ABSTRACT
Not long after the now historic National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) was enacted into law in the United States, the international community began to realize that environmental degradation was not only an American problem, but also a global one. Many nations around the world began to appreciate how the environmental impact assessment (EIA) element inherent in the U.S. NEPA process could facilitate sound economic development while providing the methodology to establish plans and policies that would enhance public participation and help their own decision-makers avoid making costly and damaging environmental mistakes.
