National Environmental Policy Act Training Curriculum

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20240
https://www.blm.gov

April 2, 2019

In Reply Refer To:
1790 (200) P  

EMS TRANSMISSION 04/09/2019
Information Bulletin No. 2019-030   

To:                   All Assistant Directors, State Directors, and Center Directors

From:               Kristin Bail, Assistant Director, Resources and Planning

Subject:           National Environmental Policy Act Training Curriculum                                                                 

The purpose of this Information Bulletin (IB) is to provide training recommendations to support streamlining of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), planning, and decision support activities. This IB provides information on basic and intermediate NEPA training for BLM employees, based on their role in the NEPA process, along with training for additional NEPA-related skills, such as interdisciplinary team management, technical writing, and public involvement.

This IB informs line officers and staff of recommended training plans for BLM employees to acquire skills necessary to implement NEPA in a streamlined, efficient manner. The plan of study varies depending on the person’s role in the NEPA process, as defined in Part 2 of the attached Curriculum Guide. The NEPA roles are:   

• Decision Maker / Authorized Officer
• Project Lead / Project Manager
• Planning and Environmental Coordinator or Specialist
• Interdisciplinary Team Member / Resource Specialist
• NEPA Document Reviewer

The Curriculum Guide also provides training recommendations for three non-BLM groups: Solicitor, Cooperating Agency/Tribe/Agency Partner, and the General Public, who are interested in NEPA analysis on public lands.

Courses listed in the Curriculum Guide are currently available through the BLM National Training Center. Web-based courses are available online “on demand” by clicking on the links in the Curriculum Guide, through the course catalog in DOI Talent, or by going to the NEPA Training Corner Google site at https://sites.google.com/a/blm.gov/nepa-training/home. As new courses are developed to meet training needs of BLM NEPA practitioners (for example, in response to policy changes), they will be added to the Curriculum Guide, which can be found at the BLM National Training Center website (https://krc.blm.gov/viewresource.php?courseID=1061).

Other BLM staff without a specific NEPA role, but who would benefit from a working knowledge of NEPA, can find training recommendations on pages 12 and 13 of the Curriculum Guide.

Background:  In accordance with NEPA and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, the BLM prepares about 5,000 NEPA documents (environmental assessments (EA), environmental impact statements (EIS), Categorical Exclusions (CX), and Determinations of NEPA Adequacy (DNA)) each year.  In an internal memo dated March 27, 2017, the Secretary of the Interior directed the BLM to identify and implement solutions for streamlining the Bureau's land use planning and NEPA processes. On August 31, 2017, the Deputy Secretary of the Interior issued S.O. 3355, which, among other instruction on streamlining, set page and time limits for the completion of environmental impact statements. One of the action items the BLM identified to support the streamlining effort is to ensure that all NEPA practitioners are adequately trained in NEPA analysis and related skills, including technical writing, project management, collaboration, geospatial tools, socioeconomics, and managing interdisciplinary teams.

By implementing training recommendations based on role in the NEPA process, this IB is intended to increase the knowledge and skills of BLM employees, thereby improving their ability to meet the current page and time limits.

Contact: If you have questions concerning the content of this IB, please contact Leah Baker, Division Chief for Decision Support, Planning and NEPA (WO-210) at (202) 912-7282 or lbaker@blm.gov; or Matt Azhocar, Acting Chief, Division of Training and Employee Development, at (602) 906-5521 or mazhocar@blm.gov.  

Signed by:                                                                   Authenticated by:
Kristin Bail                                                                  Robert M. Williams
Assistant Director                                                       Division of Business Resources,WO-850
Resources and Planning

1 Attachment
    1 - BLM NEPA Curriculum Guide (40 pp)