§ 1.37 Office of External Affairs.

(a) Office of Federal Activities. The Office of Federal Activities is headed by a Director who reports to the Assistant Administrator for External Affairs and supervises all the functions of the Office. The Director acts as national program manager for five major programs that include:

(1) The review of other agency environmental impact statements and other major actions under the authority of Section 309 of the Clean Air Act;

(2) EPA compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and related laws, directives, and Executive policies concerning special environmental areas and cultural resources;

(3) Compliance with Executive policy on American Indian affairs and the development of programs for environmental protection on Indian lands; and

(4) The development and oversight of national programs and internal policies, strategies, and procedures for implementing Executive Order 12088 and other administrative or statutory provisions concerning compliance with environmental requirements by Federal facilities. The Director chairs the Standing Committee on Implementation of Executive Order 12088. The Office serves as the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) principal point of contact and liaison with other Federal agencies and provides consultation and technical assistance to those agencies relating to EPA's areas of expertise and responsibility. The Office administers the filing and information system for all Federal Environmental Impact Statements under agreement with the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and provides liaison with CEQ on this function and related matters of NEPA program administration. The Office provides a central point of information for EPA and the public on environmental impact assessment techniques and methodologies.