FEMA's mission is helping people before, during, and after a disaster.

FEMA's delivery of the Public Assistance Program is authorized by the Stafford Act. As a law, the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief Act provides the foundation for emergency and disaster response, recovery, and mitigation and authorizes the President of the United States to provide Public Assistance funding.

FEMA’s Environmental Planning and Historic Preservation Team provides expertise in facilitating compliance that results in better decisions and stronger communities.

FEMA's Environmental and Historic Preservation Staff achieve this mission by:

• Ensuring that FEMA grants are compliant with Federal environmental and historic preservation laws, regulations and Executive Orders
• Incorporating environmental planning and historic preservation values into all of FEMA's programs and activities
• Directly facilitating support to assist Recipients and Applicants (State, Tribal, Territorial and local governments as well as private non-profit organizations) through the Public Assistance grant process

The Environmental and Historic Preservation responsibilities related to Emergency Management are to:

• Ensure that the effects of the Federal government's actions on natural and cultural resources are taken into consideration through appropriate planning, mitigation, response, and recovery actions
• To the extent possible, in conjunction with post-disaster community priorities, ensure that adverse effects to natural and cultural resources are avoided or minimized
• Ensure that all Federally funded grant activities are compliant with appropriate environmental and historic preservation laws, regulations, and Executive Orders

As stated previously, FEMA is required to ensure that disaster response and recovery, mitigation, and preparedness responsibilities are carried out in a manner that is compliant with all Federal laws, regulations, and Executive Orders.

During presidentially declared emergencies and disasters, Public Assistance Applicants complete work funded through Federal grant programs to minimize threats to public health, safety and the environment, while they restore their facilities. Work to complete the grants must ensure:

• Loss or degradation or undesirable and unintended consequences to the environment are avoided
• Avoidance or minimization of adverse effects to historic, cultural, and natural aspects of national heritage must be considered, including Applicant demonstration of coordination with Environmental and Historic Preservation Specialists to ensure appropriate consultation with State and Federal resource agencies is completed

The integrity of the natural and historic landscape is important, and the steps taken to strengthen or rebuild communities may have long-term environmental and cultural impacts. National Environment Policy Act (NEPA) requires FEMA to consider environmental and historic preservation laws, regulations, and executive orders protecting resources require project proponents to comply. Regardless of the timing or the funding program involved, these types of FEMA activities generally have a higher potential to impact natural and cultural resources:

• New construction requiring ground disturbance
• Modification, expansion, or mitigation of existing facilities
• Work in or around water
• Debris removal and disposal
• Demolition

Restoring facilities to their pre-disaster condition tends to have a lower potential for impacts to the natural and cultural resources.

To ensure proper stewardship of historic properties and the environment, there are more than 30 Federal laws, regulation, and executive orders—in addition to State laws and codes—in place to protect these resources.

FEMA's Environmental and Historic Preservation program provide technical assistance to Applicants and Recipients to ensure the approved scope of work complies with applicable Federal laws, regulations, and Executive Orders.

FEMA's Environmental and Historic Preservation staff provides support to communities across the country to ensure that proposed projects align with environmental requirements.
Applicants and Recipients should engage Environmental and Historic Preservation in the recovery process as early as possible.

Environmental and Historic Preservation staff strive to become engaged in the recovery process as early as possible within presidentially declared emergencies and disasters.

Applicants and Recipients may visit the FEMA Office of Environmental and Historic Preservation website for additional assistance or resources.

In addition, during declared events, each Applicant and Recipient will receive an Environmental and Historic Preservation Greensheet. The Greensheet provides information regarding potential environmental and historic preservation consideration triggers and provides points of contact with FEMA and regulatory agencies for guidance and support for achieving compliance.

Changes to the footprint or location of a facility will require a higher level of environmental/historic preservation review.

Include early coordination with Environmental and Historic Preservation Specialist to ensure compliance with the laws in the formulation of project scopes of work can identify possible impacts to natural and cultural resources. Revising the scope of work or incorporating mitigation measures may avoid or minimize the impacts to those resources.