The National Environmental Policy Act

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The National Environmental Policy Act

Our Congress created the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in 1969 in order to establish an environmental foundation for mankind. This policy endorses harmony between humans and the vast ecosystems surrounding them. To obtain this goal and provide our future with resources as well, NEPA is separated into two titles. The first title declares the policy in detail while the second title focuses on the Council on Environmental Quality. The CEQ oversees the effectiveness of current methods, the reactions of the environment to those methods, and implements revisions as necessary.

In Title I of NEPA, our government recognizes the immutable link between mankind's dealings and the impacts on the environment. People have an individual responsibility to the world around them. The Constitution assures us "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." However, "life" is undefined. We, as human beings, have the superiority to nurture and preserve all forms of life. Transitions in population growth (or decline), urban spread, industry expansions and technological advances are critical in determining and modifying the ever-changing needs of the environment. Extensive research and planning with State and local government allows NEPA to anticipate, possibly even predict, an environmental disaster before it occurs. These measures are to insure the most beneficial use of our natural resources, to preserve our Nation's history as well as encourage individuality, to search for improvements in recycling our resources and the discovery of new ones. These goals are sought after in a systematic manner to include the most recent available data that could promote or reject proposals for changes t...

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...distribution of the fund as well as sets the regulations to operate it.

Overall, the implementation of NEPA has made it possible for everyone to be informed and participate in the discoveries and changes of the environment we've been blessed with. This has led to multinational concerns and efforts for improving our environment. In September 1992, Canada, Mexico, and the US instituted a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). It promotes joint environmental development and education throughout North America. Alliances such as this restore some faith that our environment matters to us. Not only what it provides us with but also the bounties it provides for animals and birds, trees and open land, fish and plants. They have no tangible voice with two exceptions -- the voice of a mankind that cares and the voice of extinction.

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