ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the scientific and technical aspects of National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documents. Although Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) recognizes some environmental documents, the importance of NEPA seems to be derived primarily from its environmental impact statement (EIS) provisions. It describes the elements of the environmental assessment/EIS can be prepared by the various professional groups of the EIS team. The type and number of professionals needed to write environmental documents is a function of the complexity of the impacts, which, determines the level of documentation required. Identifying needed permits is only one of the aspects of NEPA compliance, which, if rigorously evaluated, could save time in the implementation of the project. An action description memorandum serves as the basis for a determination of the required level of NEPA documentation. The implementation plan is another document that plays a very important role in the NEPA process, but is not defined as a requirement by the CEQ regulations.
