GPR 8500.1.pdf

DIRECTIVE NO. GPR 8500.1C APPROVED BY Signature: Original Signed By

EFFECTIVE DATE: April 17, 2017 NAME: Raymond Rubilotta

EXPIRATION DATE: April 17, 2022 TITLE: Director Of Management Operations

CHECK THE GSFC DIRECTIVES MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AT

http://gdms.gsfc.nasa.gov TO VERIFY THAT THIS IS THE CORRECT VERSION PRIOR TO USE.

08/16

Goddard Procedural Requirements (GPR)

COMPLIANCE IS MANDATORY

Responsible Office: 250/Medical and Environmental Management Division (MEMD)

Title: Environmental Planning and Impact Assessment

PREFACE

P.1 PURPOSE

The purpose of this directive is to outline procedures and responsibilities to ensure that the Goddard

Space Flight Center (GSFC) performs environmental planning and review of proposed actions for compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other applicable Federal, state, and local regulations.

P.2 APPLICABILITY

a. These procedures are applicable to GSFC programs, projects, activities, operations, and actions that have potential environmental implications. This directive applies to all GSFC personnel and facilities at all permanent, temporary, and foreign sites, as appropriate. This directive also applies to all GSFC tenant organizations, contractors, grantees, clubs, and other persons operating under the auspices of GSFC or on GSFC property as required by law and as directed by contractual, grant, and agreement documents.

b. In this directive, all document citations are assumed to be the latest version unless otherwise noted.

c. In this directive, all mandatory actions (i.e., requirements) are denoted by statements containing the term “shall.” The terms “may” or “can” denote discretionary privilege or permission; “should” denotes a good practice and is recommended but not required; “will” denotes expected outcome; and

“are/is” denotes descriptive material.

P.3 AUTHORITY

a. NASA Policy Directive 8500.1, NASA Environmental Management

b. Goddard Policy Directive 8500.1, Environmental Policy and Program Management

P.4 APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS AND FORMS

a. NEPA of 1969, as amended,42 U.S.C.§4321 et seq.

b. Executive Order (EO) 12114, Environmental Effects Abroad of Major Federal Actions http://gdms.gsfc.nasa.gov/

DIRECTIVE NO. GPR 8500.1C Page 2 of 10

EFFECTIVE DATE: April 17, 2017

EXPIRATION DATE: April 17, 2022

c. Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for Implementing the Procedural Provisions of

NEPA (40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), parts 1500-1508.)

d. Procedures for Implementing NEPA (14 CFR, subpart 1216.3)

e. NASA Procedural Requirements (NPR) 1441.1, NASA Records Retention Schedules (NRRS)

f. NPR 8580.1, NASA National Environmental Policy Act Management Requirements

g. NPR 8553.1, NASA Environmental Management System

h. NASA NEPA Desk Guide

i. GSFC Form 23-73, Environmental Checklist, Facilities

j. GSFC Form 23-74, Environmental Checklist, Flight Projects

k. GSFC Form 23-75, Environmental Checklist, Research and Development (R&D) Projects

l. GSFC Form 23-77, Environmental Checklist, Grants

m. GSFC Form 23-78, Environmental Checklist, Routine Payload Projects

n. Environmental Checklist, Wallops Flight Facility (WFF) Site-Wide EA

P.5 CANCELLATION

GPR 8500.1B Environmental Planning and Impact Assessment

P.6 SAFETY

None

P.7 TRAINING

None

P.8 RECORDS

The following records result from the processes described herein and are defined in NPR 8580.1:

Record Title Record Custodian Retention

Environmental Checklist MEMD *NRRS 8/23.5B1c

Destroy when 10 years old. Retention period may be lengthened to comply with state or local statutes and regulations.

Record of Environmental Consideration

(REC)

MEMD NRRS 8/23.5B1c

DIRECTIVE NO. GPR 8500.1C Page 3 of 10

Environmental Assessment (EA) MEMD NRRS 8/23.5B1b

Destroy 75 years after program, project or incident closes, or when the office of general counsel determines records are no longer needed, whichever is later

Finding of No Significant Impact MEMD NRRS 8/23.5B1b

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) MEMD NRRS 8/23.5B1b

Record of Decision MEMD NRRS 8/23.5B1b

Environmental Resources Document

(ERD)

MEMD NRRS 8/23.5B5

Destroy when 10 years old. Retention period may be lengthened to comply with state or local statutes and regulations.

*NRRS 1441.1 – NASA Records Retention Schedules

P.9 MEASUREMENT/VERIFICATION

MEMD shall track the following annually:

a. Projects for which the NEPA process was completed.

b. Number and type of Categorical Exclusions.

c. EAs/EISs for which NASA was a cooperating agency or had a cooperating agency.

PROCEDURES

1.0 Roles and Responsibilities

1.1 The Center Director ensures that the NEPA process and environmental planning are integrated into the Center’s project planning and decision-making activities.

1.2 Directors of shall:

a. Ensure directorate programs, projects, and activities are performed in accordance with NEPA and this directive; and

b. Ensure adequate resources for environmental planning and implementing the NEPA process, including the preparation of NEPA documentation, are included in the project budget requests.

1.3 Division Chiefs, Program Managers, Project Managers, Planners, and Activity Leads shall:

a. Identify programs, projects, activities, operations, and actions that may affect the environment or require environmental planning;

b. Coordinate with MEMD early in the planning (as soon as the scope is known) of new programs, projects, and activities;

DIRECTIVE NO. GPR 8500.1C Page 4 of 10

c. Initiate environmental planning, including completing the appropriate environmental checklist(s);

d. Ensure compliance with NEPA and other environmental laws and regulations, including the preparation of required documentation;

e. Ensure the NEPA process is completed properly and in a timely manner as required in NPR 8580.1;

f. Maintain environmental documentation in project files;

g. Ensure that necessary actions are taken, in coordination with MEMD, to meet the applicable requirements of environmental laws and regulations. This includes obtaining necessary permits and implementing mitigation and monitoring requirements;

h. Provide the needed resources/funding required for the NEPA process/documentation and compliance with environmental requirements; and

i. Notify the MEMD if a change occurs in the program, project, or activity that is relevant to environmental concerns.

1.4 The Chief of MEMD shall assign a Center NEPA Manager (CNM) for Greenbelt and one for WFF.

1.5 MEMD CNM and Environmental Program Managers (EPMs) shall:

a. Assist projects with environmental planning, permitting, reporting, and compliance with NEPA and other environmental requirements;

b. Support and manage the NEPA process and preparation of NEPA documentation: Categorical

Exclusion/Record of Environmental Consideration (CatEx/REC), Environmental Assessment

(EA)/Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) or Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)/Record of Decision (ROD);

c. Review and concur on appropriate environmental analyses, including NEPA documentation and technical studies;

d. Maintain environmental documentation and administrative records, submit to Headquarters

Environmental Management Division as appropriate, and input data into Headquarters’ NASA

Environmental Tracking System database; and

e. Maintain and update GSFC’s ERDs (see Section 3.0).

2.0 Environmental Planning and Impact Assessment for Projects

2.1 Environmental planning provides a process to identify environmental impacts, issues, and requirements associated with a project and to incorporate them into project planning and decision making. Environmental planning shall be integrated early into the planning process for proposed

GSFC projects and activities. This facilitates compliance with NEPA and other environmental laws, minimizes impacts to the environment, and avoids cost and schedule impacts to the project.

NASA uses the NEPA process as a framework for balanced and integrated environmental planning.

NEPA is Federal legislation that establishes our national environmental policy. This law requires

Federal agencies to consider the environmental impacts of actions in their planning and decision-making processes. While NEPA does not apply abroad, EO 12114 does, and requires Federal agencies to also consider the environmental impacts of their actions outside the United States.

DIRECTIVE NO. GPR 8500.1C Page 5 of 10

GSFC implements NEPA and EO 12114 in accordance with NPR 8580.1 and NASA NEPA Desk

Guide.

2.2 The start of environmental review and the NEPA process (see Figure 1) begins with an environmental checklist.

a. Early in the planning stages of a project (as soon as the scope is known, Phase A for Flight

Projects), the project manager shall contact the CNM or other EPM.

b. The CNM shall determine which environmental checklist is required.

c. The project manager with support from the CNM, if needed, shall complete the appropriate environmental checklist(s) as directed, and submit it to the CNM. The following environmental checklists are available:

GSFC Form 23-73, Environmental Checklist, Facilities

GSFC Form 23-74, Environmental Checklist, Flight Projects

GSFC Form 23-75, Environmental Checklist, R&D Projects

GSFC Form 23-77, Environmental Checklist, Grants

GSFC Form 23-78, Environmental Checklist, Routine Payload Projects

Environmental Checklist, Wallops Flight Facility (WFF) Site-Wide EA

d. The EPMs and the CNM shall review the checklist to identify potential environmental issues and compliance requirements.

e. The CNM shall determine the appropriate level of NEPA documentation (CatEx/REC, EA, and

EIS).

f. The results of the review shall be provided to the project manager.

g. Preparation of NEPA documentation shall be done in accordance with NPR 8580.1 and NASA

NEPA Desk Guide.

h. For actions abroad, EO 12114 applies, and necessary analysis and documentation shall be prepared in accordance with NPR 8580.1 and the NASA NEPA Desk Guide

i. The project manager shall coordinate with the EPMs in MEMD (e.g., Air, Water, Oil, Natural

Resources, Waste Management, and Remediation) to ensure that necessary actions are taken to meet the applicable requirements of environmental laws and regulations.

j. MEMD shall provide support for permitting, reporting, mitigation and monitoring activities and preparation of NEPA documentation.

k. The project and MEMD shall work within the EMS structure of Plan-Do-Check-Act (see NPR

8553.1), as appropriate, to ensure compliance, mitigation and monitoring goals are met, and corrective actions are taken when needed.

3.0 Environmental Resources Document (ERD)

NPR 8580.1 requires that each NASA Center maintain an ERD. The purpose of the ERD is to provide a baseline of environmental aspects/conditions of the facility and its operations for use in the preparation of NEPA documentation, e.g., EAs and EISs.

DIRECTIVE NO. GPR 8500.1C Page 6 of 10

a. MEMD shall prepare and maintain separate GSFC ERDs, one for Greenbelt and one for WFF.

b. The ERD shall be maintained up to date, and thoroughly reviewed every five years and revised if necessary.

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Figure 1. Environmental Planning and Impact Assessment Process

EA Process * ^ EIS Process * ^ CatEx/REC * ^

CNM = Center NEPA Manager

CatEx= Categorical Exclusion

EA = Environmental Assessment

EIS = Environmental Impact

Statement

EPM = Environmental Program

Manager

EO = Executive Order

MEMD = Medical and

Environmental Management

Division

REC = Record of Environmental

Consideration

* Project manager

^ CNM and EPMs

EO 12114

Process * ^

Obtain Environmental Permits, etc. *

Implement Action *

Mitigation and Monitoring *

Identification of Environmental Issues/Requirements ^

Determination of NEPA Documentation ^

Early Coordination with MEMD *

Completion of Environmental Checklist *

Review of Checklist ^

Coordination with Environmental Program Managers *

Proposed Project

DIRECTIVE NO. GPR 8500.1C Page 8 of 10

Appendix A – Definitions

Unless otherwise addressed herein, the definitions and terms used in NEPA, 40 CFR Parts 1500 – 1508, 14 CFR Part 1216.3, NPR 8580.1, and EO 12114 apply to this directive.

A.1 Project means any GSFC program, project, activity, operation, or action.

A.2 Project Manager means program and project managers or scientists, planners, activity leads or other persons responsible for an action.

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Appendix B – Acronyms

CFR – Code of Federal Regulations

CNM - Center NEPA Manager

EA – Environmental Assessment

ERD – Environmental Resources Document

EIS – Environmental Impact Statement

EMS – Environmental Management System

EO – Executive Order

EPM - Environmental Program Manager

FONSI - Finding of No Significant Impact

GPR – Goddard Procedural Requirements

GSFC – Goddard Space Flight Center

MEMD – Medical and Environmental Management Division

NEPA – National Environmental Policy Act

NPR – NASA Procedural Requirements

NRRS – NASA Records Retention Schedule

REC – Record of Environmental Consideration

ROD - Record of Decision

R&D – Research and Development

WFF – Wallops Flight Facility

DIRECTIVE NO. GPR 8500.1C Page 10 of 10

CHANGE HISTORY LOG

Revision Effective Date Description of Changes

Baseline 10/5/2007 Initial Release

A

03/10/2010 Administratively revised to show Safety and Environmental

Division (S&E) change to Medical and Environmental

Management Division (MEMD) due to division name change.

B 06/21/2012 Moved document to the current GPR template.

P4: Updated references for items a, c and d.

Section 1: 1.1 Added “The Center Director delegates the authority to designate Center NEPA Managers to the Chief of

MEMD.”

Added “1.4 The Chief of MEMD shall assign a Center

NEPA Program Manager for Greenbelt and one for

WFF.”

Renumbered 1.4 to become 1.5.

Section 3: updated regulatory reference from NASA 14 CFR

1216.3 to NPR 8580.1. Changed “Wallops” to “WFF.”

C 04/17/2017 Moved document to current GPR template

P.4: Updated applicable documents

P.7: Changed to “None”

P.8: Deleted records not referenced in text

1.0: Updated roles and responsibilities

2.0: Updated the process and reformatted

Figure 1: Updated figure

Appendix A Definitions: Added definition of project manager

Appendix B-Acronyms: Updated acronyms