---
title: "Map the federal environmental-review pathway for the project"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/practice/energy-resources-and-mining/prepare-the-environmental-approvals-pathway-for-the-project/united-states"
type: "task_jurisdiction_version"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "A13-T1-R4-US"
practice_area: "Energy, Resources & Mining"
tier: "yellow"
lawyer_review: "required"
jurisdictions: ["US"]
last_reviewed: "2026-10-22"
---

# Map the federal environmental-review pathway for the project

> List the federal approvals the lawyer has identified and whether each is described as a major federal action. Do not conclude that an environmental impact statement is, or is not, required.

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/practice/energy-resources-and-mining/prepare-the-environmental-approvals-pathway-for-the-project/united-states  
Last reviewed: 2026-10-22

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Practice area | [Energy, Resources & Mining](https://ailawframework.com/practice/energy-resources-and-mining.md) |
| Human involvement | Yellow: Lawyer and AI draft together |
| How AI is used | List the federal approvals the lawyer has identified and whether each is described as a major federal action. Do not conclude that an environmental impact statement is, or is not, required. |
| What the lawyer must review | 42 U.S.C. § 4332(C) requires, for every recommendation or report on proposals for legislation and other major federal actions significantly affecting the quality of the human environment, a detailed statement on the environmental impact, any reasonably foreseeable adverse effects that cannot be avoided, and a reasonable range of alternatives that are technically and economically feasible and meet the purpose and need. The responsible official prepares that statement. State permits are a separate pathway. The lawyer decides which paragraph applies. Do not import an Australian environmental-approval statute. |
| Written for | United States |
| Applies to | [Prepare the environmental-approvals pathway for the project](https://ailawframework.com/practice/energy-resources-and-mining/prepare-the-environmental-approvals-pathway-for-the-project.md) |

## Checking plan

- What the AI does: List the federal approvals the lawyer has identified and whether each is described as a major federal action. Do not conclude that an environmental impact statement is, or is not, required.
- Basis: Checked against the linked sources on 22 October 2026. Confirm the current instrument before reliance.

## Notes

- Section 4332(C) is the detailed-statement duty for a major federal action. It does not decide whether a particular drilling permit or lease sale is that action.
- A state environmental-review statute can apply alongside NEPA. Open it before the pathway is treated as complete.

## Sources

- [42 U.S.C. § 4332 (National Environmental Policy Act, cooperation of agencies)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/42/4332) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [30 U.S.C. § 226 (oil and gas leasing on federal land)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/30/226) (checked 2026-10-22)

## Forms and precedents for this task

| Form or precedent | Kind | AI level | Summary |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [EPBC significant-impact self-assessment before a referral](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/energy-resources-and-mining/epbc-significant-impact-screen.md) | Checklist | Yellow | The four questions in the 2013 Significant Impact Guidelines 1.1 for deciding whether an action should be referred under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. |

Signed-in accounts can read the full text of each one.

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*