National Environmental Policy Act

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires Federal agencies to evaluate the environmental impacts of their actions and the Federal decision-making process. Individuals, developers, and companies are affected by the NEPA process when they need a permit issued by a Federal agency. Given the magnitude and importance of capital projects and development, it is important to get the NEPA process right.

Marzulla Law’s environmental practice represents developers, corporations, and individuals through every step of the NEPA process, including writing and revising Environmental Assessments (EAs) and Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) that are required to be prepared by agencies. We review and prepare environmental assessments, exemptions, and findings of no significant impact in order to help our clients fully comply with NEPA requirements.

The NEPA process can be notoriously costly and time-consuming, so proper preparation is a must to see projects through. NEPA involves a number of requirements, such as:

• federal permit applications and entitlements
• notice requirements
• document preparation, and
• public review and comment.

What’s more, it is not uncommon for lawsuits to arise under the statute. Marzulla Law has decades of experience not only in the NEPA legal process, but with projects across the country, and our experience at the U.S. Department of Justice and other federal agencies gives us a unique ability to help obtain approvals for major development projects.

Sample NEPA Cases

• Represented apartment developer against a claim that their environmental impact statement for building construction was inadequate.
• Represented landowners and contractors in various NEPA challenges to railroad corridors, irrigation water delivery, tribal land development, and highway construction.
• Represented Indian tribe in defense of NEPA challenge to its plans for development and housing construction.