The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 (42 U.S.C. §§ 4321 et seq.)
established national policies and goals for the protection of the environment.
The NEPA aims to encourage harmony between people and the environment, to
promote efforts to prevent or eliminate damage to the environment and the
biosphere, and to enrich the understanding of ecological systems and natural
resources important to the country. Thus, environmental factors must be given
appropriate consideration in all decisions made by federal agencies.
The NEPA is divided
into two sections: Title I outlines a basic national charter for protection of
the environment, while Title II establishes the Council on Environmental Quality
(CEQ), which monitors the progress made towards achieving the goals set forth in
Section 101 of the NEPA. Other duties of the CEQ include advising the President
on environmental issues and providing guidance to other federal agencies on
compliance with the NEPA.
Section 102(2) of the
NEPA contains "action-forcing" provisions that ensure that federal agencies act
according to the letter and the spirit of the law. These procedural requirements
direct all federal agencies to give appropriate consideration to the
environmental effects and cumulative impacts of their decision-making and to
prepare detailed environmental statements on recommendations or reports on
proposals for legislation and other major federal actions significantly
affecting the quality of the environment. |
