What is NEPA (CEPA)?

Because it’s anticipated that many of the potential improvement projects stemming from this study would rely on federal funding or federal permitting, they would be subject to environmental review under NEPA.  NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act of 1969) is a federal law protecting the environment for all federally permitted or funded projects.  Before approval of federal actions, NEPA requires analysis of potential impacts to the environment (both the human and natural environment) and when there are, the consideration of alternatives to avoid impacts and mitigative measures to compensate for impacts. 

NEPA requires federally funded projects to consider environmental effects that include, among others, impacts on social, cultural, and economic resources, as well as natural resources. Public who live in the corridor or use the corridor often have valuable information about places and resources that they value and the potential environmental, social, and economic effects that proposed federally funded projects may have on those places and resources. Their input is a highly valued component of the PEL and NEPA process.

For more information, see National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended, 42 U.S.C. §§ 4321-4347, available at www.nepa.gov.

CEPA (Connecticut Environmental Policy Act of 1972) is an environmental policy for the State of Connecticut. It requires state agencies to identify and evaluate the impacts of proposed actions within the state that have the potential to significantly affect the environment, much in the way that NEPA does at the federal level.

See Connecticut General Statutes (CGS), Sections 22a-1 through 22a-1h and Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies (RCSA), Sections 22a-la-1 through 22a-la-12.