7 CFR § 3407.4 - Responsibilities.
The NIFA officials identified below are responsible for carrying out the provisions of NEPA as indicated:
(a) Director. The Director is responsible for providing leadership, formulating agency policies and procedures to implement NEPA, and making available necessary resources to ensure that NEPA goals are met.
(b) Deputy Directors and Assistant Directors. Deputy Directors and Assistant Directors are responsible for:
(1) Ensuring that eligible institutions under NIFA formula grant programs are notified of agency environmental requirements before projects to be funded with formula funds are submitted to NIFA for approval;
(2) Assuring that adequate consideration is given to environmental effects of proposed actions during programmatic planning and decisionmaking processes for grants, cooperative agreements, and formula projects;
(3) Ensuring that environmental information is reviewed and that required documentation is developed in a timely and satisfactory manner for grants, cooperative agreements, and formula projects; and
(4) Approving courses of action within the range of alternatives presented including, as appropriate, approval or recommendation of EAs and EISs for grants, cooperative agreements, and formula projects.
(c) Program Managers. NIFA Program Managers are responsible for:
(1) Preparing EISs when required;
(2) Reviewing and making recommendations relating to environmental documentation submitted by project recipients;
(3) Recommending and implementing courses of action within the range of alternatives presented; and
(4) Monitoring results.
(d) Authorized Departmental Officer. The Authorized Departmental Officer is responsible for:
(1) Ensuring that eligible applicants under NIFA's project grant programs are notified of agency environmental requirements in advance of proposal preparation;
(2) Providing terms and conditions of grant award for adequate environmental documentation; and
(3) Authorizing the commencement of approved project activities.
Where agency environmental requirements are set forth in program regulations, solicitations of applications, program guidelines, or other documents that apprise applicants of environmental requirements, the requirement for advance notification to potential applicants shall be satisfied.