Introduction to NEPA

Question 1

What does NEPA stand for?

Answer 1

National Environmental Policy Act.

Question 2

Who was NEPA signed by and when?

Answer 2

Richard Nixon in 1970

Question 3

Why was NEPA needed?

Answer 3

Initiated in response to an overwhelming national sentiment that federal agencies should take the lead in protecting the environment.

Question 4

What does NEPA do?

Answer 4

NEPA is our country’s basic national charter for environmental responsibility.
- It establishes an environmental policy for the nation.
- Contains action-forcing procedures to ensure that the federal agency decision-makers take environmental factors into account.
o Establishes a process by which federal agencies must study the environmental effects of their actions (and disclose them to the public).

Question 5

What does EIS stand for?

Answer 5

environmental impact statement

Question 6

What is an EIS

Answer 6

a form for NEPA application, identifying actions that significantly affect the quality of the human environment.

Question 7

What does CEQ stand for? What does it mean?

Answer 7

Council of Environmental Quality
- Created by Congress to administer NEPA

Question 8

What does EPA stand for? What is it for?

Answer 8

Environmental Protection Agency
- created by Congress to assist federal agencies in certain aspects of the NEPA process

Question 9

Reasons that NEPA was created:

Answer 9

• The federal government’s role seemed to be causing or encouraging degradation.
• If a proposed action was technically feasible and had available funding, it was generally built and funded with little regard for potential environmental consequences.
• Congress saw a need for a comprehensive and uniform concept of environmental management that was capable of anticipating and, if appropriate, avoiding environmentally disruptive activities-

Question 10

List some areas that NEPA focuses on:

Answer 10

• Assure safe, healthy, productive, and aesthetically and culturally pleasing surroundings.
• Preserve important historical, cultural natural aspects of our national
  heritage.
• Maintain an environment that supports diversity.
• Achieve a balance between population and resource uses that permit high standards of living and a wide sharing of life’s amenities.
• Enhance the quality of renewable resources and approach the maximum attainable recycling of depletable resources.

Question 11

Explain the interdisciplinary evaluation for environmental projection

Answer 11

 NEPA encourages the protection of all aspects of the environment.
 Unlike other single-topic environmental laws (e.g.. Clean Air Act
of Clean Water Act).

Question 12

Explain the integrated approach for environmental projection

Answer 12

 NEPA is not intended to be an independent process. —It requires each federal agency to integrate environmental review into its existing planning and decision-making processes (e.g. Forest Plan, Allotment Management Plan)

Question 13

An EIS is a detailed statement that is required to describe:

Answer 13

o The environmental impact of the proposed action.
o Any adverse environmental effects that cannot be avoided.
o Alternatives to the proposed action.
o The relationship between local, short-term use of the human environment and the maintenance and enhancement of long-term productivity.
o And irreversible and irretrievable commitments of resources that would be involved in the proposed action.

Question 14

What are two action-forcing procedures in the NEPA process?

Answer 14

NEPA implementation is primarily carried out not through EISs, but through the preparation of Environmental Assessments (EAs) and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSIs).

Question 15

What does EA stand for?

Answer 15

Environmental Assessments

Question 16

What does FONSI stand for?

Answer 16

Finding of No Significant Impact

Question 17

What is a FONSI?

Answer 17

o Many federal agencies comply with NEPA by preparing a FONSI supported by an EA rather than preparing an EIS.
o These EA’s often include recommendations for the mitigation of a proposal’s potential effects on the environment in order to support the FONSI.

Question 18

Who has to comply to the NEPA process?

Answer 18

federal agencies

Question 19

How does NEPA improve the compliance of individual environmental laws?

Answer 19

NEPA requires federal agencies to assess the environmental effects of their proposed actions prior to making decisions

Question 20

How does NEPA improve accountability?

Answer 20

Using the NEPA process, agencies evaluate the environmental and related social and economic effects of their proposed actions.

Question 21

How does NEPA help managers make the best decision?

Answer 21

NEPA requires federal agencies to consider the potential environmental consequences of their proposals, to consult with other interested agencies, to document the analysis, and to make this information available to the public for comment before the implementation of the proposals.

Question 22

What is the CEQ?

Answer 22

Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ).
o CEQ was created in 1970 to develop environmental policy and oversee federal agencies that implement NEPA.
o One person council is appointed by the President.
o Part of the Executive Office of the President.
o CEQs implementation of its NEPA responsibilities has fluctuated greatly from administration to administration.

Question 23

Explain the CEQ NEPA Regulations.

Answer 23

Prior to 1978, the only formal guidance from CEQ was a set of non-binding guidelines for federal agencies to follow during NEPA implementation.
o Because they were not binding and were limited primarily to EIS preparation, there were inconsistencies among agencies.
o In 1977 President Jimmy Carter signed an executive order giving CEQ the authority to issue binding regulations

Question 24

What are the three key phases of NEPA

Answer 24

1. Preliminary screening for NEPA’s
   applicability
2. Preparation of an EA in order to determine
   whether an EIS is required
3. Preparation of an EIS, if required.