(1) Urban sprawl destroys valuable open space, 
farmland, wildlife, and natural, cultural, scenic, and 
recreational resources. 
(2) Urban sprawl also leads to costly public ex-
penditures for infrastructure, public schools, and 
transportation for newly developed areas while caus-
ing disinvestment in the urban cores of cities and 
towns. 
(3) Smart growth can prevent these problems 
and help enhance the quality of life for everyone. 
(4) Although growth management is primarily a 
State, tribal, and local responsibility, the effects of 
Federal actions contributing to or avoiding urban 
sprawl can be considerable. 
(5) Federal agencies can benefit from additional 
guidance to improve the use of environmental impact 
statements and environmental assessments in con-
sidering the potential effects of their proposed ac-
tions on urban sprawl and smart growth. 
SEC. 3. SMART GROWTH STUDY. 
(a) STUDY REQUIRED.—The Council on Environ-
mental Quality shall conduct a study of urban sprawl and 
smart growth that updates and builds on the Council’s 
1974 study entitled ‘‘The Costs of Sprawl’’ and the Coun-
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cil’s 1981 study entitled ‘‘National Agricultural Lands 
Study’’. 
(b) EXAMINATION
OF
ENVIRONMENTAL
IMPACT 
STATEMENTS.—In conducting the study, the Council shall 
select and examine a variety of environmental impact 
statements and environmental assessments by a minimum 
of 15 Federal agencies, that were completed after 1995 
for land and facility management, transportation and in-
frastructure, and regulatory and development assistance 
programs, including rural, urban, and tribal assistance. 
(c) PUBLIC PARTICIPATION.—The Council shall pro-
vide opportunities for public participation in the study, in-
cluding by—
(1) conducting public meetings in at least 5 cit-
ies that, as determined by the Council, are each lo-
cated—
(A) in a different region of the United 
States; and 
(B) in an area that is experiencing an in-
crease in urban sprawl; 
(2) making electronically accessible to the pub-
lic information on the study and related documents; 
and 
(3) holding discussions with Federal, State, and 
local government personnel and representatives of 
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Indian tribes involved in the process of formulating 
environmental impact statements and environmental 
assessments. 
(d) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Council shall submit 
a report to the Committee on Resources of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Environment and 
Public Works of the Senate describing the results of the 
study, including the following: 
(1) Findings of the Council concerning the eco-
nomic, environmental, and land use effects of urban 
sprawl, such as those relating to energy, transpor-
tation, housing, schools, small business, Government 
facilities and military installations, public lands and 
forests, parks and recreation, agriculture and rural 
landscapes, air and water, and natural, scenic, and 
cultural resources. 
(2) Recommendations for improving environ-
mental reviews by Federal agencies to more ade-
quately address urban sprawl. 
(3) Recommendations for nonregulatory actions 
that may be taken by Federal agencies to—
(A) assist States and local communities in 
efforts to promote the beneficial effects of 
smart growth; and 
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(B) minimize actions by the agencies that 
result in adverse effects of urban sprawl. 
(e) PARTICIPATION OF OTHER AGENCIES.—In car-
rying out this section, the Council should seek the partici-
pation of other Federal agencies. 
(f) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to the Council $300,000 
for the purpose of carrying out this section, in addition 
to any other amounts that are available for such purpose. 
SEC. 4. NOTIFICATION, CONSULTATION, AND CONSIDER-
ATION OF EFFECTS BEFORE DETERMINING 
WHETHER TO PREPARE AN ENVIRONMENTAL 
IMPACT STATEMENT. 
(a) NOTICE AND COMMENT.—In preparing an envi-
ronmental assessment for a proposed Federal action and 
before determining whether to prepare an environmental 
impact statement for the action, the head of a Federal 
agency shall—
(1) publish notice of the action in the Federal 
Register and local newspapers of general circulation; 
(2) directly notify persons that may be affected 
by the proposed Federal action, including each State 
government, local government, Indian tribe, low-in-
come or minority community, and property owner 
that may be so affected; 
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(3) conduct discussions with such persons on 
the proposed action and its alternatives; and 
(4) seek to address and resolve such persons’ 
concerns, if any. 
(b) CONSIDERATION
OF REQUEST
FOR ENVIRON-
MENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT.—If the Governor of a State 
or the head of a local government or Indian tribe referred 
to in subsection (a)(1) submits in writing to the head of 
the Federal agency a statement that the proposed Federal 
action will result in urban sprawl significantly affecting 
the quality of the human environment and a request for 
preparation of an environmental impact statement for the 
proposed Federal action, the head of the Federal agency 
shall give great weight to the request in determining 
whether to prepare an environmental impact statement for 
the proposed Federal action. 
(c) PUBLICATION
OF
ENVIRONMENTAL
ASSESS-
MENT.—If, after receiving a written statement and re-
quest for an environmental impact statement under sub-
section (b) for a proposed Federal action, the head of a 
Federal agency determines that the environmental impact 
statement is not required by section 102(2)(C) of the Na-
tional Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 
4332(2)(C)), the agency head shall—
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(1) include in an environmental assessment for 
the action an explanation of why the proposed action 
will not result in urban sprawl significantly affecting 
the quality of the human environment; 
(2) provide public notice of the availability of 
the assessment in the Federal Register and local 
newspapers of general circulation; and 
(3) transmit a copy of the assessment to the 
Council on Environmental Quality. 
(d) URBAN SPRAWL.—The head of a Federal agency 
shall include in an environmental impact statement re-
quested pursuant to subsection (b), for each alternative 
included in the statement under section 102(2)(C)(iii) of 
the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 
4332(2)(C)(iii)), an analysis of the environmental effects 
of the action on urban sprawl. 
SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS. 
For purposes of this Act: 
(1) COUNCIL.—The term ‘‘Council’’ means the 
Council on Environmental Quality. 
(2) ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT.—The term 
‘‘environmental assessment’’ has the meaning given 
to that term in section 1508.9 of title 40, Code of 
Federal Regulations, as in effect on the date of the 
enactment of this Act. 
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(3) ENVIRONMENTAL
IMPACT
STATEMENT.—
The term ‘‘environmental impact statement’’ means 
a detailed written statement under section 102(2)(C) 
of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 
(42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C)). 
(4) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian tribe’’ 
means any Indian tribe, band, nation, pueblo, or 
other organized group or community, including any 
Alaska Native village or regional corporation as de-
fined in or established pursuant to the Alaska Na-
tive Claims Settlement Act, that is recognized as eli-
gible for the special programs and services provided 
by the United States to members of the Indian tribe 
because of their status as members. 
(5) 
URBAN
SPRAWL.—The 
term 
‘‘urban 
sprawl’’—
(A) means any change in the pattern of 
the use of land outside of an urban center that 
results in a relatively dispersed form of residen-
tial or commercial development; and 
(B) includes any such change that—
(i) may result in loss of open space, 
farmland, rural landscapes, wildlife, or nat-
ural, cultural, scenic, or recreational re-
sources; or 
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(ii) may result in high public costs for 
infrastructure, public facilities, or trans-
portation and lead to disinvestment in 
older urban or suburban areas. 
(6) 
SMART
GROWTH.—The 
term 
‘‘smart 
growth’’ means policies regarding growth and devel-
opment that—
(A) recognize the effects of new growth 
and development, including the environmental, 
economic, and social costs described in para-
graph (5)(B); and 
(B) attempt to mitigate those effects in ad-
vance so as to avoid or reduce them.
Æ
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