The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) established the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) within the Executive Office of the President to ensure that Federal agencies meet their obligations under NEPA. President Nixon signed NEPA into law on January 1, 1970. NEPA was the first major environmental law in the United States and is often called the "Magna Carta" of Federal environmental laws. NEPA is our basic national charter for protection of the environment. It establishes policy, sets goals (section 101), and provides means (section 102) for carrying out the policy. Section 102(2) contains "action-forcing" provisions to make sure that federal agencies act according to the letter and spirit of the Act.
The Council on Environmental Quality oversees NEPA implementation, principally through issuing guidance and interpreting regulations that implement NEPA’s procedural requirements. CEQ also reviews and approves Federal agency NEPA procedures, approves alternative arrangements for compliance with NEPA for emergencies, helps to resolve disputes between Federal agencies and with other governmental entities and members of the public, and oversees Federal agency implementation of the environmental impact assessment process and coordinates when agencies disagree over the adequacy of such assessments.
In addition to NEPA implementation, CEQ also develops and recommends national policies to the President that promote the improvement of environmental quality and meet the Nation’s goals. CEQ is also assigned responsibilities under NEPA and other statutes and Executive Orders, including overseeing the Office of Federal Sustainability (OFS).
