nepa

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is a United States environmental law designed to promote the enhancement of the environment. It created new laws requiring U.S. federal government agencies to evaluate the environmental impacts of their actions and decisions, and it established the President's Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). The Act was passed by the U.S. Congress in December 1969 and signed into law by President Richard Nixon on January 1, 1970. More than 100 nations around the world have enacted national environmental policies modeled after NEPA.
NEPA requires federal agencies to evaluate the environmental effects of their actions. NEPA's most significant outcome was the requirement that all executive federal agencies prepare environmental assessments (EAs) and environmental impact statements (EISs). These reports state the potential environmental effects of proposed federal agency actions. Further, U.S. Congress recognizes that each person has a responsibility to preserve and enhance the environment as trustees for succeeding generations. NEPA's procedural requirements do not apply to the president, Congress, or the federal courts since they are not a "federal agency" by definition. However, a federal agency taking action under authority ordered by the president may be a final agency action subject to NEPA's procedural requirements.
There is limited evidence on the costs and benefits of NEPA. According to a 2025 review, "On the cost side, environmental review has become considerably lengthier in recent decades, and at least some infrastructure costs have greatly increased since the passage of NEPA, though evidence of causality remains elusive. On the benefits side, while case studies suggest that NEPA has curbed some of the worst abuses, more systematic data on benefits are scanty."

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