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Environmental Review Services

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Need an environmental review for your HUD‑assisted project?

VIHFA is HUD’s Responsible Entity (RE) for the US Virgin Islands. As the RE, VIHFA’s Environmental Unit completes and/or monitors environmental reviews for all HUD-assisted projects across the territory. The review process entails analyzing a project and its potential impacts on or to the environment. As HUD’s RE, VIHFA’s Environmental Unit is responsible for the review’s scope, content, findings, and determinations. Environmental reviews must be conducted prior to the commitment and/or expenditure of funds. Ultimately, reviews are conducted to protect the territory’s local habitats and species and to safeguard the general health and wellbeing of the Virgin Islands public.

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Email completed application to [email protected]

Download the Environmental Department Expo Overview

About the Environmental Review Process

  • All HUD-funded projects require an environmental review. These reviews are conducted following rules and regulations outlined in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
  • A project can be assessed at one of the five levels: Exempt, CENST, CEST, EA, and EIS. See attached resource for more information.
  • Each project must be compliant with up to 15 factors including but not limited to Airport Hazards, Endangered Species, Historic Preservation, and Floodplain Management.

What to expect?

Step 1 — Apply
Submit the online application (5–10 minutes). Your request alerts Legal, Finance, and Procurement.

Step 2 — Initial Meeting
We meet with you to explain RE responsibilities, outline the preliminary review, and share payment details for the $3,400 base fee (Quote #1).

Step 3 — Preliminary Review (≈ 1 week)
After payment, VIHFA pulls maps, screens for triggers, and identifies any required tests/consultations. We then prepare two options:

  • Quote #2: VIHFA completes your environmental review.

  • Quote #3: You hire a third‑party consultant; VIHFA monitors and provides technical assistance.

Step 4 — Review Findings & Choose an Option
We share preliminary findings and both quotes by email and meet to discuss next steps. You’ll have 7 business days to select an option.

Step 5 — Proceed

  • If you accept Quote #2, VIHFA launches the formal environmental review.

  • If you accept Quote #3, you engage a consultant and VIHFA monitors and supports.

Typical timeline for Steps 1–4: ~1 week after base fee payment (project complexity may extend timelines).

Fees

  • Base fee (Quote #1): $3,400 — required to begin preliminary review.

  • Quote #2: Pricing based on project scope, testing, consultations, and level of review.

  • Quote #3: Pricing for monitoring and technical assistance if you use a third‑party consultant.

Invoices are issued upon application (Quote #1) and again when you select Quote #2 or #3.

FAQs

An environmental review is the process of analyzing a project and its potential environmental impacts to determine whether it meets federal, state, and local environmental standards. For more information on environmental reviews, visit: https://www.hudexchange.info/programs/environmental-review/orientation-to-environmental-reviews/#part-58-flowchart.

The Environmental Review process entails analyzing each project and its scope activities against a variety of compliance factors (Airport Hazards, Coastal Barrier Resources, Floodplain Management, etc.). For a full list of compliance factors, visit: Federal related laws and authorites. The Environmental Review process often includes conducting environmental tests and seeking consultations from local and federal government agencies to achieve full environmental compliance. For the full environmental process, visit: Orientation to Environmental Reviews – HUD Exchange.

No. It covers staff time to complete the preliminary review and develop quotes.

About one week after payment, depending on project complexity.

No. All reviews follow 24 CFR Part 58 and other applicable laws; outcomes depend on site conditions and project scope.

Yes. VIHFA will monitor and provide technical assistance.

After VIHFA receives an Authority to Use Grant Funds (AUGF) from HUD.

Yes. If your project is HUD-assisted, it requires an environmental review. Not every project is subject to a full environmental review (i.e., every project’s environmental impact must be examined, but the extent of this examination varies), but every project must be in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and other related Federal and state environmental laws.

The environmental review process is required for all HUD-assisted projects to ensure that 1) the proposed project does not negatively impact the surrounding environment or health of end users and 2) the surrounding environment does not impact the project site and its end users.

After VIHFA receives an Authority to Use Grant Funds (AUGF) from HUD.

A VIHFA Environmental Specialist will conduct the Environmental Review or manage the completion of your Environmental Review by a third-party contractor.

There are four (4) types of Environmental Reviews: Exempt/Categorically Excluded Not Subject To 58.5 (CENST), Categorically Excluded Subject to 58.5 and 58.6 (CEST), Environmental Assessment (EA), and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The type of review chosen mainly depends on a project’s scope. 

Shorter environmental reviews (Exempts and CENSTs) typically last between one (1) to three (3) months. Longer environmental reviews (CESTs and EAs) typically last between three (3) to six (6) months due to required testing and consultations.

No. You cannot start work on your property before the completion of an environmental review. Doing so could impact precious local resources and habitats onsite, trigger a Choice-Limiting Action, and jeopardize total project funding.

No. You cannot commit funds to a vendor or contractor before the environmental review is completed. Doing so could trigger a Choice-Limiting Action and jeopardize total project funding.

If you have more questions regarding the environmental review process, please contact VIHFA’s Environmental Unit at [email protected]. We are happy to help.
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