§6.103 Responsibilities.

(a) General responsibilities. (1) The responsible official's duties include:

(i) Requiring applicants, contractors, and grantees to submit environmental information documents and related documents and assuring that environmental reviews are conducted on proposed EPA projects at the earliest possible point in EPA's decision-making process. In this regard, the responsible official shall assure the early involvement and availability of information for private applicants and other non-Federal entities requiring EPA approvals.

(ii) When required, assuring that adequate draft EISs are prepared and distributed at the earliest possible point in EPA's decision-making process, their internal and external review is coordinated, and final EISs are prepared and distributed.

(iii) When an EIS is not prepared, assuring documentation of the decision to grant a categorical exclusion, or assuring that findings of no significant impact (FNSIs) and environmental assessments are prepared and distributed for those actions requiring them.

(iv) Consulting with appropriate officials responsible for other environmental laws set forth in subpart C.

(v) Consulting with the Office of External Affairs (OEA) on actions involving unresolved conflicts concerning this part or other Federal agencies.

(vi) When required, assuring that public participation requirements are met.

(2) Office of External Affairs duties include: (i) Supporting the Administrator in providing EPA policy guidance and assuring that EPA offices establish and maintain adequate administrative procedures to comply with this part.

(ii) Monitoring the overall timeliness and quality of the EPA effort to comply with this part.

(iii) Providing assistance to responsible officials as required, i.e., preparing guidelines describing the scope of environmental information required by private applicants relating to their proposed actions.

(iv) Coordinating the training of personnel involved in the review and preparation of EISs and other associated documents.

(v) Acting as EPA liaison with the Council on Environmental Quality and other Federal and State entities on matters of EPA policy and administrative mechanisms to facilitate external review of EISs, to determine lead agency and to improve the uniformity of the NEPA procedures of Federal agencies.

(vi) Advising the Administrator and Deputy Administrator on projects which involve more than one EPA office, are highly controversial, are nationally significant, or pioneer EPA policy, when these projects have had or should have an EIS prepared on them.

(vii) Carrying out administrative duties relating to maintaining status of EISs within EPA, i.e., publication of notices of intent in the FEDERAL REGISTER and making available to the public status reports on EISs and other elements of the environmental review process.

(3) Office of an Assistant Administrator duties include: (i) Providing specific policy guidance to their respective offices and assuring that those offices establish and maintain adequate administrative procedures to comply with this part.

(ii) Monitoring the overall timeliness and quality of their respective office's efforts to comply with this part.

(iii) Acting as liaison between their offices and the OEA and between their offices and other Assistant Administrators or Regional Administrators on matters of agencywide policy and procedures.

(iv) Advising the Administrator and Deputy Administrator through the OEA on projects or activities within their respective areas of responsibilities which involve more than one EPA office, are highly controversial, are nationally significant, or pioneer EPA policy, when these projects will have or should have an EIS prepared on them.

(v) Pursuant to §6.102(b) of this subpart, preparing legislative EISs as appropriate on EPA legislative initiatives.

(4) The Office of Policy, Planning, and Evaluation duties include: responsibilities for coordinating the preparation of EISs required on EPA legislative proposals in accordance with §6.102(b).

(b) Responsibilities for subpart E -- (1) Responsible official. The responsible official for EPA actions covered by this subpart is the Regional Administrator.

(2) Assistant Administrator. The responsibilities of the Assistant Administrator, as described in §6.103(a)(3), shall be assumed by the Assistant Administrator for Water for EPA actions covered by this subpart.

(c) Responsibilities for subpart F -- (1) Responsible official. The responsible official for activities covered by this subpart is the Regional Administrator.

(2) Assistant Administrator. The responsibilities of the Assistant Administrator, as described in §6.103(a)(3), shall be assumed by the Assistant Administrator for Enforcement and Compliance Monitoring for EPA actions covered by this subpart.

(d) Responsibilities for subpart G. The Assistant Administrator for Research and Development will be the responsible official for activities covered by this subpart.

(e) Responsibilities for subpart H. The Assistant Administrator for Solid Waste and Emergency Response will be the responsible official for activities covered by this subpart.

(f) Responsibilities for subpart I. The responsible official for new construction and modification of special purpose facilities is as follows:

(1) The Chief, Facilities Engineering and Real Estate Branch, Facilities and Support Services Division, Office of the Assistant Administrator for Administration and Resource Management (OARM) shall be the responsible official on all new construction of special purpose facilities and on all new modification projects for which the Facilities Engineering and Real Estate Branch has received a funding allowance and for all other field components not covered elsewhere in paragraph (f) of this section.

(2) The Regional Administrator shall be the responsible official on all improvement and modification projects for which the regional office has received the funding allowance.

[44 FR 64177, Nov. 6, 1979, as amended at 47 FR 9829, Mar. 8, 1982; 50 FR 26315, June 25, 1985; 51 FR 32609, Sept. 12, 1986]