NCJ Number
185347
Date Published
March 2000
Length
69 pages
Annotation
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 establishes a national goal of protecting the environment, and NEPA requirements apply to any federal project, decision, or action, including grants in aid, that may have a significant impact on environmental quality.
Abstract
As the basic national charter for protection of the environment, NEPA establishes policy, sets goals, and provides the means for carrying out policy. The policy requires Federal agencies to implement procedures to make the NEPA process more useful to decision makers and the public, to integrate NEPA requirements with other planning and environmental review procedures, to encourage public involvement in decisions that affect environmental quality, to use the NEPA process to identify and assess reasonable alternatives to proposed actions that will avoid or minimize adverse effects on the environment, and to use all practicable means to restore and enhance environmental quality. All construction, expansion, and renovation projects initiated with grant funding from the Office of Justice Programs, Corrections Program Office, are subject to NEPA. The conduct of environmental assessments is detailed, with emphasis on process, content, and the environmental impact statement. An appendix contains regulations for implementing NEPA's procedural provisions. 3 references