The worst-case analysis regulation40 CFR 1502.22 was promulgated in 1979 by the US

Council on Environmental Quality The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) is a division of the Executive Office of the President that coordinates federal environmental efforts in the United States and works closely with agencies and other White House offices on the developme ...

(CEQ). The regulation is one of many implementing the

National Environmental Policy Act The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is a United States environmental law that promotes the enhancement of the environment and established the President's Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). The law was enacted on January 1, 1970.Un ...

of 1969 and it sets out the formal procedure a US government agency must follow when confronted with gaps in relevant information or scientific uncertainty about significant adverse effects on the environment from a

major federal action Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicator ...

Synopsis

The regulation requires an agency to make known when it is confronted with gaps in relevant information or scientific uncertainty. The agency then must determine if the missing information is essential to a reasoned choice among the alternatives. When the missing information is material to the decision an agency ordinarily must obtain the information and include it in an environmental impact statement (EIS). If the means for obtaining the missing information are beyond the state of the art or alternatively if the costs of obtaining it are exorbitant the agency must then prepare a worst-case analysis. In this analysis the agency must weigh the need for the action against the risks and in the face of uncertainty. The agency also is to indicate the probability or improbability of the worst case's occurrence.

References

{{reflist Toxicology Food law Environmental policy in the United States United States Environmental Protection Agency Food safety Food and Drug Administration