NEPA - National Environmental Policy Act

 
The National Environmental Policy Act is the national charter for protection of the environment. It was enacted to ensure that information regarding the environmental impacts of federal actions is available to public officials and citizens before federal decisions are made.

NEPA is a broad-reaching mandate for federal agencies to work together with state, local, and tribal governments, public and private organizations, and the public, to achieve and balance national social, economic, and environmental goals while accomplishing their missions.

The NEPA process applies to ODOT actions with a federal "nexus," such as projects that use federal funding, or that are conducted, regulated, or approved by one or more federal agencies. It has been ODOT's practice to apply the NEPA process to projects that have the potential to cause environmental impacts, even if the project does not currently have a federal nexus.

Guidance Materials