This course will introduce students to the legal, policy, and practical underpinnings of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and associated Federal environmental review requirements. The course objectives are as follow:

• Articulate the principles behind the environmental review process under NEPA;
• Understand the NEPA review process, its standards, and major elements;
• Discuss the major areas of controversy associated with environmental reviews;
• Understand how environmental reviews are prepared and reviewed;
• Articulate how NEPA interacts with other Federal environmental review requirements;
• Articulate the major changes introduced in 2020 to the NEPA process;
• - Understand the difference between NEPA and other similar Federal requirements; and
• Distinguish the various initiatives to modernize NEPA and Federal environmental reviews.