On January 1, 1970, the President of the United States signed the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), PL 91-190, into law (NEPA, 1969). The enactment of this legislation established a national policy of encouraging productive and enjoyable harmony between us and our environment. The full text of this act is in Appendix A. The symbolism of the timing of this law did not go unnoted by the President and other concerned Americans, who heralded the 1970s as a decade of environmental concern. Enactment of NEPA and concern regarding the environment and quality of life among people around the world have generated significant environmental protection legislation and regulations in many industrialized nations besides the United States. Provisions and policies set forth in NEPA are being emulated by many states within the United States and within other nations as well.

The main purposes of this legislation, as set forth in the act, are to declare a national policy which will encourage productive and enjoyable harmony between man and his environment; to promote efforts which will prevent or eliminate damage to the environment and biosphere and stimulate the health and welfare of man; to enrich the understanding of the ecological systems and natural resources important to the Nation; and to establish a Council on Environmental Quality.