ABSTRACT
Environmental awareness was increasing in other ways. Pressure groups campaigning for change mushroomed at local and national levels. Congress had already passed the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requiring all federal agencies to take account of environmental factors; many more environmental laws followed. The National Environmental Policy Act has a potentially important role to play in an integrated effort to achieve sustainable development. The National Environmental Policy Act has a potentially important role to play in an integrated effort to achieve sustainable development. Much environmental policy takes the form of controls operated by government over the actions of private bodies. Perhaps the key section of NEPA is its requirement for all agencies of the federal government to integrate environmental considerations into their operations. A number of states have enacted state legislation similar to NEPA. In 1970, California enacted the California Environmental Quality Act.
