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6.3B <br />Page 6 <br />NEPA compliance: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA} is the funding <br />entity for the federal funding component of the program. According to the MTC, <br />the FTA issues guidance, often in the form of circulars, to provide grantee <br />direction on program-specific issues and statutory requirements. Circular <br />C5620.1, titled "Guidelines for Preparing Environmental Assessments," was <br />issued in October 1979 and provides guidance in the preparation and review of <br />environmental assessments of mass transportation projects. The guidance <br />identifies three classes of action that require different levels of environmental <br />analysis and documentation. Projects are place in one of these three classes <br />according to the probable significance of their impacts on the human <br />environment. <br />Class 1 actions normally have a significant impact on the environment and thus <br />require an Environmental impact Statement (EIS). Class 3 actions are those in <br />which the significance of the impacts on the environment is not clearly <br />established and for which an Environmental Assessment {EA) is prepared to <br />determine the probable impacts. Class 2 actions normally do not entail <br />significant impacts on the environment and, therefore, require neither an EIS nor <br />an EA. These actions are considered categorical exclusions under NEPA. <br />One type of categorical exclusion under Class 2 actions includes "operating <br />assistance to transit authorities to continue existing service or increase service to <br />meet demand." According to the MTC, this is the appropriate categorical <br />exclusion for the federal funding component of the Redwood City Community <br />Shuttle Service Pilot Program, and is hereby used by the City of Red <br />ATTY/RESO/RES0.1688 <br />036707 <br /> <br />