Environmental Notification Process

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Antenna Structure Registration - Help

This article provides information on which Antenna Structure Registration (ASR) filings require environmental notification and which filings do not require environment notification.

The environmental notification process applies to the following types of filings that are submitted in the Antenna Structure Registration (ASR) system.

Antenna Structure Registration - Help

This article provides information on the process to be followed when a federal agency other than the FCC reviews the environmental effects of a proposed antenna structure. The FCC provides a limited exemption from the environmental notification process for antenna structures to be located on federal land and certain other structures reviewed by other federal agencies.

Under this exemption, you do not need to complete the environmental notification process if:

• The proposed antenna structure will be located on federal land and the landholding agency has assumed lead agency responsibilities for evaluating potentially significant environmental effects; or
• Another federal agency has assumed lead agency responsibility for evaluating the proposed antenna structure’s potentially significant environmental effects pursuant to a written agreement with the Commission.

If you assert this exemption for a proposed tower, you must submit the environmental documentation produced by the lead agency. This documentation can consist of either an Environmental Assessment (EA) together with a Finding of No Significant Impact, or an Environmental Impact Statement together with a Record of Decision. The Antenna Structure Registration (ASR) system will prompt you to provide these documents when you submit Part 2 of your Form 854 filing.

Antenna Structure Registration - Help

This article provides information on the procedures for environmental compliance when an antenna structure requires registration in the Antenna Structure Registration (ASR) system and the same antenna structure is referenced on a service-specific application.

Any Environmental Assessment (EA) that is required for the antenna structure must be filed in the ASR system. A broadcast applicant or earth station applicant must also file a copy of the EA with its service-specific application.

Antenna Structure Registration - Help

This article contains information on providing local and national notice as part of the environmental notification process for the registration of antenna structures.

Local Notice

You must provide local notice of your proposed tower through publication in a local newspaper or other appropriate means, such as by following the local zoning public notice process. The local notice must contain the following information:

Antenna Structure Registration - Help

This article provides an overview of the environmental notification process for the registration of antenna structures.

On December 9, 2011, the Commission released an Order on Remand that includes procedural measures to ensure, consistent with the Commission’s obligations under federal environmental statutes, that environmental effects of proposed communications towers, including their effects on migratory birds, are fully considered prior to construction.

Overview of the Environmental Notification Process

The environmental notification process applies to new tower registrations and to certain modifications of registered towers that may have a significant environmental effect. The process for submitting an Antenna Structure Registration (ASR) application that is subject to environmental notification involves two parts.

Part 1: Environmental Notification Process

Part 1 requires you to submit a partially completed FCC Form 854, Antenna Structure Registration (Form 854) including:

• Ownership information such as name, address, and phone number;
• Contact information such as name, address, and phone number;
• Antenna structure information such as the location, height, and type of structure;
• Proposed marking and/or lighting;
• Whether another federal agency is taking responsibility for the environmental review;
• The national notice date; and
• Whether an Environmental Assessment (EA) is included.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) clearance can be obtained prior to or after submitting the partially completed Form 854. Once the partially completed Form 854 is submitted, an ASR File Number is assigned.