National Environmental Policy Act
EPA plays a unique role in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process.
- EPA has responsibility to prepare its own NEPA documents for compliance.
- EPA is charged under Section 309 of the Clean Air Act to review the environmental impact statements (EIS) of other federal agencies and to comment on the adequacy and the acceptability of the environmental impacts of the proposed action.
EPA also serves as the repository (EIS database) for EISs prepared by federal agencies and provides notice of its availability in the Federal Register.
Filing an EIS
- EIS filing guidance
- e-NEPA for electronic filing of EISs (through Central Data Exchange (CDX))
- Submitting copies of EISs to EPA regional offices
EPA's Role in the NEPA Process
NEPA Where You Live
NEPA and Environmental Justice
Search the EIS Database
- Search for EISs (Electronic (PDF) versions of EISs received by EPA since October 2012)
- Find EISs filed during the previous week
- Find EISs open for comment
- Find EPA comments on EISs issued in the past 60 days
Updated NEPA Implementing Regulations
The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) issued a final rule to update its NEPA implementing regulations. The final rule went into effect on September 14, 2020. On April 20, 2022, CEQ issued the Phase 1 final rule. The Phase 1 final rule went into effect on May 20, 2022. Learn more about CEQ's final rules.
A Citizen's Guide to NEPA
The Citizen's Guide to the National Environmental Policy Actis a useful resource from the Council on Environmental Quality for those that are not familiar with NEPA. This guide describes the NEPA process and provides information on how citizens can get involved.