HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemoDepartment of Justice
;i Office of Justice Programs
Bureau of Justice Assistance
Washington, D.C. 20531
Memorandum To: Official Grant File
From: Maria A. Berry, NEPA Coordinator
Subject: Incorporates NEPA Compliance in Further Developmental Stages for City of Miami
The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program (JAG) allows states and local
governments to support a broad range of activities to prevent and control crime and to improve the
criminal justice system, some of which could have environmental impacts. All recipients of JAG funding
must assist BJA in complying with NEPA and other related federal environmental impact analyses
requirements in the use of grant funds, whether the funds are used directly by the grantee or by a
subgrantee or third party. Accordingly, prior to obligating funds for any of the specified activities, the
grantee must first determine if any of the specified activities will be funded by the grant.
The specified activities requiring environmental analysis are:
a. New construction;
b. Any renovation or remodeling of a property located in an environmentally or historically sensitive
area, including properties located within a 100 -year flood plain, a wetland, or habitat for endangered
species, or a property listed on or eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places;
c. A renovation, lease, or any proposed use of a building or facility that will either (a) result in a change
in its basic prior use or (b) significantly change its size;
d. Implementation of a new program involving the use of chemicals other than chemicals that are (a)
purchased as an incidental component of a funded activity and (b) traditionally used, for example, in
office, household, recreational, or education environments; and
e. Implementation of a program relating to clandestine methamphetamine laboratory operations,
including the identification, seizure, or closure of clandestine methamphetamine laboratories.
Complying with NEPA may require the preparation of an Environmental Assessment and/or an
Environmental Impact Statement, as directed by BJA. Further, for programs relating to
methamphetamine laboratory operations, the preparation of a detailed Mitigation Plan will be required.
For more information about Mitigation Plan requirements, please see
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/resource/nepa.html.
Please be sure to carefully review the grant conditions on your award document, as it may contain more
specific information about environmental compliance.