process, the lead 
agency shall establish a comment period of no 
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more than 30 days from availability of the mate-
rials on which comment is requested, unless— 
‘‘(i) a different deadline is established 
by agreement of the lead agency, the project 
sponsor, and all participating agencies; or 
‘‘(ii) the deadline is extended by the 
lead agency for good cause. 
‘‘(4) DEADLINES FOR DECISIONS UNDER OTHER 
LAWS.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 
in any case in which a decision under any other Fed-
eral law relating to the undertaking of a project being 
reviewed under NEPA (including the issuance or de-
nial of a permit or license) is required to be made, 
the following deadlines shall apply: 
‘‘(A) DECISIONS PRIOR TO RECORD OF DE-
CISION
OR
FINDING
OF
NO
SIGNIFICANT
IM-
PACT.—If a Federal agency is required to ap-
prove, or otherwise to act upon, a permit, li-
cense, or other similar application for approval 
related to a project prior to the record of decision 
or finding of no significant impact, such Federal 
agency shall approve or otherwise act not later 
than the end of a 90 day period beginning— 
‘‘(i) after all other relevant agency re-
view related to the project is complete; and 
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