A Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) implies that mitigation would not reduce environmental impacts below applicable thresholds.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Not specified
• D. It depends on the project

Answer: (A)

A FONSI means the action will not have significant environmental effects, typically after considering mitigation. Mitigation is used to push potential impacts below the significance thresholds so that no further analysis (like an EIS) is needed. If mitigation couldn’t bring impacts below those thresholds, the agency would not issue a FONSI. So the statement is not correct: a FONSI often rests on mitigation reducing effects to a non-significant level (or on already non-significant effects).