National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
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The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (1970) (42 U.S.C. §§ 4321-4347) requires agencies to include an environmental impact statement in any major action "significantly affecting the quality of the environment." Agencies must consult with and obtain the comment of any federal agency jurisdiction or expertise in the environmental area. Those comments accompany the proposal through the agency review process. The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) has issued regulations to implement the procedural provisions of NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508). Regulatory agencies have also promulgated supplementary regulations that establish procedures for determining the need for an environmental impact statement as well as for preparing and obtaining comments on such statements.
Source: The Regulatory Group, Inc., available at reg-group.com/glossary.shtml.
