What's New

Postings on this page will be highlighted for 90 days.  Postings older than 90 days can be accessed on the Posting History page.

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• 09-22-25 The Notice of Statute of Limitations on Claims template has been updated to include new submittal instructions and guidance on websites and numbering. Completed notices will now need to be sent to your designated HQ Environmental Coordinator for a quality control review. When approved, the notice will be sent to the Division of Environmental Analysis Chief (Jeremy Ketchum), who will forward to FHWA for submittal to the Federal Register. Districts will no longer submit the notice directly to FHWA. Additional time should be allotted for this new process. Practitioners must use the template provided on the SER and carefully follow the instructions provided in the template to avoid any potential delays in posting to the Federal Register. For additional questions, please reach out to your designated HQ Environmental Coordinator.

• 09-18-25 The SER Volume 1, Chapter 20 - Section 4(f) has been updated with the following language to reflect changes made to 23 USC 138(a). The minimum number of days required for receipt of comments has been reduced from 45 to 30 as described below. Note that the regulations in 23 CFR 774.5(a) have not yet been updated to reflect this change.
  
  Prior to making Section 4(f) approvals under §774.3(a), the Section 4(f) evaluation must be provided for coordination and comment to the official(s) with jurisdiction over the Section 4(f) resource and to the Department of the Interior, and as appropriate to the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. A minimum of 30 days for receipt of comments is mandated in 23 USC 138(a). If comments are not received within 15 days after the comment deadline, a lack of objection may be assumed and the action may proceed.

• 09-03-25 The Division of Environmental Analysis has created a Fact Sheet summarizing updates to the FHWA NEPA implementing regulations found in Title 23, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 771 (23 CFR 771). The updates are effective for all NEPA environmental documents accepted or prepared after July 3, 2025. The Fact Sheet can be found on the SER Other Guidance page.

• 09-02-25 The Hazardous Waste, Air, Noise, and Paleontology (HWANP) Office has updated the Air Quality Report Annotated Outline, Section 2.1.3 Greenhouse Gases, due to recent Federal Executive Orders.

• 08-14-25 The Environmental Document Annotated Outline has been updated to include additional information in the “Wetlands Only Practicable Alternative Finding” section and a clarification was added for the first-cut screening in the “Growth” section.

• 08-07-25 The Notice of Statute of Limitations on Claims template has been updated based on guidance received from FHWA. Practitioners should carefully follow the instructions provided in the template to avoid any potential delays in posting to the Federal Register. For additional questions, please reach out to your designated HQ Coordinator.

• 08-06-25 The Environmental Management Office has updated the SER Volume 1, Chapter 33 – Reevaluations, and made minor edits to the NEPA/CEQA Re-Validation Form and Environmental Certification Form to reflect recent guidance.

• 07-07-25 The topics in the PEAR Form and Attachment A have been updated to be consistent with the topics in the new Environmental Document Annotated Outline. The updated forms can be found on the SER Forms and Templates page.

• 07-02-25 The Environmental Management Office (EMO) has updated the SER Volume 1, Chapter 16 - Climate Change. This new chapter features updated hyperlinks and content as well as changes to federal policies related to climate change. Coming soon, EMO will be posting updated capacity increasing and non-capacity increasing Climate Change Annotated Outlines.

• 06-30-25 The Writing Templates have been updated to reflect the new Environmental Document Annotated Outline. Practitioners are strongly encouraged to use the Writing Templates in tandem with the Annotated Outline to assist them in creating environmental documents that are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The updated Writing Templates can be found on the SER Forms and Templates page.

• 06-30-25 The Cultural Studies Office has updated the SER Volume 2 to reflect changes to the 2024 Section 106 Programmatic Agreement (Exhibit 1.1) and Public Resources Code 5024 Memorandum of Understanding (Exhibit 1.2).

• 06-23-25 The Environmental Management Office has created a new Environmental Document Annotated Outline. This new Annotated Outline combines the guidance from the five previously posted Annotated Outlines listed below:
  • Initial Study/Environmental Assessment
  • Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Assessment
  • Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement
  • NEPA Only Environmental Assessment
  • NEPA Only Environmental Impact Statement
  A Summary of Changes document has also been created that lists the major changes made and provides information on when the new Annotated Outline needs to be used. The Summary of Changes document and the new Annotated Outline can be found on the SER Forms and Templates page. 

In addition, the SER Forms and Templates page has been reorganized to allow for easier navigation.