Definitions for "Categorical exclusion"
Keywords:  cumulatively, eis, nepa, exclusion, cfr
A category of actions (identified in agency guidance) that does not individually or cumulatively have a significant effect on the human environment and requires neither an Environmental Assessment (EA) nor an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
an action that does not individually or cumulatively have a significant impact on the human environment. This Categorical Exclusion does not require an Environmental Assessment nor an Environmental Impact Statement.
As described under the National Environmental Policy Act, these are a category of federal actions that do not individually or cumulatively have a significant effect on the human environment which therefore neither an Environmental Assessment nor an Environmental Impact Statement is required. The Council on Environmental Quality NEPA Regulations gives federal agencies the authority and discretion to determine which of their own activities should be categorically excluded from NEPA. The types of activities that can be categorically excluded vary between agencies. (The NEPA Handbook)