Environmental Review Pre-Screening for Permit Applications Worksheet

Construction Stormwater Permit coverage does not replace or satisfy any environmental review requirements, including those under the Minnesota Environmental Policy Act or the National Environmental Policy Act. The owner must verify that any environmental review required by law, including any required Environmental Assessment Work sheets or Environmental Impact Statements, Federal environmental review, or other required review is complete before making application for coverage under this permit coverage. In addition the owner must incorporate any stormwater mitigation measures required as the result of any environmental review into the SWPPP for the project. If any part of your common plan of development or sale requires environmental review, coverage under this permit cannot be obtained until such environmental review is complete.

Environmental review must be conducted for projects that meet or exceed the mandatory thresholds as established in Minn. R. 4410.4300 or 4410.4400. The following questions are designed to assist in determining if the project requires environmental review.

Please note: Under Minnesota rules (4410.3100) a project may not begin construction and no final government decisions may be made to grant a permit, approve a project, or begin a project until the environmental review process has been completed.

If you need assistance filling out this form or have any questions pertaining to environmental review, please contact MPCA staff at 651.757.[2856] or via email at [Env.Review.PCA@state.mn.us]

  1. Construction or expansion of a nuclear fuel or nuclear waste processing, disposal or storage facility? If yes EAW required
  2. Construction or expansion of an electric power generating facility designed for or capable of operating at a capacity of between 25 and 50 megawatts? If yes EAW required
  3. Construction of a new or expansion of an existing petroleum refinery?
    1. Are you constructing a new petroleum refinery? If yes EAW required
    2. Are you expanding an existing petroleum refinery that increases its capacity by 10,000 or more barrels per day? If yes EAW required
  4. Construction of a facility for the conversion of coal, peat, or other biomass sources to a gaseous, liquid, or solid fuel (this includes anaerobic digesters)?
    1. Are you constructing or expanding a facility for the conversion of coal, peat, or biomass sources to gaseous, liquid, or solid fuels if that facility has the capacity to utilize 25,000 dry tons or more per year of input? If yes EAW required
  5. Construction of a facility for the production of alcohol fuels?
    1. Are you constructing a facility for the production of alcohol fuels which would have the capacity to produce 5,000,000 or more gallons per year?
    2. Are you constructing or expanding an alcohol fuel production facility located in the seven-county metro area that would have or would increase its capacity by 50,000,000 or more gallons per year? If yes EAW required
    3. Are you constructing or expanding an alcohol fuel production facility located outside the seven-county metro area that produces more than 125,000,000 gallons per year? If yes EAW required
  6. Construction or expansion of a coal transfer facility?
    1. Are you constructing a facility designed for or capable of transferring 300 tons or more of coal per hour or with an annual throughput of 500,000 tons of coal from one mode of transportation to a similar or different mode of transportation? If yes EAW required
    2. Are you expanding an existing facility designed for or capable of transferring 300 tons or more of coal per hour or with an annual throughput of 500,000 tons of coal from one mode of transportation to a similar or different mode of transportation? If yes EAW required
  7. Construction or expansion of a hazardous materials transfer facility?
    1. Are you constructing a new facility for the bulk transfer of hazardous materials with the capacity of 10,000 or more gallons per transfer and is the facility is located in a shoreland area, delineated flood plain, a state or federally designated wild and scenic rivers district, Minnesota River Project Riverbend area, or the Mississippi headwaters area? If yes EAW required
    2. Are you expanding an existing facility, by 50 percent or more, for the bulk transfer of hazardous materials with the capacity of 10,000 or more gallons per transfer and is the facility is located in a shoreland area, delineated flood plain, a state or federally designated wild and scenic rivers district, Minnesota River Project Riverbend area, or the Mississippi headwaters area? If yes EAW required
  8. Construction or expansion of a storage facility for coal?
    1. Are you constructing or expanding a facility designed for or capable of storing more than 7,500 tons of coal or with an annual throughput of more than 125,000 tons of coal? If yes EAW required
  9. Construction or expansion of a facility for the storage of hazardous materials?
    1. Are you constructing a facility on a single site designed for or capable of storing 1,000,000 gallons or more of hazardous materials? If yes EAW required
  10. Construction of a facility for the storage of liquefied natural gas, synthetic gas, or anhydrous ammonia?
    1. Are you constructing a facility designed for or capable of storing on a single site 100,000 gallons or more of liquefied natural gas, synthetic gas, or anhydrous ammonia? If yes EAW required
  11. Construction or expansion of a facility that will store silica sand?
    1. Are you constructing a facility designed for or capable of storing on a single site 7,500 tons or more of silica sand or has an annual throughput of more than 200,000 tons of silica sand?
  12. Construction or expansion of a paper or pulp processing facility?
    1. Are you constructing or expanding an existing paper or pulp processing facility that will increase its production capacity by 50 percent or more? If yes EAW required
    2. Are you constructing a new paper or pulp processing facility? If yes EAW required
  13. Construction or modification of a stationary source of air emissions resulting in an increase in air emissions or greenhouse gases?
    1. Are you constructing or modifying a stationary emission source that will emit 250 tons per year or more of a single air pollutant after the installation of air pollution control equipment? If yes EAW required
    2. Are you constructing or modifying a stationary source facility that generates a combined 100,000 tons or more per year of greenhouse gas emissions after the installation of air pollution control equipment?
  14. Construction or expansion of a hazardous waste disposal, processing or storage facility?
    1. Are you constructing or expanding a hazardous waste disposal facility?
    2. Are you constructing or expanding a hazardous waste processing or disposal facility with a capacity of 1,000 or more kilograms per month? If yes EAW required
    3. Are you expanding a hazardous waste processing facility that increases its capacity by ten percent or more? If yes EAW required
    4. Are you constructing or expanding a facility that sells hazardous waste storage services to generators other than the owner and operator of the facility or a facility at which a generator’s own hazardous wastes will be stored for a time period in excess of 90 days and the facility is located in a water-related land use management district, or in an area characterized by soluble bedrock? If yes EAW required
    5. Are you constructing or expanding a hazardous waste disposal or processing facility in a water-related land use management district or in an area characterized by soluble bedrock?
  15. Construction or expansion of a mixed municipal solid waste disposal, transfer, energy recovery, or compost facility?
    1. Are you constructing a mixed municipal solid waste disposal facility for up to 100,000 cubic yards of waste fill per year? If yes EAW required
    2. Are you constructing a mixed municipal solid waste disposal facility for 100,000 cubic yards or more of waste fill per year? If yes EAW required
    3. Are you expanding by 25 percent or more of previous capacity of a mixed municipal solid waste disposal facility for up to 100,000 cubic yards of waste fill per year? If yes EAW required
    4. Are you constructing or expanding a mixed municipal solid waste disposal facility in a water-related land use management district or in an area characterized by soluble bedrock? If yes EAW required
    5. Are you constructing or expanding a mixed municipal solid waste transfer station for 300,000 or more cubic yards per year? If yes EAW required
    6. Are you constructing or expanding a mixed municipal solid waste energy recovery facility or incinerator, or the utilization of an existing facility for the combustion of mixed municipal solid waste or refuse-derived fuel, with a capacity of 30 or more tons per day of input? If yes EAW required
    7. Are you constructing or expanding a mixed municipal solid waste compost facility or a refused-derived fuel production facility with a capacity of 50 or more tons per day of input?
    8. Are you expanding a mixed municipal solid waste disposal facility for 100,000 cubic yards or more of waste fill per year by at least 10 percent but less than 25 percent? If yes EAW required
    9. . Are you constructing or expanding a mixed municipal solid waste energy recovery facility ash landfill receiving ash from an incinerator that burn refuse-derived fuel or mixed municipal solid waste? If yes EAW required
  16. Expansion, modification or replacement of a municipal sewage collection system?
    1. If you are discharging to a wastewater treatment facility with a capacity of less than 20,000,000 gallons per day, are you expanding, modifying, or replacing a municipal sewage collection system that will result in an increase in design average daily flow of 1,000,000 gallons per day or more?
    2. If you are discharging to a wastewater treatment facility with a capacity greater than 20,000,000 gallons per day, are you expanding, modifying, or replacing a municipal sewage collection system that will result in an increase in design average daily flow of 2,000,000 gallons per day or more? If yes EAW required
  17. Expansion or reconstruction of municipal or domestic wastewater treatment facility?
    1. Are you expanding or reconstructing an existing municipal or domestic wastewater treatment facility that will result in an increase in capacity by 50 percent or more and by at least 200,000 gallons per day of its average wet weather design flow capacity? If yes EAW required
  18. Construction of a new municipal or domestic wastewater treatment facility?
    1. Are you constructing a new municipal or domestic wastewater treatment facility with an average wet weather design flow capacity of 200,000 gallons per day or more? If yes EAW required
  19. Expansion or reconstruction of an existing industrial process wastewater treatment facility?
    1. Are you expanding or reconstructing an existing industrial process wastewater treatment facility that will result in an increase in capacity by 50 percent or more and by at least 200,000 gallons per day or more?
  20. Construction of a new industrial process wastewater treatment facility?
    1. Are you constructing a new industrial process wastewater treatment facility with a design flow capacity of 200,000 gallons per day or more, or 5,000,000 gallons per month or more, or 20,000,000 gallons per year or more If yes EAW required
  21. Incineration of wastes containing Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)? If yes EAW required
  22. Construction or expansion of an animal feedlot facility?
    1. Are you constructing an animal feedlot facility with a capacity of 1,000 animal units or more? If yes EAW required
    2. Are you expanding an animal feedlot by 1,000 animal units or more? If yes EAW required
    3. Are you constructing or expanding an animal feedlot facility by more than 500 animal units? If yes EAW required
    4. Is the existing or proposed facility located wholly or partially in any of the following sensitive locations: If yes EAW required
      1. Shoreland or delineated floodplain? If yes EAW required
      2. A state or federally designated wild and scenic river district? If yes EAW required
      3. The Minnesota River Project Riverbend Area? If yes EAW required
      4. The Mississippi Headwaters Area? If yes EAW required
      5. A drinking water supply management area? If yes EAW required
      6. Within 1000 feet of a sinkhole, cave, resurgent spring, disappearing spring. If yes EAW required
      7. . Karst window, blind valley or dry valley? If yes EAW required
  23. Part D: Phased or Connected Actions

Multiple projects and multiple stages of a single project that are connected actions or phased actions must be considered in total when determining the need for an EAW or EIS.

  1. Has a previous phase of this project been conducted in the last 3 years?
  2. Are you planning an expansion or another phase of this project within the next 3 years?
  3. Do you have other existing facilities or proposed projects that may affect the same geographic area as this project?
    1. If yes,What is the linear distance between the existing facilities or proposed project(s) and this project? ________ Miles
      1. If distance is less than 10 miles, "EAW needed" language is sent
    2. Is this project a prerequisite for another project, whether by you or another entity?
    3. Is this project part of a larger project?

If YES was answered to any of the above questions an EAW may be required: Based on your answers to the screening questions, the proposed project may require the preparation of a mandatory Environmental Assessment Worksheet or Environmental Impact Statement. Any permit(s) associated with the proposed project may not be issued until the environmental review process is completed. Please contact MPCA staff at 651-757-2856 or via email at Env.Review.PCA@state.mn.us for further assistance.