Environmental Compliance

This page lists the U.S. National Science Foundation's current environmental reviews of its potential investments.

For proposed actions, NSF complies with environmental and historic preservation laws such as the "National Environmental Policy Act" (NEPA), the "National Historic Preservation Act," and the "Endangered Species Act," among others. NSF considers and, as appropriate, addresses potential environmental impacts such as effects on biological, historic and cultural resources, including tribal resources.

NSF NEPA information

In compliance with the amended NEPA and the recently revised Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) NEPA implementing regulations, NSF is updating the NSF NEPA implementing regulations located at 45 CFR Part 640. When finalized, the revised regulations will be posted on this webpage.

NSF has a process for internally evaluating environmental impacts associated with its proposed actions, this process is generally described in the Proposals and Awards Policies and Procedures Guide (Chapter II.D.2.i(iv) and Chapter XI.K).

In alignment with the CEQ NEPA implementing regulations, NSF will make available upon request determinations of proposed actions that were categorically excluded from further environmental review, notwithstanding extraordinary circumstances.

Additional changes to this website may be forthcoming as NSF conforms with the new CEQ NEPA implementing regulations.

Current environmental reviews

Thirty Meter Telescope

NSF is considering a potential future investment in the construction and operations of an Extremely Large Telescope in the Northern Hemisphere: the Thirty Meter Telescope.

See the telescope's environmental review page

Other environmental reviews

Astronomical Sciences facilities

Arecibo Observatory 305-M Telescope collapse – environmental cleanup and historic preservation

On December 1, 2020, the instrument platform of the 305-meter telescope at Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico fell, resulting in damage to the dish and surrounding facilities. The National Science Foundation (NSF), University of Central Florida, Arecibo Observatory, and a team of contractors immediately began emergency cleanup activities following the collapse to protect life and property and to enable safe operations at the facility. The work being done at Arecibo Observatory was limited to emergency clean-up activities and ongoing research conducted at existing facilities. Future development at the Observatory will be considered at a later date.

Arecibo Observatory proposed changes to operations (2017/2023 amendment)

NSF prepared an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate the potential environmental effects of proposed changes to operations at Arecibo Observatory, in Arecibo, Puerto Rico.

Environmental review documents

Record of decision (2017): English | Spanish
Attachment A to the record of decision
Amended record of decision (2023)

National Historic Preservation Act Section 106 Programmatic Agreement

Sacramento Peak Observatory proposed changes to operations (2019)

NSF prepared an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate the potential environmental effects of proposed changes to operations at Sacramento Peak Observatory, in Sunspot, New Mexico.

Environmental review documents

Draft environmental impact statement

Final environmental impact statement

Record of decision

Executed (final) programmatic agreement and attachments

Green Bank Observatory proposed changes to operations (2019)

NSF prepared an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate the potential environmental effects of proposed changes to operations at Green Bank Observatory, in Green Bank, West Virginia.

Environmental review documents

Record of decision

National Historic Preservation Act Section 106 programmatic agreement

Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences

National Center for Atmospheric Research TAP reconstruction (2019)

Xcel Energy prepared plans to reconstruct power transmission lines in property owned by NSF and managed by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR).

Environmental review documents

National Center for Atmospheric Research - Wyoming Supercomputing Center (2010)

NSF prepared an environmental assessment for the construction of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)-Wyoming Supercomputing Center (NWSC) in Cheyenne.

Environmental review documents

Draft environmental assessment

Final environmental assessment

Engineering research infrastructure

National Full-scale Testing Infrastructure for Community Hardening in Extreme Wind, Surge and Wave Events (NICHE, 2022)

NSF Award 2131961

NSF prepared an Environmental Assessment to evaluate the potential environmental effects of its proposed funding of the construction and operation of a physical design testbed on the Florida International University campus in Miami, Florida.