State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA): Requires projects of a certain size by law that significant environmental impacts are evaluated before development is permitted.
(EAF): Initial SEQRA review document submitted regarding a proposed project, called an “action.” The EAF includes a checklist for systematic analysis by category to identify potential impacts.
Lead Agency: Government entity responsible for determining whether full environmental review, called an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), will be required, as well as for preparing and filing the EIS, if required. The Lead Agency is required by law to look at the “whole action,” considering all components, phases or aspects of a proposal.
Coordinated Review: one agency serves as Lead Agency to conduct the review although there may be multiple Involved Agencies.
Involved Agency: A public body that has jurisdiction by law to fund, approve or directly undertake an action.
Interested Agency: A public body that does not have jurisdiction in a project, but wishes to participate in the process because of its expertise or specific concern.
Type 1 Action: presumes that there may be at least one significant adverse impact, and that the action is more likely to require preparation of an EIS.
Positive Declaration: Occurs when the Lead Agency determines that the action has the potential to cause or result in at least one significant adverse environmental impact and defines content of the EIS, known as “scoping.”
Negative Declaration: Occurs when the Lead Agency concludes that project as proposed will have no significant adverse environmental impacts, because: no likely impacts were identified, no identified impacts are significant, or identified significant impacts are mitigated. Written determination must include reasons behind these conclusions
Segmentation: The ACTION of an Environmental Assessment Form is meant to outline the entire project, as it is the Action that the SEQR evaluation is based upon. Leaving pieces out is known as ‘Segmentation’ and is illegal in SEQR.