National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Council of Environmental Quality and Citizen’s Guide to the NEPA
This information will provide a brief overview of the U.S. Environmental Policy, contacts for communicating concerns about EIS and other environmental processes and A Citizen’s Guide to the NEPA, Having Your Voice Heard for participating in environmental processes such as Environmental Assessments and Environmental Impact Statements.
Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ)
The Council on Environmental Quality coordinates federal environmental efforts and works closely with agencies and other White House offices in the development of environmental policies and initiatives. The Council's Chair, James L. Connaughton who was appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, serves as the principal environmental policy adviser to the President. In addition, CEQ reports annually to the President on the state of the environment; oversees federal agency implementation of the environmental impact assessment process; and acts as a referee when agencies disagree over the adequacy of such assessments.
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.
In enacting NEPA, Congress recognized that nearly all federal activities affect the environment in some way and mandated that before federal agencies make decisions, they must consider the effects of their actions on the quality of the human environment. NEPA assigns CEQ the task of ensuring that federal agencies meet their obligations under the Act. The challenge of harmonizing our economic, environmental and social aspirations has put NEPA at the forefront of our nation's efforts to protect the environment.
Email Contact with CEQ at Whitehouse, Send Attention Council of Environmental Quality: www.whitehouse.gov/interactive/interact_1.html
Brief History and Purpose of NEPA
Congress enacted NEPA in December, 1969, and President Nixon signed it into law on January 1, 1970. NEPA was the first major environmental law in the United States and is often called the “Magna Carta” of environmental laws. Importantly, NEPA established this country’s national environmental policies.
To implement these policies, NEPA requires agencies to undertake an assessment of the environmental effects of their proposed actions prior to making decisions. Two major purposes of the environmental review process are better informed decisions and citizen involvement, both of which should lead to implementation of NEPA’s policies.
NEPA References on NEPAnet:
http://ceq.hss.doe.gov/nepa/nepanet.htm
A Citizen’s Guide to the NEPA, Having Your Voice Heard
Council of Environmental Quality (CEQ), D e c e m b e r, 2007
http://ceq.hss.doe.gov/nepa/Citizens_Guide_Dec07.pdf
Purpose of the Guide
This guide has been developed to help citizens and organizations who are concerned about the environmental effects of federal decision making to effectively participate in Federal agencies’ environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).1 With some limited exceptions, all Federal agencies in the executive branch have to comply with NEPA before they make final decisions about federal actions that could have environmental effects. Thus, NEPA applies to a very wide range of federal actions that include, but are not limited to, federal construction projects, plans to manage and develop federally owned lands, and federal approvals of non-federal activities such as grants, licenses, and permits. The Federal Government takes hundreds of actions every day that are, in some way, covered by NEPA.
The environmental review process under NEPA provides an opportunity for you to be involved in the Federal agency decision making process. It will help you understand what the Federal agency is proposing, to offer your thoughts on alternative ways for the agency to accomplish what it is proposing, and to offer your comments on the agency’s analysis of the environmental effects of the proposed action and possible mitigation of potential harmful effects of such actions. NEPA requires Federal agencies to consider environmental effects that include, among others, impacts on social, cultural, and economic resources, as well as natural resources.
Citizens often have valuable information about places and resources that they value and the potential environmental, social, and economic effects that proposed federal actions may have on those places and resources. NEPA’s requirements provide you the means to work with the agencies so they can take your information into account.
1 National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended, 42 U.S.C. §§ 4321-4347, available at
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) oversees the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) nationally. www.epa.gov/
The U.S. EPA Region 6 oversees the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and covers Lake Texoma as well as Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and New Mexico.
To communicate concerns about federal NEPA environmental processes such as Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) or Environmental Assessments (EA), contact:
Regional Administrator, U.S. EPA
1445 Ross Avenue (maps)Suite 1200 Dallas, Texas 75202
(214) 665-6444
A NEPA Flow Diagram for federal environmental processes follows on the next page.
There have been major changes to Lake Texoma since the last comprehensive EIS was conducted in 1976. Subsequent and future federal, state and local decisions and actions are seriously flawed by the lack of an updated and supplemental comprehensive EIS for the entire lake.
Please closely review the note at the bottom of the following flow diagram in the CEQ’s Citizens Guide to NEPA, page 8.
*Significant new circumstances or information relevant to environmental concerns or substantial changes in the proposed action that are relevant to environmental concerns may necessitate preparation of a supplemental EIS following either the draft or final EIS or the Record of Decision (CEQ NEPA Regulations, 40 C.F.R. § 1502.9(c)).
