The NEPA Planning Process

CHARLES H. ECCLESTON is Principal Scientist at the Department of Energy's Hanford Site. He consults on NEPA and planning problems, and has lectured and written extensively on NEPA compliance issues. As a participant in a CEQ workshop, he provided recommendations for implementing CEQ's NEPA effectiveness initiative. He chairs the National Association of Environmental Professionals' Tools and Techniques (TNT) NEPA Practice Committee.

Historical Background and Overview of NEPA.; Overview of the NEPA Process.; Essential Concepts Underlining Effective NEPA Practice.; Promoting Efficiency in NEPA Practice.; Exemptions: Actions not Subject to NEPA'S Requirements.; Categorical Exclusions.; The Environmental Assessment: Documentation and Process Requirements.; When is an EIS Required?; The Environmental Impact Statement Process.; Interim Actions: Limitations on Actions During the NEPA Process.; Actions, Alternatives, and Effects: Determining the Scope of an Analysis.; Performing the Impact Analysis: Cumulative Impacts Analysis and Special Issues.; The Courts and NEPA Litigation.; Appendices.; Glossary.; Index.