INTERNAL NOAA PROGRAM POLICY: REMEDIAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECT PRIORITIZATION SCHEME

ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE PROGRAM

NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Office of Procurement, Grants, and Administrative Support Construction Staff

September 5, 1995

NOAA POLLUTION CONTROL STANDARDS COMPLIANCE PROJECT PRIORITIZATION SCHEME

The following list of factors is provided for the use of those individuals who are responsible for assigning local priority for NOAA's projects or activities. Individuals are to use the most significant factor in assigning the local priority for the project activity.

Under previous guidance by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a priority code (High, Medium, or Low) was assigned to a project depending upon its relevance. However, with EPA's Federal Agency Environmental Management Program Planning Guidance (Fed Plan) of October 1994, a new numerical procedure for prioritizing Fed Plan requirements is introduced. Each project will be assigned a single local priority ranging from 1.0 to 9.9. Correction with the High (H), Medium (M), Low (L) system is as follows:

• High (H) = 7.0 to 9.9
• Medium (M) = 4.0 to 6.9
• Low (L) = 1.0 to 3.9

Each of the factors listed in the tables below is assigned a unique value based on a composite value arrived at through the ranking by each participating NOAA Regional Environmental Compliance Officer. A listing of priority factors from highest to lowest is provided in Appendix I.

Finally according to EPA, there may be additional reasons for initiating an activity which have not been identified below (see Fed Plan at page C-1).