Corporate Practice Series Portfolio No. 27-2nd, The Environmental Impact Statement Process, examines the preparation of environmental impact statements. The portfolio discusses in detail the National Environmental Policy Act and the regulations promulgated by the Council on Environmental Quality to implement the statute. It covers pre-statement procedures, the content and format of the statement, responses to the statement, decision-making based on the statement, and the role that counsel for a private applicant should take in the statement process. Finally, the portfolio discusses aspects of NEPA litigation and touches briefly on NEPA's applicability when environmental impacts of a federal action are felt in other countries.

Portfolio 27-2nd: The Environmental Impact Statement Process

I. The Environmental Impact Statement Process— An Introduction 
    A. The National Environmental Policy Act 
    B. Promulgation of the NEPA Regulations 
        1. The original guidelines 
        2. The NEPA regulations 
            a. Andrus v. Sierra Club 
            b. The role of corporate counsel

II. Pre-Statement Procedures 
    A. Agencies' Obligation to Applicants 
    B. Is an Environmental Impact Statement Required? 
        1. Categorical exclusion 
        2. Environmental impact statement requirement 
        3. Environmental assessment 
            a. Purpose 
            b. Preparation 
            c. After the assessment 
        4. Major federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment 
            a. ‘Proposal’ 
            b. ‘Legislation’ 
            c. ‘Major federal action’ 
            d. ‘Significantly’ 
            e. ‘Affecting’ 
            f. ‘Quality of the human environment’ 
    C. The Agencies 
        1. Lead agency 
        2. Cooperating agency 
    D. Statement Coverage 
        1. Program statements 
        2. Tiering 
    E. Timing of the Statement 
    F. The Scoping Process 
        1. Scoping meetings 
        2. Assigning responsibilities for the statement 
        3. Identification and integration of all environmental permit and review requirements 
        4. Setting time limits

III. Preparation of the Statement 
    A. Who Prepares the Statement 
        1. Third-party contracts 
        2. Conflicts of interest and disclosure statements 
    B. Draft, Final, and Supplemental Statements 
        1. Draft statements 
        2. Final statements 
        3. Supplemental statements 
    C. Format 
        1. Cover sheet 
        2. Summary 
        3. Purpose and need 
        4. Alternatives including the proposed action 
        5. Affected environment 
        6. Environmental consequences 
        7. List of preparers 
        8. Appendix 
    D. Other Requirements 
        1. Interdisciplinary preparation 
        2. Page limits 
        3. Clear writing 
        4. Incorporation by reference 
        5. Incomplete or unavailable information 
        6. Cost-benefit analysis 
        7. Methodology and scientific accuracy 
        8. Environmental review and consultation requirements 
        9. Cost of the statement 
        10. Mitigation 
    E. Project Activity During Statement Preparation

IV. Post-Statement Procedures 
    A. Commenting on the Statement 
        1. Who may comment? 
        2. Form and content of comments 
        3. Lead agency's response to comments 
    B. Filing the Statement 
    C. Timing 
        1. Comments 
        2. Agency action 
        3. Waiver of time periods 
    D. Pre-Decision Referrals to CEQ 
        1. Statutory authority 
        2. Regulatory authority 
    E. Using the Statement in Decisionmaking 
    F. Records of Decision 
    G. Post-Decision Monitoring

V. Other Requirements of NEPA and the Regulations 
    A. Eliminating Duplication 
        1. With state and local agencies 
        2. With other federal agencies 
        3. With other required documents 
    B. Statements on Legislative Proposals 
    C. Emergencies 
    D. Agency Responsibilities 
        1. Agency capability 
        2. Agency procedures 
        3. Independent regulatory agencies 
    E. Public Participation 
    F. Secrecy

VI. Litigation 
    A. Standing 
    B. Appropriate Remedies 
    C. Defenses 
    D. Substantive Review 
    E. Applicability of State ‘Little NEPAs’ 
    F. Patterns of Litigation

VII. NEPA Abroad 
    . Introductory Material 
    A. Litigation 
    B. Executive Action

Portfolio 27-2nd: The Environmental Impact Statement Process

Wks. 1 REGULATORY DOCUMENTS The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended*

Wks. 2 Clean Air Act §309*

Wks. 3 Excerpts from Executive Order 11,514*

Wks. 4 Council on Environmental Quality Regulations Implementing the NEPA Procedural Provisions

Wks. 5 Agency NEPA Procedures *

Wks. 6 Preamble to CEQ Regulations

Wks. 7 Federal NEPA Contacts *

Wks. 8 Forty Most Asked Questions Concerning CEQ's NEPA Regulations

Wks. 9 State Environmental Impact Statement Requirements

Wks. 10 Calendar Year 2010 Filed EISs

Wks. 11 NEPA Flow Chart

Wks. 12 Federal and Federal-State Agencies With Jurisdiction by Law or Special Expertise on Environmental Quality Issues

Wks. 13 Agency NEPA Web Sites *

Wks. 14 NEPA Litigation Statistics *

Nicholas C. Yost
SNR Denton LLP
San Francisco, California