* * , J . 3 400777 777 EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT COUNCIL ON ENVITSONMENTAL QUALITY 722 JACKSON PLACE, N. W. WASHINGTON. D. C. 20006 FEB 2 9 4972 . MEMORANDUM FOR HEADS OF AGENCIES Subject: Continuing Effort to Improve’Agency NEPA Procedures The Council on Environmental Quality Revised Guideline sfor the implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) issued April 23, 1971, (36 Fed. Reg. 7724) called for your agency's issuance of NEPA procedures applying the Act's requirements to your particular programs. In virtually all cases you have nowissued draft or final NEPA procedures forthe relevant components of your agency and are operating under them. Section-12(b) of the Council's Guidelines. asked that.you make _ a continuingassessrnent ‘of-yout experienceinthe implementation ‘re ‘of NEPA*and’ comment to us“in writing by Decémbe#-1,-1971.YRSEE order to respond to those few agencies filing such comments and review general agency experience with NEPA, the staff of the Council, OMB and EPA held extensive review sessions with most Federal agencies in December. At these meetings a number of ‘questions concerning implementation of NEPA were raised informally to which CEQ responded. / es wos Loe wet = we , Se ° 7. - a rnos RS Soe ce Se We recognize that a continuing effort must be made to improve agency NEPA procedures and have assigned a significant staff effort to monitoring your agency's impact statements with a view to identifying needs for such improvement. We have also invited public comment (36 Fed. Reg. 23666, Dec. 11, 1971) on your procedures as an aid to this improvement. In particular we are interested in finding ways of consolidating numbers of impact statements into fewer but broader and more meaningful reviews. On the matter of applying the NEPA statutory language "major Federal actions significantly affecting the quality of the human a environment"! to your particular agency programs and pinpointing the precise timing of the NEPA review and interagency consultations called for, your agency procedures must provide the specifics within