Passed by Congress in December 1969 and signed into law on 1 January 1970, NEPA was the first major US environmental statute and is often called the 'Magna Carta' of federal environmental law. It requires federal agencies to prepare an environmental impact statement for any major action significantly affecting the human environment, and it created the Council on Environmental Quality. By forcing disclosure and analysis of environmental consequences, it gave the public and courts leverage over highways, dams and large developments. It became a model for state and international environmental review laws.
NEPA embedded environmental review into federal decision-making and reshaped how infrastructure and development projects are planned and contested.
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