ID: 1953
Presenting Author: Michael D. Smith
Session: 632 - What in the World is Going on with NEPA?
Status: pending
This paper will summary the history of attempts to expedite
NEPA ESIA approvals in the U.S., and provide suggestions for
future process changes that would be most beneficial to ESIA
practice.
Efforts to expedite the National Environmental Policy (NEPA)
process in the U.S. are not new, but they have certainly
picked up a considerable head of steam in the past few years.
This has been especially true for projects that have been
been deemed to be critical infrastructure - especially in the energy,
transportation, and water sectors. This paper will provide an
overview of both past as well as more recent efforts to
achieve more expeditious environmental impact
assessment approvals, including those taken by the
U.S. Congress, the Executive Branch, and the U.S.
Supreme Court. The successes and failures of these efforts
will be described, and a conclusion will be offered
discussing both what additional measures may still be in
store in the future, as well as recommendations for
additional process changes that would be most effective in
improving the overall impact assessment process in
the U.S.
Michael D. Smith, Ph.D. is a Senior Vice President and
National Practice Director for Environmental Policy,
Process, and Assessment in the U.S. for WSP.