The National Environmental Policy Act in DoD: Defending Our Environment's Future

Opportunities exist to better integrate the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) into DoD should include the NEPA requirements in the documentation already required at the DoD's highly structured decision milestones. Directives on the milestones do not mention NEPA. NEPA actions for basing and construction decisions for acquisitions should also begin with those milestones. The environmental impact statement (EIS) could be easily tiered for each of these acquisition stages. Operations decisions and basing and construction decisions unrelated to defense acquisitions are made from DoD to installation levels by a multitude of decision makers. The DoD should therefore increase the NEPA awareness for all of its key decision makers. NEPA requirements are omitted from many regulations covering these decisions and should be added. The NEPA should also be added to the curricula of many of the Service's schools and training courses. Accountability for NEPA could be enhanced through the inspector general system. DoD may also use its budgeting system to help monitor NEPA implementation. The DoD Services should increase the resources they commit to NEPA. Communication among the NEPA staffs should be improved by annual symposiums and quarterly working groups. Keywords: Environmental impact/planning; Acquisition/construction; Department of Defense; Planning programming budgeting; Environmental protection/management; Military operations; Federal law; Military facilities; Site selection; Environmental impact statements.