What is a Quality NEPA Document?
In 2003, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) formed a committee with the intent of improving the readability, functionality and effectiveness of environmental documents, specifically Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) and Environmental Assessments (EAs) prepared for transportation projects in compliance with NEPA. The committee formed three teams to address the individual topics of 1) quality and clarity of NEPA documents, 2) legal sufficiency, and 3) training and education. In May 2006, the committee published its comprehensive report, Improving the Quality of Environmental Documents, which contained the results of work completed by the first two teams. The document can be accessed on the AASHTO Hot Documents Website. The training and education team is continuing to work with FHWA’s Environmental Competency Building Program to establish th
