National Environmental Policy Act

E12183

United States federal statute environmental law

The National Environmental Policy Act is a foundational U.S. environmental law that requires federal agencies to assess and disclose the environmental impacts of their proposed actions through processes like Environmental Impact Statements.

Jump to: Surface forms Statements Referenced by

Observed surface forms (8)

Surface form	Occurrences
NEPA	5
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969	4
An Act to establish a national policy for the environment, to provide for the establishment of a Council on Environmental Quality, and for other purposes	1
NEPA does not require federal agencies to adopt any particular mitigation measures identified in an environmental impact statement	1
NEPA is essentially procedural and does not mandate particular substantive environmental results	1
National Environmental Policy Act codified sections	1
National Environmental Policy Act procedures	1
national environmental policy of the United States	1

Statements (50)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	United States federal statute ⓘ environmental law ⓘ
administeredBy	Council on Environmental Quality ⓘ U.S. federal agencies ⓘ surface form: United States federal agencies
appliesTo	federal agencies ⓘ major Federal actions significantly affecting the quality of the human environment ⓘ
codifiedIn	42 U.S.C. §§ 4321–4370h ⓘ
considered	cornerstone of U.S. environmental law ⓘ
contains	Congressional declaration of national environmental policy ⓘ provisions for public participation in environmental decision-making ⓘ requirements for detailed statements on environmental impacts ⓘ
country	United States of America ⓘ surface form: United States
doesNotDirectlyRegulate	private sector activities without federal involvement ⓘ
effectiveDate	1970-01-01 ⓘ
enactedBy	United States Congress ⓘ
established	Council on Environmental Quality ⓘ
hasAcronym	National Environmental Policy Act self-linksurface differs ⓘ surface form: NEPA
implementedThrough	Council on Environmental Quality regulations ⓘ agency-specific NEPA procedures ⓘ
influenced	international environmental impact assessment practices ⓘ state environmental policy acts ⓘ
keyConcept	Environmental Assessment ⓘ Environmental Impact Statements ⓘ surface form: Environmental Impact Statement Finding of No Significant Impact ⓘ human environment ⓘ major federal action ⓘ significantly affecting the quality of the human environment ⓘ
legalDoctrine	procedural statute rather than substantive environmental standard ⓘ
primaryPurpose	to declare a national policy for the environment ⓘ to enrich the understanding of ecological systems and natural resources ⓘ to promote efforts which will prevent or eliminate damage to the environment and biosphere ⓘ
publicLawNumber	Public Law 91-190 ⓘ
relatedCaseLaw	Calvert Cliffs Coordinating Committee v. U.S. Atomic Energy Commission ⓘ Robertson v. Methow Valley Citizens Council ⓘ Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v. NRDC ⓘ
requires	Environmental Assessments ⓘ Environmental Impact Statements ⓘ consideration of alternatives to proposed federal actions ⓘ consideration of cumulative environmental impacts ⓘ environmental impact assessment of major federal actions ⓘ interdisciplinary approach to environmental decision-making ⓘ public disclosure of environmental impacts ⓘ
section	42 U.S.C. § 4331 ⓘ 42 U.S.C. § 4332 ⓘ
shortName	National Environmental Policy Act self-linksurface differs ⓘ surface form: NEPA
signedBy	Richard Nixon ⓘ
signingDate	1970-01-01 ⓘ
statutesAtLargeCitation	83 Stat. 852 ⓘ
title	National Environmental Policy Act self-linksurface differs ⓘ surface form: National Environmental Policy Act of 1969
yearOfEnactment	1969 ⓘ

Referenced by (41)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Robertson v. Methow Valley Citizens Council → abbreviation → National Environmental Policy Act ⓘ

this entity surface form: NEPA

Calvert Cliffs Coordinating Committee v. U.S. Atomic Energy Commission → appliesLaw → National Environmental Policy Act ⓘ

Environment and Natural Resources Division → appliesLaw → National Environmental Policy Act ⓘ

Office of Environmental Programs → appliesPolicy → National Environmental Policy Act ⓘ

Council on Environmental Quality → createdBy → National Environmental Policy Act ⓘ

this entity surface form: National Environmental Policy Act of 1969

ENRD → enforces → National Environmental Policy Act ⓘ

Public Law 91-190 → establishes → National Environmental Policy Act ⓘ

this entity surface form: national environmental policy of the United States

Alaska Region → follows → National Environmental Policy Act ⓘ

subject surface form: Alaska Region (BOEM)

Environmental Impact Statements → governedBy → National Environmental Policy Act ⓘ

subject surface form: Environmental Impact Statement

Environmental Impact Statements → governedBy → National Environmental Policy Act ⓘ

subject surface form: Environmental Impact Statement

this entity surface form: NEPA

Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant → governedBy → National Environmental Policy Act ⓘ

Barlow Ranger District → governingLaw → National Environmental Policy Act ⓘ

Zigzag Ranger District → governingLaw → National Environmental Policy Act ⓘ

National Environmental Policy Act → hasAcronym → National Environmental Policy Act self-linksurface differs ⓘ

this entity surface form: NEPA

Robertson v. Methow Valley Citizens Council → holding → National Environmental Policy Act ⓘ

this entity surface form: NEPA does not require federal agencies to adopt any particular mitigation measures identified in an environmental impact statement

Robertson v. Methow Valley Citizens Council → holding → National Environmental Policy Act ⓘ

this entity surface form: NEPA is essentially procedural and does not mandate particular substantive environmental results

Ecological Services Program → implements → National Environmental Policy Act ⓘ

U.S. Forest Service → implements → National Environmental Policy Act ⓘ

this entity surface form: National Environmental Policy Act procedures

Title 42 of the United States Code → includes → National Environmental Policy Act ⓘ

this entity surface form: National Environmental Policy Act codified sections

California Environmental Quality Act → influencedBy → National Environmental Policy Act ⓘ

National Marine Fisheries Service → legalAuthority → National Environmental Policy Act ⓘ

Council on Environmental Quality → legalBasis → National Environmental Policy Act ⓘ

Robertson v. Methow Valley Citizens Council → legalSubject → National Environmental Policy Act ⓘ

Public Law 91-190 → officialName → National Environmental Policy Act ⓘ

this entity surface form: National Environmental Policy Act of 1969

Council on Environmental Quality → overseesImplementationOf → National Environmental Policy Act ⓘ

91st United States Congress → passed → National Environmental Policy Act ⓘ

Clean Water Act → relatedTo → National Environmental Policy Act ⓘ

Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act → relatedTo → National Environmental Policy Act ⓘ

Mineral Leasing Act → relatedTo → National Environmental Policy Act ⓘ

NHPA → relatedTo → National Environmental Policy Act ⓘ

National Historic Preservation Act Amendments of 1980 → relatedTo → National Environmental Policy Act ⓘ

National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 → relatedTo → National Environmental Policy Act ⓘ

Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act → relatedTo → National Environmental Policy Act ⓘ

Public Law 89-665 → relatedTo → National Environmental Policy Act ⓘ

Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1970 → relatedTo → National Environmental Policy Act ⓘ

U.S. Endangered Species Act → relatedTo → National Environmental Policy Act ⓘ

National Environmental Policy Act → shortName → National Environmental Policy Act self-linksurface differs ⓘ

this entity surface form: NEPA

Public Law 91-190 → shortName → National Environmental Policy Act ⓘ

this entity surface form: NEPA

Robertson v. Methow Valley Citizens Council → statuteInterpreted → National Environmental Policy Act ⓘ

this entity surface form: National Environmental Policy Act of 1969

National Environmental Policy Act → title → National Environmental Policy Act self-linksurface differs ⓘ

this entity surface form: National Environmental Policy Act of 1969

Public Law 91-190 → titleOfAct → National Environmental Policy Act ⓘ

this entity surface form: An Act to establish a national policy for the environment, to provide for the establishment of a Council on Environmental Quality, and for other purposes