Visualizing Environmental Science

federal recommendation or proposal for legislation. An EIS

is a document that describes the nature and purpose of the

proposal, its short- and long-term environmental impacts,

and possible alternatives that would create fewer adverse ef-

fects. NEPA also requires solicitation of public comments

when preparing an EIS, which generally provides a broader

perspective on the proposal and its likely effects.

NEPA established the Council on Environmental

Quality to monitor the required EISs and report directly

to the president. Because this council had no enforce-

ment powers, NEPA was originally considered innocuous,

more a statement of good intentions than a regulatory

policy. During the next few years, however, environmen-

tal activists took people, corporations, and the federal

government to court to challenge their EISs or use them

to block proposed development. The courts decreed

that EISs had to thoroughly analyze the environmental

consequences of anticipated projects on soil, water, and

endangered species and that EISs be made available to

the public (Figure 3.10). These rulings put sharp teeth

1. Explain why the National Environmental Policy
   Act is the cornerstone of U.S. environmental law.


2. Describe how environmental impact
   statements provide powerful protection of the
   environment.


3. Explain the Environmental Protection Agency’s
   role in environmental policy.

W

ell-publicized ecological disasters, such as the

1969 oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara,

California, and overwhelming public support

for the Earth Day movement, led to the

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1970. The

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was created in July

of the same year. A key provision of NEPA requires the

federal government to consider the environmental impacts

of proposed federal actions, such as financing highway or

dam construction, when making decisions about that ac-

tion. NEPA provides the basis for developing detailed envi-

ronmental impact statements (EISs) to accompany every

Environmental Legislation

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

PROCESS DIAGRAM

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Environmental Legislation 59

Environmental

Impact

Statement

(EIS)

How will the

project affect

wildlife habitat?

How will the

landscape be

altered?

How will air

quality be

affected?

How will increased

soil erosion affect

water quality?

Will the project harm

any endangered

species?

How will

stream flow

rates change?

Major construction project

proposed.

Environmental Impact

Statement (EIS) prepared.

EIS released for public

review and comment.

Based on public debate,

the project may proceed as

planned, proceed with

modifications, be sent back

for further development, or

be withdrawn.

1 2 3 4

Michael Melford/NG Images

2

An EIS must answer a number of critical questions

4

A major project like this solar installation near Las Vegas, Nevada, has gone

through an extensive review process

Step

Step