The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) established a national environmental policy that protects and maintains the environment, and the legislation helped create a process to implement these goals within federal agencies.

NEPA’s directs agencies to:

• consider the environmental consequences of a proposed action
• act as an environmental trustee for future generations
• attain the most beneficial uses of the environment without risk to health or safety
• preserve historic and cultural heritage
• achieve a balance between population and resource use
• enhance the quality of renewable resources and encourage recycling

Scoping is the first step in the NEPA process. It is an open process that identifies any significant issues associated with a proposed action, and it determines the range of issues the agency will address. If the proposed action will not have an effect on the environment, it is given a Categorical Exclusion. If a project is given a Categorical Exclusion, it does not require an Environmental Assessment or an Environmental Impact Statement.

An Environmental Assessment determines whether an action would significantly affect the environment, and if so, the agency issues an Environmental Impact Statement. If not, the agency issues a “Finding of No Significant Impact.”

For actions that significantly affect the environment, agencies prepare Environmental Impact Statements to assess the impact and consider alternatives. If an Environmental Impact Statement is planned, a Notice of Intent is published in the Federal Register.

When DOE conducts a project that requires an Environmental Impact Statement, the agency prepares a public Record of Decision. The Record of Decision describes how the agency will avoid or minimize environmental harm when conducting the selected alternatives.