(A) the National Environmental Policy Act 
of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.); and 
(B) parts 1500 through 1508 of title 40, 
Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regu-
lations). 
(4) ROLES
AND
RESPONSIBILITY
OF
LEAD 
AGENCY.—With respect to the environmental review 
process for any project study, the Federal lead agen-
cy shall have authority and responsibility— 
(A) to take such actions as are necessary 
and proper and within the authority of the Fed-
eral lead agency to facilitate the expeditious 
resolution of the environmental review process 
for the project study; and 
(B) to prepare or ensure that any required 
environmental impact statement or other envi-
ronmental review document for a project study 
required to be completed under the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 
4321 et seq.) is completed in accordance with 
this section and applicable Federal law. 
(d) PARTICIPATING AND COOPERATING AGENCIES.— 
(1) IDENTIFICATION OF JURISDICTIONAL AGEN-
CIES.—With respect to carrying out the environ-
mental review process for a project study, the Sec-
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retary shall identify, as early as practicable in the 
environmental review process, all Federal, State, and 
local government agencies and Indian tribes that 
may— 
(A) have jurisdiction over the project; 
(B) be required by law to conduct or issue 
a review, analysis, opinion, or statement for the 
project study; or 
(C) be required to make a determination 
on issuing a permit, license, or other approval 
or decision for the project study. 
(2) STATE AUTHORITY.—If the environmental 
review process is being implemented by the Sec-
retary for a project study within the boundaries of 
a State, the State, consistent with State law, may 
choose to participate in the process and to make 
subject to the process all State agencies that— 
(A) have jurisdiction over the project; 
(B) are required to conduct or issue a re-
view, analysis, opinion, or statement for the 
project study; or 
(C) are required to make a determination 
on issuing a permit, license, or other approval 
or decision for the project study. 
(3) INVITATION.— 
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(A) IN GENERAL.—The Federal lead agen-
cy shall invite, as early as practicable in the en-
vironmental review process, any agency identi-
fied under paragraph (1) to become a partici-
pating or cooperating agency, as applicable, in 
the environmental review process for the project 
study. 
(B) DEADLINE.—An invitation to partici-
pate issued under subparagraph (A) shall set a 
deadline by which a response to the invitation 
shall be submitted, which may be extended by 
the Federal lead agency for good cause. 
(4) PROCEDURES.—Section 1501.6 of title 40, 
Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on the 
date of enactment of this Act), shall govern the iden-
tification and the participation of a cooperating 
agency. 
(5) FEDERAL
COOPERATING
AGENCIES.—Any 
Federal agency that is invited by the Federal lead 
agency to participate in the environmental review 
process for a project study shall be designated as a 
cooperating agency by the Federal lead agency un-
less the invited agency informs the Federal lead 
agency, in writing, by the deadline specified in the 
invitation that the invited agency— 
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(A)(i) has no jurisdiction or authority with 
respect to the project; 
(ii) has no expertise or information rel-
evant to the project; or 
(iii) does not have adequate funds to par-
ticipate in the project; and 
(B) does not intend to submit comments 
on the project. 
(6) ADMINISTRATION.—A participating or co-
operating agency shall comply with this section and 
any schedule established under this section. 
(7) EFFECT OF DESIGNATION.—Designation as 
a participating or cooperating agency under this 
subsection shall not imply that the participating or 
cooperating agency— 
(A) supports a proposed project; or 
(B) has any jurisdiction over, or special ex-
pertise with respect to evaluation of, the 
project. 
(8) CONCURRENT
REVIEWS.—Each partici-
pating or cooperating agency shall— 
(A) carry out the obligations of that agen-
cy under other applicable law concurrently and 
in conjunction with the required environmental 
review process, unless doing so would prevent 
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the participating or cooperating agency from 
conducting needed analysis or otherwise car-
rying out those obligations; and 
(B) formulate and implement administra-
tive, policy, and procedural mechanisms to en-
able the agency to ensure completion of the en-
vironmental review process in a timely, coordi-
nated, and environmentally responsible manner. 
(e) NON-FEDERAL PROJECTS INTEGRATED INTO 
RECLAMATION SYSTEMS.—The Federal lead agency shall 
serve in that capacity for the entirety of all non-Federal 
projects that will be integrated into a larger system owned, 
operated or administered in whole or in part by the Bu-
reau of Reclamation or the Bureau of Indian Affairs. 
(f) NON-FEDERAL PROJECT.—If the Secretary deter-
mines that a project can be expedited by a non-Federal 
sponsor and that there is a demonstrable Federal interest 
in expediting that project, the Secretary shall take such 
actions as are necessary to advance such a project as a 
non-Federal project, including, but not limited to, entering 
into agreements with the non-Federal sponsor of such 
project to support the planning, design and permitting of 
such project as a non-Federal project. 
(g) PROGRAMMATIC COMPLIANCE.— 
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(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall issue 
guidance regarding the use of programmatic ap-
proaches to carry out the environmental review proc-
ess that— 
(A) eliminates repetitive discussions of the 
same issues; 
(B) focuses on the actual issues ripe for 
analyses at each level of review; 
(C) establishes a formal process for coordi-
nating with participating and cooperating agen-
cies, including the creation of a list of all data 
that are needed to carry out an environmental 
review process; and 
(D) complies with— 
(i) the National Environmental Policy 
Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.); and 
(ii) all other applicable laws. 
(2) REQUIREMENTS.—In carrying out para-
graph (1), the Secretary shall— 
(A) as the first step in drafting guidance 
under that paragraph, consult with relevant 
Federal, State, and local governmental agen-
cies, Indian tribes, and the public on the appro-
priate use and scope of the programmatic ap-
proaches; 
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lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS
(B) emphasize the importance of collabora-
tion among relevant Federal, State, and local 
governmental agencies, and Indian tribes in un-
dertaking programmatic reviews, especially with 
respect to including reviews with a broad geo-
graphical scope; 
(C) ensure that the programmatic re-
views— 
(i) promote transparency, including of 
the analyses and data used in the environ-
mental review process, the treatment of 
any deferred issues raised by Federal, 
State, and local governmental agencies, In-
dian tribes, or the public, and the temporal 
and special scales to be used to analyze 
those issues; 
(ii) use accurate and timely informa-
tion in the environmental review process, 
including— 
(I) criteria for determining the 
general duration of the usefulness of 
the review; and 
(II) the timeline for updating any 
out-of-date review; 
(iii) describe— 
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lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS
(I) the relationship between pro-
grammatic analysis and future tiered 
analysis; and 
(II) the role of the public in the 
creation of future tiered analysis; and 
(iv) are available to other relevant 
Federal, State, and local governmental 
agencies, Indian tribes, and the public; 
(D) allow not fewer than 60 days of public 
notice and comment on any proposed guidance; 
and 
(E) address any comments received under 
subparagraph (D). 
(h) COORDINATED REVIEWS.— 
(1) COORDINATION PLAN.— 
(A) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Federal lead 
agency shall, after consultation with and with 
the concurrence of each participating and co-
operating agency and the project sponsor or 
joint lead agency, as applicable, establish a plan 
for coordinating public and agency participation 
in, and comment on, the environmental review 
process for a project study or a category of 
project studies. 
(B) SCHEDULE.— 
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(i) IN GENERAL.—As soon as prac-
ticable but not later than 45 days after the 
close of the public comment period on a 
draft environmental impact statement, the 
Federal lead agency, after consultation 
with and the concurrence of each partici-
pating and cooperating agency and the 
project sponsor or joint lead agency, as ap-
plicable, shall establish, as part of the co-
ordination plan established in subpara-
graph (A), a schedule for completion of the 
environmental review process for the 
project study. 
(ii) FACTORS FOR CONSIDERATION.— 
In establishing a schedule, the Secretary 
shall consider factors such as— 
(I) the responsibilities of partici-
pating and cooperating agencies under 
applicable laws; 
(II) the resources available to the 
project sponsor, joint lead agency, and 
other relevant Federal and State 
agencies, as applicable; 
(III) the overall size and com-
plexity of the project; 
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(IV) the overall schedule for and 
cost of the project; and 
(V) the sensitivity of the natural 
and historical resources that could be 
affected by the project. 
(iii) MODIFICATIONS.—The Secretary 
may— 
(I) lengthen a schedule estab-
lished under clause (i) for good cause; 
and 
(II) shorten a schedule only with 
concurrence of the affected partici-
pating and cooperating agencies and 
the project sponsor or joint lead agen-
cy, as applicable. 
(iv) DISSEMINATION.—A copy of a 
schedule established under clause (i) shall 
be— 
(I) provided to each participating 
and cooperating agency and the 
project sponsor or joint lead agency, 
as applicable; and 
(II) made available to the public. 
(2) COMMENT DEADLINES.—The Federal lead 
agency shall establish the following deadlines for 
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comment during the environmental review process 
for a project study: 
(A) 
DRAFT
ENVIRONMENTAL
IMPACT 
STATEMENTS.—For comments by Federal and 
State agencies and the public on a draft envi-
ronmental impact statement, a period of not 
more than 60 days after publication in the Fed-
eral Register of notice of the date of public 
availability of the draft environmental impact 
statement, unless— 
(i) a different deadline is established 
by agreement of the Federal lead agency, 
the project sponsor or joint lead agency, as 
applicable, and all participating and co-
operating agencies; or 
(ii) the deadline is extended by the 
Federal lead agency for good cause. 
(B) 
OTHER
ENVIRONMENTAL
REVIEW 
PROCESSES.—For all other comment periods es-
tablished by the Federal lead agency for agency 
or public comments in the environmental review 
process, a period of not more than 30 days 
after the date on which the materials on which 
comment is requested are made available, un-
less— 
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(i) a different deadline is established 
by agreement of the Federal lead agency, 
the project sponsor, or joint lead agency, 
as applicable, and all participating and co-
operating agencies; or 
(ii) the deadline is extended by the 
Federal lead agency for good cause. 
(3) DEADLINES FOR DECISIONS UNDER OTHER 
LAWS.—In any case in which a decision under any 
Federal law relating to a project study, including the 
issuance or denial of a permit or license, is required 
to be made by the date described in subsection 
(i)(5)(B), the Secretary shall submit to the Com-
mittee on Natural Resources of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Committees on Energy and 
Natural Resources and Indian Affairs of the Sen-
ate— 
(A) as soon as practicable after the 180- 
day period described in subsection (i)(5)(B), an 
initial notice of the failure of the Federal agen-
cy to make the decision; and 
(B) every 60 days thereafter until such 
date as all decisions of the Federal agency re-
lating to the project study have been made by 
the Federal agency, an additional notice that 
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