ADS chapter 204 : environmental procedures

This is to ensure that assessment of the environmental consequences of all programs, activities, and substantive amendments are in full compliance with the requirements of this Federal Regulation and its underlying legislation and out of court settlement. Environmental sustainability is integral to USAID"s overall goal, and therefore must be mainstreamed into all activities to achieve optimal results, to avoid inadvertent harm to the people we are trying to help, and to prevent wasting taxpayer dollars. To meet this goal, USAID incorporates environmental considerations into results-based planning, achieving, and assessing and learning. This chapter defines what USAID and its operating units must do to integrate environmental issues into its programs, both to meet U.S. Government (USG) legal environmental obligations and to optimize economic and social development results. (Author abstract, modified)