(a) The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is the basic national charter for protection of the environment. It establishes policy, sets goals, and provides direction for carrying out the policy.

(1) Section 101(a) of NEPA establishes the national environmental policy of the Federal Government to use all practicable means and measures to foster and promote the general welfare, create and maintain conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony, and fulfill the social, economic, and other requirements of present and future generations of Americans. Section 101(b) of NEPA establishes the continuing responsibility of the Federal Government to use all practicable means, consistent with other essential considerations of national policy, to:

(i) Help each generation serve as a trustee of the environment for succeeding generations;

(ii) Assure for all people safe, healthful, productive, and aesthetically and culturally pleasing surroundings;

(iii) Attain the widest range of beneficial uses of the environment without degradation, risk to health or safety, or other undesirable and unintended consequences;

(iv) Preserve important historic, cultural, and natural aspects of our national heritage, and maintain, wherever possible, an environment which supports diversity and variety of individual choice;

(v) Achieve a balance between population and resource use which will permit high standards of living and a wide sharing of life's amenities; and

(vi) Enhance the quality of renewable resources and approach the maximum attainable recycling of depletable resources.

(2) Section 102(2) of NEPA establishes procedural requirements to carry out the policy and responsibilities established in section 101 of NEPA and contains “action-forcing” procedural provisions to ensure Federal agencies implement the letter and spirit of the Act. The purpose of the regulations in this subchapter is to set forth what Federal agencies must and should do to comply with the procedures and achieve the goals of the Act. The President, the Federal agencies, and the courts share responsibility for enforcing the Act so as to achieve the policy goals of section 101.

(b) The regulations in this subchapter implement the requirements of NEPA and ensure that agencies identify, consider, and disclose to the public relevant environmental information early in the process before decisions are made and before actions are taken. The information shall be of high quality. Accurate scientific analysis, expert agency comments, and public scrutiny are essential to implementing NEPA. Most importantly, environmental documents must concentrate on the issues that are truly relevant to the action in question, rather than amassing needless detail. The regulations in this subchapter also are intended to ensure that Federal agencies conduct environmental reviews in a coordinated, consistent, predictable, and timely manner, and to reduce unnecessary burdens and delays. Finally, the regulations in this subchapter promote concurrent environmental reviews to ensure timely and efficient decision making.

(c) Ultimately, of course, it is not better documents but better decisions that count. NEPA's purpose is not to generate paperwork—even excellent paperwork—but to foster excellent action. The NEPA process is intended to help public officials make decisions that are based on an understanding of environmental consequences and take actions that protect, restore, and enhance the environment. The regulations in this subchapter provide the direction to achieve this purpose.