National Environmental Policy Act: Little Information Exists on NEPA Analyses Metadata

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Title

  • Main Title National Environmental Policy Act: Little Information Exists on NEPA Analyses

Creator

  • Author: United States. Government Accountability Office.
    Creator Type: Organization

Publisher

  • Name: United States. Government Accountability Office.
    Place of Publication: Washington D.C.

Date

  • Creation: 2014-04-15

Language

  • English

Description

  • Content Description: A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Governmentwide data on the number and type of most National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analyses are not readily available, as data collection efforts vary by agency. NEPA generally requires federal agencies to evaluate the potential environmental effects of actions they propose to carry out, fund, or approve (e.g., by permit) by preparing analyses of different comprehensiveness depending on the significance of a proposed project's effects on the environment--from the most detailed Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) to the less comprehensive Environmental Assessments (EA) and Categorical Exclusions (CE). Agencies do not routinely track the number of EAs or CEs, but the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ)--the entity within the Executive Office of the President that oversees NEPA implementation--estimates that about 95 percent of NEPA analyses are CEs, less than 5 percent are EAs, and less than 1 percent are EISs. Projects requiring an EIS are a small portion of all projects but are likely to be high-profile, complex, and expensive. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maintains governmentwide information on EISs. A 2011 Congressional Research Service report noted that determining the total number of federal actions subject to NEPA is difficult, since most agencies track only the number of actions requiring an EIS."

Subject

  • Library of Congress Subject Headings: Government accountability -- United States.
  • Keyword: natural resources and environment
  • Keyword: national environmental policy act
  • Keyword: letter report

Coverage

  • Place Name: United States

Collection

  • Name: Government Accountability Office Reports
    Code: GAORT

Institution

  • Name: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
    Code: UNTGD

Rights

  • Rights License: pd

Resource Type

  • Report

Format

  • Text

Identifier

  • Report No.: GAO-14-370
  • Accession or Local Control No: 662545
  • URL: http://gao.gov/products/GAO-14-370
  • Archival Resource Key: ark:/67531/metadc301485
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