Agencies shall reduce excessive paperwork by:

(a) Reducing the length of environmental impact statements (§1502.2(c)), by means such as setting appropriate page limits (§§1501.7(b)(1) and 1502.7).

(b) Preparing analytic rather than encyclopedic environmental impact statements (§1502.2(a)).

(c) Discussing only briefly issues other than significant ones (§1502.2(b)).

(d) Writing environmental impact statements in plain language (§1502.8).

(e) Following a clear format for environmental impact statements (§1502.10).

(f) Emphasizing the portions of the environmental impact statement that are useful to decisionmakers and the public (§§1502.14 and 1502.15) and reducing emphasis on background material (§1502.16).

(g) Using the scoping process, not only to identify significant environmental issues deserving of study, but also to deemphasize insignificant issues, narrowing the scope of the environmental impact statement process accordingly (§1501.7).

(h) Summarizing the environmental impact statement (§1502.12) and circulating the summary instead of the entire environmental impact statement if the latter is unusually long (§1502.19).

(i) Using program, policy, or plan environmental impact statements and tiering from statements of broad scope to those of narrower scope, to eliminate repetitive discussions of the same issues (§§1502.4 and 1502.20).

(j) Incorporating by reference (§1502.21).

(k) Integrating NEPA requirements with other environmental review and consultation requirements (§1502.25).

(l) Requiring comments to be as specific as possible (§1503.3).

(m) Attaching and circulating only changes to the draft environmental impact statement, rather than rewriting and circulating the entire statement when changes are minor (§1503.4(c)).

(n) Eliminating duplication with State and local procedures, by providing for joint preparation (§1506.2), and with other Federal procedures, by providing that an agency may adopt appropriate environmental documents prepared by another agency (§1506.3).

(o) Combining environmental documents with other documents (§1506.4).

(p) Using categorical exclusions to define categories of actions which do not individually or cumulatively have a significant effect on the human environment and which are therefore exempt from requirements to prepare an environmental impact statement (§1508.4).

(q) Using a finding of no significant impact when an action not otherwise excluded will not have a significant effect on the human environment and is therefore exempt from requirements to prepare an environmental impact statement (§1508.13).

[43 FR 55990, Nov. 29, 1978; 44 FR 873, Jan. 3, 1979]