Opinion ID: 608109
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The National Environmental Policy Act and Part 51 Regulations

Text: 7 NEPA, 42 U.S.C. §§ 4321 et seq., provides for a national policy that encourages productive and enjoyable harmony between man and his environment. See Pacific Legal Found. v. Andrus, 657 F.2d 829, 837 (6th Cir.1981). NEPA provides that when a federal agency undertakes major federal action[ ] significantly affecting the quality of the human environment, it must prepare an EIS concerning that action. 42 U.S.C. § 4332(2)(C). Thus, NEPA is a procedural statute that is designed to ensure that federal agencies consider the environmental impact of their actions. The impact statement is evidence that the agency considered environmental concerns. 8 The Council on Environmental Quality promulgated regulations to establish a framework for federal agency compliance with NEPA. 40 C.F.R. Pt. 1500. These regulations provide that an agency has a mandatory duty to prepare or supplement an EIS when significant new circumstances arise that bear on environmental concerns. 40 C.F.R. § 1502.9(c)(1)(ii). The Nuclear Regulatory Commission also established its own regulations, Part 51 regulations, to ensure self-compliance with NEPA requirements. See 10 C.F.R. Pt. 51. For example, Part 51 regulations require the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to augment its 1982 EIS whenever it issues or renews a Part 61 license to a disposal facility. See 10 C.F.R. §§ 51.20(b)(11), 51.80(a).