Executive Order (E.O.) 11988—Floodplain Management (May 24, 1977) directs each Federal agency to issue or amend existing regulations and procedures to ensure that the potential effects of any action it may take in a floodplain are evaluated and that its planning programs and budget requests reflect consideration of flood hazards and floodplain management. Guidance for implementation of the E.O. is provided in the floodplain management guidelines of the U.S. Water Resources Council (40 FR 6030; February 10, 1978) and in “A Unified National Program for Floodplain Management” prepared by the Federal Interagency Floodplain Management Taskforce (Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA 248, June 1994). E.O. 11990—Protection of Wetlands (May 24, 1977) directs all Federal agencies to issue or amend existing procedures to ensure consideration of wetlands protection in decisionmaking and to ensure the evaluation of the potential impacts of any new construction proposed in a wetland.

It is the intent of the E.O.s that Federal agencies implement both the floodplain and the wetland provisions through existing procedures such as those established to implement the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). In those instances where the impacts of the proposed action are not significant enough to require the preparation of an EIS under section 102(2)(C) of NEPA, alternative floodplain or wetland evaluation procedures are to be established. As stated in the E.O.s, Federal agencies are to avoid direct or indirect support of development in a floodplain or new construction in a wetland wherever there is a practicable alternative.