Opinion ID: 421168
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: District Engineer's Environmental Assessment

Text: 21 An environmental assessment is a preliminary document in the permitting process. It is a brief document which provides sufficient information on potential environmental effects of the proposed action ... to the district engineer, to determine if an [environmental impact statement] is required.... 33 C.F.R. § 230.10 (1982). 22 Save Our Wetlands contends that the Corps violated its regulatory authority by failing to prepare and sign the environmental assessment. The regulations provide that: 23 (4) The District Engineer shall prepare an Environmental Assessment on all applications. The Environmental Assessment shall be dated, signed, and placed in the record and shall include the expected environmental impacts of the proposal. Where the District Engineer has delegated authority to sign permits for and in his behalf, he may similarly delegate the signing of the Environmental Assessment. 24 33 C.F.R. § 325.2(a)(4) (1979). The organization argues that the Corps violated this section because the assessment was prepared by Dr. Kilgen, an outside consultant hired by LP & L, and because Colonel Sands, the district engineer, or his designee failed to sign the assessment. The organization notes that shall is interpreted to be mandatory, therefore, the district engineer is obligated to prepare the assessment. 25 When LP & L applied for the permit, an assessment of the impact of the proposed project was required. That assessment was to consider environmental information provided by the applicant, all advice received from Federal, State and local agencies, and comments from the public. 33 C.F.R. § 209.410(e)(7) (1979). Before public notice of the application, the District Engineer was to make a preliminary assessment of environmental impacts and a preliminary determination as to whether the quality of the human environment would be significantly affected. 33 C.F.R. 325.4(b)(1) (1979), i.e., whether an environmental impact statement would be required under Section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act, 42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C). The preliminary assessment [would] normally be based on experience with similar type activities in the past, and the preliminary determination was to be included in the public notice and reconsidered as additional information [was] developed. 33 C.F.R. § 325.4(b)(1) (1979). After the period for comment by interested agencies and the public: 26 If the District Engineer's final determination after consideration of all additional information developed (including responses to the public notice) is that the proposed work will not significantly affect the quality of the human environment, the District Engineer's determination shall be documented, dated, and placed in the record as his Environmental Assessment. 27 33 C.F.R. § 325.4(b)(2) (1979) (emphasis added). 28 Neither the District Engineer nor his designee ever filed a document called an environmental assessment. Charles Decker, the Chief of the Corps' Operations Division in New Orleans, testified to that fact. The Corps, according to Decker, reviewed the environmental assessment compiled by Dr. Kilgen at LP & L's behest, public comments and materials in its file, and filed a finding of fact and a preliminary statement that no environmental impact statement was required. 29 A fair reading of these regulations, particularly 33 C.F.R. § 325.4(b)(2), discloses that no document entitled environmental assessment is required. But the District Engineer is to file his final determination that the proposed project will not significantly affect the quality of the human environment. This final determination shall be documented, dated and placed in the record as his Environmental Assessment. 33 C.F.R. § 325.4(b)(2). This may be signed by the District Engineer's designee. 30 A reasonable interpretation of these two parts of the regulations accords the word shall in section 325.2(a)(4) its ordinary mandatory meaning. With corresponding direction it permits the District Engineer to make that assessment in the form of a statement that the proposed work does not significantly affect the quality of the human environment.