---
title: "Index public comments on a contested federal action"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/practice/planning-and-environment/build-a-submissions-summary-for-a-contested-development-application/united-states"
type: "task_jurisdiction_version"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "A12-B7-2-US"
practice_area: "Planning & Environment"
tier: "green"
lawyer_review: "required"
jurisdictions: ["US"]
last_reviewed: "2026-10-22"
---

# Index public comments on a contested federal action

> For each comment in the file, record the commenter, the page, and the topic in the commenter's own words. Make no recommendation.

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/practice/planning-and-environment/build-a-submissions-summary-for-a-contested-development-application/united-states  
Last reviewed: 2026-10-22

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

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Practice area | [Planning & Environment](https://ailawframework.com/practice/planning-and-environment.md) |
| Human involvement | Green: AI drafts, lawyer checks |
| How AI is used | For each comment in the file, record the commenter, the page, and the topic in the commenter's own words. Make no recommendation. |
| What the lawyer must review | For a major federal action significantly affecting the human environment, 42 USC section 4332(C) requires a detailed statement, and the statement and the comments of appropriate agencies are made available to the President, the Council on Environmental Quality, and the public. The index records comments already in the file. It does not weigh them. The Council on Environmental Quality regulations formerly in 40 CFR parts 1500 to 1508 were removed, effective 8 January 2026. Do not organise the index around those regulations. A city hearing on a local permit is governed by the local ordinance, not by section 4332. |
| Written for | United States |
| Applies to | [Build a submissions summary for a contested development application](https://ailawframework.com/practice/planning-and-environment/build-a-submissions-summary-for-a-contested-development-application.md) |

## Checking plan

- What the AI does: For each comment in the file, record the commenter, the page, and the topic in the commenter's own words. Make no recommendation.
- Basis: Checked against the linked sources on 22 October 2026. Confirm the current instrument before reliance.

## Notes

- The index is not the response to comments. You write any response that the agency or the applicant will file.
- Do not treat a local development application as a federal action unless a federal statute applies.

## Sources

- [42 USC section 4332 (National Environmental Policy Act, detailed statement)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/42/4332) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [Federal Register, 8 January 2026: removal of CEQ NEPA implementing regulations](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/01/08/2026-00178/removal-of-national-environmental-policy-act-implementing-regulations) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [California Government Code section 65850 (authority for zoning ordinances)](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=GOV&sectionNum=65850.) (checked 2026-10-22)

## Forms and precedents for this task

| Form or precedent | Kind | AI level | Summary |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [NEPA detailed statement checklist](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/planning-and-environment/us-detailed-statement-checklist.md) | Checklist | Yellow | Checklist of the detailed-statement elements in 42 U.S.C. § 4332(2)(C), plus the integrity, data, and alternatives directions that were read. It does not decide that a statement is required. |
| [NEPA comment record checklist](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/planning-and-environment/us-comment-record.md) | Checklist | Yellow | Checklist of what a public comment file should identify before a letter under 42 U.S.C. § 4332 is sent. The agency's notice supplies the deadline and the address. |

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.*