Hostname: page-component-5c6d5d7d68-lvtdw Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-08-14T22:05:14.194Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW & CASE STUDY: Reviewing NEPA's Past: Improving NEPA's Future

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 September 2011

Roger P. Hansen
Affiliation:
Hansen Environmental Consultants, Aurora, Colorado
Theodore A. Wolff*
Affiliation:
Albuquerque, New Mexico
*
Theodore A. Wolff, 10443 Fourth Street NW, Albuquerque, NM 87114; (phone) 505-898-7434; (fax) 505-284-5210; (e-mail) mntwolff@q.com
Get access

Abstract

On December 31, 2009, President Barack Obama proclaimed the 40th anniversary of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), a landmark “conservation” law. During this 40-year period, NEPA has been hailed as a champion of American “environmental rights” and criticized as an obstacle to economic progress. In the view of some critics, NEPA uselessly exploits private and public time and resources. It is remarkable that NEPA, although battered and worn, has survived virtually intact for four decades. This article is not a “how to” dissertation containing new or revised prescriptions for preparing defendable environmental impact statements (EISs), environmental assessments (EAs), and other action-forcing documents prepared by federal agencies. It is not a recitation of main provisions in the NEPA [National Environmental Policy Act of 1969] with which most readers are familiar. Instead, it selects 10 of a plethora of problems blockading responsible NEPA process implementation: seven historic and persistent and three new or emerging. This selection is by no means an all-inclusive list. Finally, the article reviews NEPA's development and looks to some future steps that might be taken to implement NEPA as its founders intended.

Environmental Practice 13:235–249 (2011)

Type
Features
Copyright
Copyright © National Association of Environmental Professionals 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bass, R.E. 2010. Economic Stimulus and NEPA: Lessons Learned in the First Year [Commentary]. In Annual NEPA Report 2009. NEPA Working Group, Washington, DC, 2226. Available at http://knowledge.fhwa.dot.gov/ReNEPA/ReNepa.nsf/9ba8442069238e44852568fe00708985/483e48ccb6b7bf1c85257718007294f5/$FILE/NAEP%20Annual%20NEPA%20Report%202009%20and%20Appendix%2053pp.pdf (accessed July 31, 2011).Google Scholar
Bass, R.E., Herson, A.I., and Bogdan, K.M.. 2001. Integrating NEPA with Other Environmental Laws. In The NEPA Book: A Step-by-Step Guide on How to Comply with the National Environmental Policy Act, 2001, 2nd edition. Solano Press, Point Arena, CA, 127154.Google Scholar
Caldwell, L.K. 1997. Implementing NEPA: A Non-technical Political Task. Chapter 3 in Environmental Policy and NEPA Past, Present, and Future, Clark, Ray and Canter, Larry, eds. St. Lucie Press, Boca Raton, FL, 2550.Google Scholar
Caldwell, L.K. 1998. The National Environmental Policy Act: An Agenda for the Future. Indiana University Press, Bloomington, 219 pp.Google Scholar
Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). 1981, March 23, as amended. Forty Most Asked Questions concerning CEQ's NEPA Regulations. CEQ, Washington, DC. Federal Register 46(6):18026. Available at http://ceq.hss.doe.gov/nepa/regs/40/40p3.htm (accessed July 31, 2011).Google Scholar
Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). 1997, January. The National Environmental Policy Act: A Study of Its Effectiveness after Twenty-five Years. CEQ, Washington, DC, 58 pp. Available at http://ceq.hss.doe.gov/nepa/nepa25fn.pdf (accessed July 31, 2011).Google Scholar
Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). 2010, May 28. Review of MMS NEPA Policies, Practices, and Procedures for OCS Oil and Gas Exploration and Development. Federal Register 75(103):2999629997. Available at http://www.lion.com/federalregister/2010/may28/2010-13111.asp (accessed July 31, 2011).Google Scholar
Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). 2011, March 17. Steps to Modernize and Reinvigorate NEPA [Press release]. CEQ, Washington, DC. Available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq/initiatives/nepa (accessed August 6, 2011).Google Scholar
deWitt, P., and deWitt, C.. 2008. Environmental Impact Statement Preparation Times: 2007 and 2008. Environmental Practice 10(4):164174.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
DiChristina, M. 2010. Science and Society. Scientific American, May, p. 6.Google Scholar
Dreher, R.G. 2005. NEPA under Siege: The Political Assault on the National Environmental Act. Georgetown Environmental Law & Policy Institute, Georgetown University, 28 pp. Available at http://www.law.georgetown.edu/gelpi/research_archive/nepa/NEPAUnderSiegeFinal.pdf (accessed July 31, 2011).Google Scholar
Dupont, N.A. 2009. NEPA and Climate Change: Are We at the “Tipping Point”? Natural Resources & Environment 23(4):1821. Available at http://rwglaw.com/pdf/Dupont-04-09.pdf (accessed July 31, 2011).Google Scholar
Ehrlich, P.R. 1968. The Population Bomb. Ballantine Books, New York, 2001 pp.Google Scholar
Finn, T.T. 1972. Conflict and Compromise: Congress Makes a Law—The Passage of the National Environmental Policy Act (unpublished doctoral dissertation). Georgetown University, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Hansen, R.P., Wolff, T.A., and McCold, L.. 1997. The Conflict of Interest Problem in EIS Preparation. Paper presented at the Proceedings of 21st Annual Conference of the NAEP, Orlando, FL, May 19–22, 15 pp. Available at http://www.osti.gov/bridge/servlets/purl/474882-1at6Bu/webviewable/474882.pdf (accessed July 31, 2011).Google Scholar
Hansen, R.P., Wolff, T.A., and Melcher, A.G.. 2007. NEPA and Environmental Streamlining: Benefits and Risks. Environmental Practice 9(2):8395.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hawken, P. 2007. Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being and Why No One Saw It Coming. Viking Press, New York, 352 pp.Google Scholar
Keys, D., Clark, R., Canter, L., and Yentzer, D.. 2010. Why NEPA Is Not Inherently Self-defeating. Paper presented at the National Association of Environmental Professionals Conference Proceedings, Atlanta, GA, 267–288.Google Scholar
Lamb, R.E. 2010. What Were They Thinking? The Joint House-Senate Colloquium to Discuss A National Environmental Policy. National Association of Environmental Professionals, 35th Annual Conference, Scottsdale, AZ.Google Scholar
Leopold, A. [1949] 1966. A Sand County Almanac, with Essays on Conservation from Round River. Oxford University Press, 293 pp.Google Scholar
Mandelker, D.R. 2010. NEPA Law and Litigation. Thomson/West, Eagen, MN, 5, 544 pp.Google Scholar
Meadows, D.H., Meadows, D.L., and Randers, J.. 2004. Limits to Growth: The 30-Year Update, 3rd edition. Chelsea Green, White River Junction, VT, 368 pp.Google Scholar
Meadows, D.H., Meadows, D.L., Randers, J., and Behrens, W.W. III 1972. Limits to Growth. Universe Books, New York, 205 pp.Google Scholar
Office of the Deputy Secretary, Department of the Interior (DOI). 2011, January 28. Integrity of Scientific and Scholarly Activities (Part 305 DM 3, 38 pp.). Chapter 3 in Department of the Interior Departmental Manual. DOI, Washington, DC. Available at http://www.fws.gov/science/pdf/DOIScientificIntegrityPolicyManual.pdf (accessed July 31, 2011).Google Scholar
Office of the President. 1970, March 5. Executive Order 11514: Protection and Enhancement of Environmental Quality. Federal Register 35:4247. Available at http://ceq.hss.doe.gov/nepa/regs/eos/eo11514.pdf (accessed July 31, 2011).Google Scholar
Office of the President. 1977a, May 24. Executive Order 11988: Floodplain management. Federal Register 42:26951. Available at http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/codification/executive-order/11988.html (accessed July 31, 2011).Google Scholar
Office of the President. 1977b, May 24. Executive Order 11990: Protection of Wetlands. Federal Register 42:26961. Available at http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/codification/executive-order/11990.html (accessed July 31, 2011).Google Scholar
Office of the President. 1994, February 16. Executive Order 12898: Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations. Federal Register 59(32):7629. Available at http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/executive-orders/pdf/12898.pdf (accessed July 31, 2011).Google Scholar
Office of the President. 2002, September 23. Executive Order 13274: Environmental Stewardship and Transportation Infrastructure Project Reviews. Federal Register 67(184):5944959450. Available at http://ceq.hss.doe.gov/nepa/regs/eos/eo13274.pdf (accessed July 31, 2011).Google Scholar
Office of the President. 2003, September. Modernizing NEPA Implementation. NEPA Task Force Report to the Council on Environmental Quality. Office of the President, Washington, DC, 113 pp. Available at http://ceq.hss.doe.gov/ntf/report/finalreport.pdf (accessed July 31, 2011).Google Scholar
Rodes, B., and Odell, R.. 1992. A Dictionary of Environmental Quotations. Simon and Shuster, New York.Google Scholar
Schmidt, O.L., and Mattern, D.S.. 2009. NEPA: Is “Perfect” Good Enough? Paper presented at the Proceedings National Association of Environmental Professionals 34th Annual Conference, Scottsdale, AZ, May 2–6.Google Scholar
Sutley, N.H. 2010a, February 18. Draft Guidance for NEPA Mitigation and Monitoring. CEQ, Washington, DC, 8 pp. Available at http://ceq.hss.doe.gov/nepa/regs/Mitigation_and_Monitoring_Draft_NEPA_Guidance_FINAL_02182010.pdf (accessed July 31, 2011).Google Scholar
Sutley, N.H. 2010b, December 6. Establishing, Applying, and Revising Categorical Exclusions under the National Environmental Policy Act. Federal Register 75(233):7562875638. Available at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2010-12-06/html/2010-30017.htm (accessed July 31, 2011).Google Scholar
Swartz, L.L. 2010. Reclaiming NEPA. Paper presented at the Proceedings National Association of Environmental Professionals Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA, 7 pp. Available at http://www.lucindalowswartz.com/images/ReclaimingNEPA_2010.pdf (accessed July 31, 2011).Google Scholar
US Department of Energy (DOE). 1970. National Environmental Policy Act, as Amended. DOE, Washington, DC. Available at http://ceq.hss.doe.gov/nepa/regs/nepa/nepaeqia.htm (accessed July 31 2011).Google Scholar
US Department of Energy (DOE). 2010, December 1. National Environmental Policy Act: Lessons Learned. Fourth Quarter Report. DOE, Washington, DC, 36 pp. Available at http://nepa.energy.gov/documents/December2010LLQR.pdf (accessed July 31, 2011).Google Scholar
US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 2009, October 30. EPA Mandatory Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Final Rule. Federal Register 74(209):5626056519. Available at http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/downloads09/GHG-MRR-Full%20Version.pdf (accessed July 31, 2011).Google Scholar
US Forest Service (USFS). 2006, December 15. National Environmental Policy Act Documentation Needed for Developing, Revising, or Amending Land Management Plans; Categorical Exclusion. Federal Register 71(241):7548175495. Available at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/search/pagedetails.action?granuleId=E6-21370&packageId=FR-2006-12-15&collectionCode=FR&browsePath=2006%2F12%2F12-15%5C%2F6%2FAgriculture+Department&isCollapsed=false&leafLevelBrowse=true&isDocumentResults=true&bread=true (accessed July 31, 2011).Google Scholar
Weiland, P.S. 1997. Amending the National Environmental Policy Act: Federal Environmental Protection in the 21st Century. Journal of Land Use & Environmental Law 12(2):275, 279–281.Google Scholar
Williams, D.O. 2009. Western Slope Watchdog Groups Leery of Hickenlooper Oil and Gas Appointments. Colorado Independent, September 16. Available at http://coloradoindependent.com/95349/western-slope-watchdog-groups-leery-of-hickenlooper-oil-and-gas-appointments (accessed August 6, 2011).Google Scholar