Article 68: Environmental Compliance

(Category: environmental-and-historical-compliance)

Article Summary

FEMA’s policy dictates that all disaster response, recovery, mitigation, and preparedness operations must be consistent with federal environmental and historic preservation laws. FEMA objective is to protect, restore, and enhance environmental quality while achieving resource use without degradation.

Applicants have access to a digital reference library of streamlined procedures, planning toolkits, and historical disaster profiles, including the Eight-Step Planning Process for Floodplain/Wetland Management, Statutory Exclusions, Categorical Exclusions, Anatomy of an Environmental Assessment, and Programmatic Agreements. These tools assist applicants in streamlining coordination with regional agencies for clean air, water, and wildlife species protection.

Five Key Takeaways for CTA FEMA Compliance

1. Leverage Active Programmatic Agreements: Utilize your state’s pre-executed Programmatic Agreements to fast-track reviews, as these explicitly identify project types excluded from lengthy NHPA/NEPA tracks.
2. Execute the 8-Step Land-Use Process: Document every stage of the mandatory 8-step planning process before locating any temporary facility or permanent project inside a verified wetland or floodplain.
3. Check for Valid Statutory Exclusions: Cross-reference emergency repairs against FEMA's Statutory Exclusions list to determine if the project can bypass extended environmental impact reporting.
4. Maintain Regional Agency Contact Protocols: Utilize regional environmental contact directories to coordinate early with local regulators, preventing conflicting state and federal directives.
5. Incorporate General Salvage and Recycling Standards: Align debris management and structure removal operations with federal resource recovery goals by maximizing the recycling of depletable construction materials.

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