Broad discretion is granted at all levels throughout federal land management agencies regarding compliance with the National Environ. Policy Act (NEPA). The authors explored the diversity of procedures employed in NEPA processes across four agencies, the Forest Service, the Nat. Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the U.S. Army Corps of Eng. There is a lack of consistency not only between, but also within, agencies with regard to how NEPA is implemented. This report focuses on how successful NEPA processes are defined within each agency and what strategies are the most or least beneficial to positive NEPA outcomes. Also identifies unresolved questions about NEPA processes and presents a research strategy for addressing them.

Broad discretion is granted at all levels throughout federal land management agencies regarding compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). We explored the diversity of procedures employed in NEPA processes across four agencies, the USDA Forest Service, The USDI National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, through document review and interviews with chief NEPA compliance officers, interdisciplinary team leaders, team members, and decisionmakers within the agencies with regard to how NEPA is perceived and implemented. This report focuses on how successful NEPA processes are defined within each agency and what strategies are perceived to be the most or least beneficial to positive NEPA outcomes. It also identifies unresolved questions about NEPA processes and presents a research strategy for addressing them.

A tool for predicting environmental impacts, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) can also be used to predict the impacts of natural disasters and potential terrorist attacks. This book demonstrates how to use NEPA as a framework to support decision-making. It includes examples that demonstrate how NEPA can be efficiently integrated with other processes such as ISO 14001, P2, and Adaptive Management. It provides proven tools, techniques, and approaches for streamlining NEPA and environmental planning strategies that reduce the potential for controversy and criticism. It is the first text that covers recent changes to NEPA and the new CEQ guidance expected to be issued.

THE CAPACITY FOR CONCISE PLANNING AND COMPLIANCE is fundamentally related to the spirit of the National Environmental Policy Act. According to NEPA's implementing regulations, an environmental assessment (EA) is "...a concise public document...that serves to briefly provide sufficient evidence and analysis for determining whether to prepare an environmental impact statement or a finding of no significant impact..." However, across the federal agencies, EAs often exceed 100 pages and take several years to complete.This manual offers guidance on conceptual considerations and suggested primary approaches that build capacity for concise EA processes and documentation, and provides perspectives that a NEPA practitioner can use every day crafting document structure and content. This manual is oriented to an audience of NEPA practitioners whose work serves federal land management agencies, although much of the guidance in this manual also applies more broadly to development of EAs within other federal agencies.