The Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance makes guidance and requirement documents available to the NEPA community to ensure that the Department’s proposed actions comply with the National Environmental Policy Act, and to assist the interested public in reviewing NEPA documents.
Changes to CEQ NEPA Regulations
The Council on Environmental Quality issued a final rule on April 20, 2022, revising its NEPA regulations. Additional information is available on the NEPA.gov website.
Guidance and Requirements Table
A listing of requirements and guidance relevant to DOE's implementation of NEPA. The list is provided in a table, which may be searched by keyword, source, date, or topic.
When reviewing guidance, keep in mind that updated CEQ NEPA regulations became effective in May 2022. Guidance issued prior to 2022 has not been updated to account for changes in CEQ's regulations. To the extent that CEQ guidance issued prior to April 20, 2022, is in conflict with the updated regulations, the provisions of the updated regulations apply.
Other Agency NEPA-Related Resources
A listing of resources available online that may be of use in the preparation of a NEPA document.
Lessons Learned Quarterly Report
A collection of guidance, case studies, analyses, references, and resource information broadly relevant to NEPA implementation, such as guidance on public participation and interagency coordination procedures.
NEPA Search Index
The NEPA Search Index is comprised of two compressed (.zip) files - one with requirements and guidance issued by DOE and the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), and one primarily with guidance and related materials issued by other federal agencies. Each .zip file contains a "search index" (.pdx file) that can be used (after extracting the subject folder) to search for keywords and phrases in all the documents from one search form.
Archived Documents
Links below are to pages with historical documents related to NEPA regulations and guidance.
• History of DOE regulations, procedures, and policies
• History of CEQ regulations and guidance