The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) was enacted in 1969 in recognition of the intimate link between the well-being of the natural environment and of the welfare of humanity.

If a project involves federal funding, federal action or federal approval, the project actions must go through the “NEPA process”.

NEPA requires developers (i.e. residential, commercial, oil and gas explorations) to take into consideration the impacts actions may have on the social, economic and physical environment, to consider alternatives, and to present all findings to a regulatory agency for approval.

SME staff will coordinate with applicable federal, state and local agencies, as well as public interest groups, to ensure the project’s compliance with NEPA.  This includes data collection and report preparation to support baseline description, impact assessment, and mitigation planning for Categorical Exclusions, Environmental Assessments, and Environmental Impact Statements.