This past New Year’s Day marked the fortieth anniversary of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The White House marked the day with a presidential proclamation encouraging all federal agencies to promote public involvement and transparency in their implementation of NEPA.
NEPA represented landmark legislation when the act passed in 1969. The act requires federal agencies to document and analyze impacts to the natural and human environment resulting from all major federal actions. The act also requires deciding agencies to consider alternatives to any proposed action and to solicit and consider public comments on all proposals. The environmental assessments and environmental impact statements that are published as part of compliance with NEPA serve as complete accounts of all anticipated environmental effects.
Since the act initially took effect, it has been an important tool for the United States in ensuring that environmental quality is taken into consideration in everything our government does. Today, NEPA is still a critical tool for public engagement and transparency in government actions.
To learn more of NEPA – how it works, what is required, and how you can get involved – check out some of the links below or leave questions in the “Comments” field below and one of NRC’s NEPA experts will give you an answer.
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