Environmental Review Requests

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires federal agencies and those working on behalf of federal agencies to consider impacts of proposed actions and reasonable alternatives to those actions through the preparation of an environmental impact statement (EIS) or environmental assessment (EA) ("NEPA documents") or determination of a categorical exclusion (CE).

As a trustee of natural resources in Tennessee and as the state environmental regulatory agency, TDEC is responsible for participating in this process by reviewing and commenting on NEPA documents prepared by federal agencies (i.e., "cooperating agency"). Other activities may include:

• Participating in the NEPA process at the earliest possible time, including during the scoping process. Formal NEPA scoping documents are authored by the federal agency or an agent designated by the federal agency.
• Making available staff support at the lead agency's request to enhance the lead agency's interdisciplinary capabilities.

Timelines for review and comment on NEPA documents vary, ranging anywhere from 30-60 days following the release of the document.

Within TDEC, our office is responsible for the coordination of department-wide responses to requests for review and comment on NEPA documents for proposed projects within Tennessee that trigger requirements pursuant to NEPA. Our office does not coordinate preliminary environmental review requests. These requests should continue to be directed to the appropriate TDEC division(s).

Requesting NEPA Document Review 

To submit a request, please email TDEC.NEPA@tn.gov and provide the following information:

• Document for Review
• Agency Contact
• Location Information
• Deadline for Comment Submission

If you are requesting a review of a Draft EA or EIS, TDEC’s Office of Policy and Planning will provide a comment letter directly to the agency contact.  

Note: TDEC does not coordinate review and comment of notifications of intent to prepare/scoping of an EIS or EA or environmental review consultation requests. For more information, please contact individual divisions using the contact information in the dropdown below. 

Environmental consultation requests not subject to NEPA are reviewed individually by TDEC’s environmental divisions. These requests can include requests for environmental consultation, environmental review, or technical assistance on proposed actions or projects from various different groups including, but not limited to, federal, state, and local government agencies, consulting firms, and businesses. These requests may alude to NEPA, but are not formal NEPA documents. 

Environmental consultation requests are not reviewed and responded  to by a central entity at TDEC. Requests should be submitted to relevant environmental divisions. Contact information for each division is provided below.