The National Environmental Policy Act was one of the first laws ever written that establishes the broad national framework for protecting our environment. NEPA's basic policy is to assure that all branches of government give proper consideration to the environment prior to undertaking any major federal action that significantly affects the environment.

This guide provides practitioners with a tool to improve NEPA implementation and achieve the environmental sustainability goals laid out in NEPA and Executive Order 13423. The guide provides examples of how NEPA and EMS together can help federal agencies more effectively manage their environmental responsibilities. For example, identifying environmental aspects in the development of an EMS can build on aspects identified in previous NEPA analyses. Conversely, a new NEPA analysis can consider the identified environmental aspects in an EMS when assessing potential environmental impacts of a proposed future action.

Protection and Enhancement of Environmental Quality
5 Mar 1970 and amended by EO 11990
Under this EO, the Federal Government must provide leadership in protecting and enhancing the quality of the nation’s environment to sustain and enrich human life. Federal agencies must initiate measures needed to direct their policies, plans and programs so as to meet national environmental goals.

Full-text of 40 CFR 1500-1518.

The compendium is intended to provide examples and case studies in several priority areas identified by the NEPA Task Force.

This provides guidance on implementing 40 CFR 1506.9 and 1506.10 of the CEQ regulations published in the Federal Register, March 7, 1989, Part II.

PEP - Environmental Statement Memorandum No. ESM03-6. The purpose of this memorandum is to provide guidance to bureaus and offices on implementing adaptive management practices in NEPA compliance.

PEP - Environmental Statement Memorandum No. ESM03-7. The purpose of this memorandum is to provide guidance to bureaus and offices on implementing consensus-based management in NEPA analyses.

PEP - Environmental Statement Memorandum No. ESM03-5. The purpose of this memorandum is to provide guidance to bureaus and offices on implementing integrated analyses under NEPA.

PEP - Environmental Statement Memorandum No. ESM04-4. Contains links to various guidance letters and memorandua on environmental topics concerning how they should be handled under agency NEPA analysis.

PEP - Environmental Statement Memorandum No. ESM04-5. Appendix I to the CEQ Regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of NEPA (40 CFR 1500-1508), which lists Federal and Federal-State agency NEPA contacts.

This memorandum, dated 28 November 2005, encourages federal departmental and agency leadership to develop strategies to prevent or reduce environmental conflicts and generate opportunities for constructive collaboration problem solving. The Memorandum directs all Federal departments and agencies to document their ECR planning and implementation efforts in an annual report submitted to OMB and CEQ. Documentation includes an agency self-audit to analyze how ECR may be applied to environmental disputes when they occur, and to plan for increasing institutional capacity for ECR where appropriate.

Signed on August 10, 2005 SAFETEA-LU authorizes the Federal surface transportation programs for highways, highway safety, and transit for the 5-yr period 2005-2009.

Version 3.0 of this NEPA tool incorporates over 100 Department of Defense and Army policies, supported by a number of guidance and technical references on cultural resources, master planning, endangered species, noise, and other subjects generally included in NEPA analyses. It also contains the full text of federal legislation and regulations relating to these subjects. Also included in the CD is a glossary with over 250 fully referenced words and phrases commonly used in NEPA analyses. The updated CD includes an internal search engine, two tables of contents for easy access to information, and a link to updated information available online.

The roster search and referral system is accessible to anyone contemplating the use of consensus building and dispute resolution services where environmental, natural resources, or public lands issues are involved.

This program is an approach to regional scale, priority-setting assessment being developed by EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD). ReVA integrates research on human and environmental health, ecorestoration, landscape analysis, regional exposure and process modeling, problem formulation, and ecological risk guidelines. Rhe scope of ReVA is to conduct pilot assessments that focus on one geographic region that is well characterized biologically. The ReVA program is responsible for the collection, management, and analysis of multiple data sources to evaluate environmental conditions and known stressors within the Mid-Atlantic region. This website includes a basic introduction to the environmental vulnerability assessment approach, and an overview of the ReVA tools and their applications.

This database contains examples of streamlining and stewardship practices used by states to efficiently and effectively fulfill their NEPA obligations.

The objective of this tool kit is to provide a user-friendly, web-based source of methods, strategies, and procedures for integrating land use and transportation planning, decision-making, and project implementation.

This is a comprehensive listing of the contacts in the various federal agencies that make up the Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice (IWG). With this resource, the Office of Environmental Justice hopes to enhance coordination and communication among federal agencies, state and local governments, and the public in addressing environmental justice issues.

A list of NEPA websites by Agency.

A list of points of contact by Agency.

A Federal Highway Administration monthly newsletter highlighting current environmental streamlining practices from around the country.

Each agency of the Federal government is required to comply with the CEQ Regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of the Act, and, in consultation with CEQ, to develop their agency specific procedures to ensure that environmental information is available to the public and the agency decision makers before decisions are made and actions taken. This resource is a compendium of Federal agency NEPA procedures.

Access to all Environmental Impact Statements listed in the Federal Register. All EISs prepared by federal agencies are filed with EPA. Each week, EPA publishes in the Federal Register a Notice of Availability for all of the EISs filed the previous week. The EPA Notice of Availability is the official start of the public comment/wait periods required under the Council on Environmental Quality's regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act.

Summaries of legal challenges and their results.

The Council coordinates federal environmental efforts and works closely with agencies and other White House offices in the development of environmental policies and initiatives. Congress established CEQ within the Executive Office of the President as part of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). Additional responsibilities were provided by the Environmental Quality Improvement Act of 1970.

A government-backed program helping businesses and individuals protect the environment through superior energy efficiency.

This toolkit helps state and local governments pursue new energy efficiency or renewable energy projects through enforcement settlements. The toolkit presents the case for pursuing energy efficiency and renewable energy within settlements, provides examples and ideas for projects, and provides a step-by-step regulatory "road map" for pursuing SEPs.

This network was formed when the U.S. EPA joined with several non-profit and government organizations in response to increasing community concerns about the need for new ways to grow that boost the economy, protect the environment, and enhance community vitality. The Network’s partners include environmental groups, historic preservation organizations, professional organizations, developers, real estate interests, local and state government entities.

This group was established under Executive Order 12898 in 1994 and is comprised of eleven federal agencies and several White House offices.

NEJAC was established September 30, 1993.The NEJAC Executive Council consists of 26 members appointed from key environmental justice constituencies, which include community-based groups; business and industry; academic and educational institutions; state and local governments; tribal governments and indigenous organizations; and non-governmental and environmental groups. The NEJAC also has seven subcommittees to help develop strategic options for EPA. These subcommittees report to the NEJAC Executive Council. Each subcommittee consists of approximately 6 to 13 individuals knowledgeable in the subject area. Members are drawn from the NEJAC Executive Council as well as from other stakeholder organizations. The subcommittees are: Air and Water; Enforcement; Health and Research; Indigenous Peoples; International; Puerto Rico; and Waste and Facility Siting.

The newly available guide explains the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and how it is implemented, as well as how people outside the Federal government--individual citizens, private sector permit applicants, members of organized groups, and representatives of Tribal, State, or local governments--can better participate in the Federal environmental impact assessment process.

Developed by an inter-agency steering team, Eco-Logical encourages Federal, State, tribal, and local partners involved in infrastructure planning, design, review, and construction to use flexibility in regulatory processes. Specifically, Eco-Logical puts forth the conceptual groundwork for integrating plans across agency boundaries, and endorses ecosystem-based mitigation - an innovative method of mitigating infrastructure impacts that cannot be avoided.

This ecosystems approach was developed by an inter-agency steering team consisting of BLM, EPA, FHWA, NOAA Fisheries Service, NPS, USACE, USFS, and USFWS, partly in response to a 1995 Memorandum of Understanding to foster an ecosystem approach. Eco-Logical encourages Federal, State, tribal and local partners involved in infrastructure planning, design, review, and construction to use flexibility in regulatory processes. Specifically, Eco-Logical puts forth the conceptual groundwork for integrating plans across agency boundaries, and endorses ecosystem-based mitigation - an innovative method of mitigating infrastructure impacts that cannot be avoided.

This report documents an initiative of transportation practitioners nationwide to improve the quality of Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) and Environmental Assessments (EAs) written to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

Site operated by CEQ which includes: the most up to date information/policies/memoranda on NEPA; data on past EISs; copies of EISs under review; environmental impact analysis data links; a survey of NEPA litigation; NEPA case law, and NEPA training.

Guidance on how to implement the NEPA process.

A task force reviewed NEPA implementing practices and procedures in the following areas: technology and information management and security; federal and intergovernmental collaboration; programmatic analyses and subsequent tiered documents; and adaptive management and monitoring. In addition, the NEPA Task Force reviewed other NEPA implementation issues such as the level of detail included in agencies' procedures and documentation for promulgating categorical exclusions; the structure and documentation of environmental assessments; and implementation practices that would benefit other agencies.

Interior Secretary Gale Norton has signed a record of decision (ROD) that establishes guidelines for wind energy development and expedites approval of proposed projects in Western states. The programmatic environmental impact statement (EIS) for wind energy development establishes mitigation measures, best management practices, and other guidelines for wind energy development on Bureau of Land Management lands. The document, completed as a requirement of NEPA, will serve as the basis for environmental reviews of individual projects. By "tiering" off the programmatic EIS, individual projects would require less lengthy environmental assessments, and as a result, proposed wind projects could be approved in less than 1 yr, as opposed to 2 yr or longer.