National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)

Blake offers NEPA compliance services for all federal agencies. If your project requires NEPA compliance and reporting, we can manage the environmental process and agency coordination. Most projects that receive federal funding or permitting will be required to go through an environmental screening. If you aren’t sure what NEPA is, and whether is applies to your project, we would be happy to assist!

First, NEPA stands for the National Environmental Policy Act. It is a United States environmental law enacted in 1970 to promote the enhancement of the environment and established the President’s Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). NEPA requires federal agencies to integrate environmental values into their decision-making processes by considering the environmental impacts of their proposed actions and alternatives. It also mandates the preparation of environmental impact statements (EIS) for major federal actions significantly affecting the quality of the human environment. NEPA is often considered the cornerstone of environmental protection legislation in the United States.

The range of actions covered by NEPA is broad and includes:

• making decisions on permit applications,
• adopting federal land management actions, and
• constructing highways and other publicly-owned facilities.

Using the NEPA process, agencies evaluate the environmental and related social and economic effects of their proposed actions. Agencies also provide opportunities for public review and comment on those evaluations.