Environmental Review
As a recipient of HUD funds, Pittsburgh is a Responsible Entity (RE) that assumes the responsibility for environmental review, decision-making, and action that would otherwise apply to HUD under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1970 (NEPA). Before any funds, regardless of source, are committed to a HUD-assisted project, OMB-CD/Pittsburgh performs an environmental review to determine a project’s potential environmental impacts and compliance with NEPA and HUD’s related laws and authorities.
Public Notices
For information on current projects accepting comments, please visit our Public Participation page
Request an ERR
If your agency is funded through our CDBG and/or HOME programs or receive other federal funds where the City is the Responsible Entity (e.g. Community Project Funding, Public Housing, ESG, etc.) and need an environmental review in order to move forward with your project, then you must request that review by completing the Pt.58 Intake Form and submitting it to OMBEnvironmental@pittsburghpa.gov.
Pt 58 Intake Form(DOCX, 42KB)
For assistance with Pittsburgh’s HUD Environmental Reviews, email us at OMBEnvironmental@pittsburghpa.gov
Environmental Approval
The projects and activities that are entirely or partially funded with HUD assistance are known as HUD-assisted projects. All proposed HUD-assisted projects must receive an environmental review approval from the city before any funds, regardless of source, are committed.
Acquisition, demolition, disposition, rehabilitation, repair, new construction, site preparation, entering into a Purchase and Sale Agreement or lease, requesting City Council approval, or any other activities that commit to future activities are prohibited before the environmental review is approved. These prohibited activities are known as choice-limiting actions because they limit the choice of reasonable project alternatives prior to completion of an environmental review.
Even if proposed HUD funds support only a portion of the project, the full project and its impacts must be assessed in an environmental review before any funds are obligated or expended.
If a choice-limiting action is taken before the environmental review is approved, the project will no longer be eligible for any HUD assistance under 24 CFR Part 58.
Environmental Analysis and Compliance
When a HUD-assisted project is proposed, Pittsburgh will conduct an environmental review according to HUD’s Environmental Review Procedures for Responsible Entities Assuming HUD Environmental Responsibilities (24 CFR Part 58). The environmental review will include an evaluation of the project’s potential effects on the environment and how the environment may affect the project, site, and end users.
The scope of a HUD-assisted project includes proposed activities that are similar, connected and closely related, or that are dependent on other activities and actions, regardless of the source of funding. These activities must be aggregated under one environmental review. An example of an aggregated project is where HUD funds are proposed for the acquisition of a property and non-HUD funds are proposed for new construction of a 60-unit multi-family building on that property, the acquisition and construction activities are aggregated under one environmental review.
Not every project is subject to a full environmental review, but every project must comply with NEPA and the applicable federal related laws and authorities.
Typical activities subject to environmental review include new construction, demolition, rehabilitation, acquisition and soft costs.
Additional information about environmental compliance requirements may be found in HUD’s Federal Related Laws and Authorities (24 CFR Part 58.5 and 24 CFR Part 58.6). Also refer to HUD’s Guide to Environmental Compliance: NEPA-Related Statutes, Authorities, and Requirements.
last updated: 22/04/2025