NEPA—Where Have We Been and Where are We Going?

This article reflects on experience with NEPA in the 1970s. It focuses on the assumptions underlying the statute and on recent research testing them. NEPA embodied two theories of administrative change: one emphasizing internal reform and the other stressing external oversight. Both were necessary for NEPA's implementation. The history of the Tellico Dam underscores the limits of NEPA and policy analysis in general in influencing federal projects. The 1977 regulations of the Council on Environmental Quality are an attempt to eliminate the worst elements of die NEPA process. The article concludes with some observations on NEPA's future.