CEQ Urges Federal Agencies to Adopt NEPA Review Practices From Pilot Projects

摘要

The White House Council on Environmental Quality has released a memo to federal agencies recommending steps they can take to improve implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act as identified through pilot projects initiated in 2011. The five pilot programs were intended to categorize goals and best practices for modernizing the NEPA process (42 ER2426, 10/28/11). The memo identifies six objectives that resulted from monitoring the pilots that could lead to improving the efficiency of NEPA implementation: 1. simplifying practices such as data gathering, scoping and public involvement; 2. coordinating environmental reviews across federal, state, tribal and local jurisdictions; 3. reducing the time and money spent on reviews; 4. using information technology to improve efficiency; 5. improving the quality and transparency of agency decision making; and 6. promoting best practices. The memo, dated Jan. 26, was posted on the CEQ website Feb. 9.