Sec. 617. Designation of senior community engagement officers and Tribal community engagement officers
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The head of each Federal agency required or authorized to complete an environmental document or an authorization for a major Federal action shall designate— 1 or more appropriate employees or officials of the applicable Federal agency to serve as a senior community engagement officer (referred to in this section as an SCO ); and 1 or more appropriate employees or officials of the applicable Federal agency (other than an employee or official designated as an SCO under subparagraph (A)) to serve as a Tribal community engagement officer (referred to in this section as a TEO ).
An SCO and a TEO shall— oversee community or Tribal, as applicable, engagement in environmental review and authorization processes carried out by the Federal agency; advise the applicable head of the Federal agency on matters relating to community or Tribal, as applicable, engagement in such reviews and processes; identify, recommend, and implement approaches to expand and improve early, meaningful community or Tribal, as applicable, engagement relating to the environmental review and authorization processes carried out by the Federal agency; identify and avoid or resolve conflicts with communities or Indian Tribes affected by the environmental review or authorization processes, as applicable— to align Federal actions with the needs and interests of those communities or Indian Tribes, as applicable; and to minimize the potential for delay of environmental review and authorization processes carried out by the Federal agency; identify opportunities with affected communities or Indian Tribes to accelerate the environmental review and authorization processes carried out by the Federal agency; provide technical support and capacity building, on request of a community or an Indian Tribe to enhance the ability of communities and Indian Tribes to engage constructively in Federal agency decision making; and assist in developing and negotiating community benefits agreements consistent with section 611.
An SCO and a TEO shall report directly to a Deputy Secretary (or equivalent) or higher position in the Federal agency in which the SCO or TEO serves. The Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall establish any guidance necessary to establish SCO and TEO positions not later than 2 years of the date of enactment of this Act. A Federal agency may appoint regional community engagement officers to support community and Tribal engagement in environmental review and authorization processes carried out by the Federal agency within a region impacted by a proposed major Federal project, including by carrying out activities— to identify and implement approaches to expand and improve early, meaningful community and Tribal engagement relating to the environmental review and authorization processes carried out by the Federal agency; to identify and avoid or resolve conflicts with affected communities and Indian Tribes that have the potential to delay environmental review and authorization processes carried out by the Federal agency; to identify opportunities with affected communities and Indian Tribes to accelerate the environmental review and authorization processes carried out by the Federal agency; to provide technical support and capacity building, on request of a community or an Indian Tribe, to enhance the ability of communities or Indian Tribes to engage constructively in Federal agency decision making; and to assist in developing and negotiating community benefits agreements consistent with section 611.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, chapter 10 of title 5, United States Code (commonly known as the Federal Advisory Committee Act ), shall not apply to stakeholder engagement processes or public comment activities that are required under or proceeding from a Federal environmental permitting process and led by an SCO, a TEO, or a regional community engagement officer appointed under subsection (b). Section 41001 of the FAST Act ( 42 U.S.C. 4370m ) (as amended by section 201(a)(2)(A)) is amended— by redesignating paragraphs
(2)through
(18)as paragraphs
(3)through (19), respectively; and by inserting after paragraph
(1)the following: The term agency SCO means the senior community engagement officer of an agency, as designated by the head of the agency under section 617(a)(1)(A) of the Clean Electricity and Transmission Acceleration Act of 2023 . . Section 41003(c)(2)(C)(i) of the FAST Act ( 42 U.S.C. 4370m–2(c)(2)(C)(i) ) is amended by striking agency CERPOs and inserting agency CERPOs, agency SCOs, . Section 41009(d)(3) of the FAST Act ( 42 U.S.C. 4370m–8(d)(3) ) is amended— by striking facilitate timely and inserting facilitate early, meaningful community engagement and timely ; and by inserting and agency SCOs after agency CERPOs .
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U.S. Code
2 references not yet in our index
- 42 USC 4370m–2(c)(2)(C)(i)
- 42 USC 4370m–8(d)(3)
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Sec. 617
Designation of senior community engagement officers and Tribal community engagement officers
Cite42 USC 4370m–2(c)(2)(C)(i)
Cite42 USC 4370m–8(d)(3)
Cites 3Cited by 0 across 0 sources