Opinion ID: 167714
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: NEPA's procedural requirements

Text: 3 NEPA established a national policy [to] encourage productive and enjoyable harmony between man and his environment, and was intended to reduce or eliminate environmental damage and promote the understanding of the ecological systems and natural resources important to the United States. 42 U.S.C. § 4321. NEPA itself does not mandate particular results in order to accomplish these ends. Robertson v. Methow Valley Citizens Council, 490 U.S. 332, 350, 109 S.Ct. 1835, 104 L.Ed.2d 351 (1989). Rather, NEPA imposes procedural requirements on federal agencies with a particular focus on requiring agencies to analyze the environmental impact of their proposals and actions. See id. at 349-53, 109 S.Ct. 1835. 4 NEPA requires that federal agencies prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for certain major federal actions significantly affecting the quality of the human environment. The EIS must include a 5 detailed statement by the responsible official on—(i) the environmental impact of the proposed action, (ii) any adverse environmental effects which cannot be avoided should the proposal be implemented, (iii) alternatives to the proposed action, (iv) the relationship between local short-term uses of man's environment and the maintenance and enhancement of long-term productivity, and (v) any irreversible and irretrievable commitments of resources which would be involved in the proposed action should it be implemented. 6 42 U.S.C. § 4332(2)(C). 7