§ 6506. Development assistance

(a) The economic and social development of the United States and the achievement of satisfactory levels of living depend on the sound and orderly development of urban and rural areas. When urbanization proceeds rapidly, the sound and orderly development of urban communities depends to a large degree on the social and economic health and the sound development of smaller communities and rural areas.

(b) The President shall prescribe regulations governing the formulation, evaluation, and review of United States Government programs and projects having a significant impact on area and community development (including programs and projects providing assistance to States and localities) to serve most effectively the basic objectives of subsection (a) of this section. The regulations shall provide for the consideration of concurrently achieving the following specific objectives and, to the extent authorized by law, reasoned choices shall be made between the objectives when they conflict:

(1) appropriate land uses for housing, commercial, industrial, governmental, institutional, and other purposes.

(2) wise development and conservation of all natural resources.

(3) balanced transportation systems, including highway, air, water, pedestrian, mass transit, and other means to move people and goods.

(4) adequate outdoor recreation and open space.

(5) protection of areas of unique natural beauty and historic and scientific interest.

(6) properly planned community facilities (including utilities for supplying power, water, and communications) for safely disposing of wastes, and for other purposes.

(7) concern for high standards of design.

(c) To the extent possible, all national, regional, State, and local viewpoints shall be considered in planning development programs and projects of the United States Government or assisted by the Government. State and local government objectives and the objectives of regional organizations shall be considered within a framework of national public objectives expressed in laws of the United States. Available projections of future conditions in the United States and needs of regions, States, and localities shall be considered in plan formulation, evaluation, and review.

(d) To the maximum extent possible and consistent with national objectives, assistance for development purposes shall be consistent with and further the objectives of State, regional, and local comprehensive planning. Consideration shall be given to all developmental aspects of our total national community, including housing, transportation, economic development, natural and human resources development, community facilities, and the general improvement of living environments.

(e) To the maximum extent practicable, each executive agency carrying out a development assistance program shall consult with and seek advice from all other significantly affected executive agencies in an effort to ensure completely coordinated programs. To the extent possible, systematic planning required by individual United States Government programs (such as highway construction, urban renewal, and open space) shall be coordinated with and, to the extent authorized by law, made part of comprehensive local and areawide development planning.

(f) When a law of the United States provides that both a special-purpose unit of local government and a unit of general local government are eligible to receive a loan or grant, the head of an executive agency shall make the loan or grant to the unit of general local government instead of the special-purpose unit of local government in the absence of substantial reasons to the contrary.

(g) The President may designate an executive agency to prescribe regulations to carry out this section.

(Pub. L. 97–258, Sept. 13, 1982, 96 Stat. 1008.)

Historical And Revision

Historical and Revision Notes
Revised Section	Source (U.S. Code)	Source (Statutes at Large)
6506(a)	42:4231(a)(1st, 2d sentences).	Oct. 16, 1968, Pub. L. 90–577, §§ 401–403, 82 Stat. 1103.
6506(b)	42:4231(a)(3d–last sentences).
6506(c)	42:4231(b).
6506(d)	42:4231(c).
6506(e)	42:4231(d), (e).
6506(f)	42:4232.
6506(g)	42:4233.

In subsection (a), the words “United States” are substituted for “the Nation” for consistency. The word “When” is substituted for “in a time” for clarity.

In subsection (b), before clause (1), the word “therefore” is omitted as unnecessary. The word “regulations” is substituted for “rules and regulations” for consistency in the revised title and with other titles of the United States Code. In clause (2), the words “all natural resources” are substituted for “natural resources, including land, water, minerals, wildlife, and others” to eliminate unnecessary words.

In subsection (c), the words “fully”, “taken into account”, and “evaluated” are omitted as surplus. The words “development programs and projects of the United States Government or assisted by the Government” are substituted for “Federal or federally assisted development programs and projects”, and the words “laws of the United States” are substituted for “Federal law”, for consistency in the revised title.

In subsection (d), the word “assistance” is substituted for “federal aid” because of the definition in section 6501(1) of the revised title.

In subsection (e), the words “executive agency” are substituted for “Federal department and agency” and “Federal departments and agencies” because of the definition in sections 102 and 6501(3) of the revised title. The words “To the extent” are substituted for “Insofar as” for consistency.

In subsection (f), the words “law of the United States” are substituted for “Federal law” for consistency.

In subsection (g), the words “Office of Management and Budget . . . other” are omitted as surplus.

Executive Order

Ex. Ord. No. 12372. Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs

Ex. Ord. No. 12372, July 14, 1982, 47 F.R. 30959, as amended by Ex. Ord. No. 12416, Apr. 8, 1983, 48 F.R. 15587, provided:

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and laws of the United States of America, including Section 401(a) of the Intergovernmental Cooperation Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4231(a)) [31 U.S.C. 6506(a) and (b)], Section 204 of the Demonstration Cities and Metropolitan Development Act of 1966 (42. U.S.C. 3334) and Section 301 of Title 3 of the United States Code, and in order to foster an intergovernmental partnership and a strengthened federalism by relying on State and local processes for the State and local government coordination and review of proposed Federal financial assistance and direct Federal development, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1. Federal agencies shall provide opportunities for consultation by elected officials of those State and local governments that would provide the non-Federal funds for, or that would be directly affected by, proposed Federal financial assistance or direct Federal development.

Sec. 2. To the extent the States, in consultation with local general purpose governments, and local special purpose governments they consider appropriate, develop their own processes or refine existing processes for State and local elected officials to review and coordinate proposed Federal financial assistance and direct Federal development, the Federal agencies shall, to the extent permitted by law:

(a) Utilize the State process to determine official views of State and local elected officials.

(b) Communicate with State and local elected officials as early in the program planning cycle as is reasonably feasible to explain specific plans and actions.

(c) Make efforts to accommodate State and local elected officials’ concerns with proposed Federal financial assistance and direct Federal development that are communicated through the designated State process. For those cases where the concerns cannot be accommodated, Federal officials shall explain the bases for their decision in a timely manner.

(d) Allow the States to simplify and consolidate existing Federally required State plan submissions. Where State planning and budgeting systems are sufficient and where permitted by law, the substitution of State plans for Federally required State plans shall be encouraged by the agencies.

(e) Seek the coordination of views of affected State and local elected officials in one State with those of another State when proposed Federal financial assistance or direct Federal development has an impact on interstate metropolitan urban centers or other interstate areas. Existing interstate mechanisms that are redesignated as part of the State process may be used for this purpose.

(f) Support State and local governments by discouraging the reauthorization or creation of any planning organization which is Federally-funded, which has a Federally-prescribed membership, which is established for a limited purpose, and which is not adequately representative of, or accountable to, State or local elected officials.

Sec. 3. (a) The State process referred to in Section 2 shall include those where States delegate, in specific instances, to local elected officials the review, coordination, and communication with Federal agencies.

(b) At the discretion of the State and local elected officials, the State process may exclude certain Federal programs from review and comment.

Sec. 4. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) shall maintain a list of official State entities designated by the States to review and coordinate proposed Federal financial assistance and direct Federal development. The Office of Management and Budget shall disseminate such lists to the Federal agencies.

Sec. 5. (a) Agencies shall propose rules and regulations governing the formulation, evaluation, and review of proposed Federal financial assistance and direct Federal development pursuant to this Order, to be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget for approval.

(b) The rules and regulations which result from the process indicated in Section 5(a) above shall replace any current rules and regulations and become effective September 30, 1983.

Sec. 6. The Director of the Office of Management and Budget is authorized to prescribe such rules and regulations, if any, as he deems appropriate for the effective implementation and administration of this Order and the Intergovernmental Cooperation Act of 1968 [31 U.S.C. 6501 et seq.]. The Director is also authorized to exercise the authority vested in the President by Section 401(a) of that Act (42 U.S.C. 4231(a)) [31 U.S.C. 6506(a) and (b)] in a manner consistent with this Order.

Sec. 7. The Memorandum of November 8, 1968, is terminated (33 Fed. Reg. 16487, November 13, 1968). The Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall revoke OMB Circular A–95, which was issued pursuant to that Memorandum. However, Federal agencies shall continue to comply with the rules and regulations issued pursuant to that Memorandum, including those issued by the Office of Management and Budget, until new rules and regulations have been issued in accord with this Order.

Sec. 8. The Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall report to the President by September 30, 1984 on Federal agency compliance with this Order. The views of State and local elected officials on their experiences with these policies, along with any suggestions for improvement, will be included in the Director’s report.

Ronald Reagan.