State Environmental Review Legislation

Fifteen states and the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have enacted environmental policy acts, which, because they are largely modeled on NEPA, are collectively referred to as “Little NEPAs.” A list of these statutes is provided in Table 1.7. Highway projects may be affected by these state-specific environmental requirements, which, in general, follow or expand upon federal objectives and programs. In some instances, the state defers to the NEPA process, while, in others, the state reviews proceed as independent but parallel and coordinated efforts. In addition, increasingly, states are being given powers to implement federal programs, leading to their further involvement in the environmental review of high­way projects. For example, under SAFETEA-LU, Congress provided for a process whereby some states could assume responsibilities for all environmental compliance for highway projects, including NEPA.