The National Association of Environmental Professionals (NAEP) has designed the 8-hour NEPA Essentials workshop for new and emerging environmental professionals engaged in the preparation of Categorical Exclusions and Environmental Assessments to fulfill federal Lead Agencies responsibilities pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act, referred to as NEPA. This course is designed to help you understand the basic requirements, and how to fulfill the spirit and legislative intent of NEPA. You will learn what NEPA is, when the NEPA requirements apply to projects, the roles and responsibilities of the federal Lead Agency and Cooperating Agencies and project sponsors within the context of NEPA, about the three different NEPA classes of action, how to determine when each class of action applies, and the different environmental review, documentation, and public involvement requirements, focusing on Categorical Exclusions and Environmental Assessment. The workshop will use a Case Study to illustrate best practices for effective analysis and writing for the required purpose and need statement, consideration of alternatives, characterization of the affected environment, and evaluation of environmental effects. NAEP welcomes you to connect with other environmental professionals by engaging in this learning opportunity.

This workshop will cover National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) basics, including policies, procedures, and environmental documents necessary for successful compliance. It is primarily designed for new and midlevel NEPA practitioners and will inform agency staff, consultants, regulators, applicants, and other interested professionals about best NEPA practices. NEPA is a far-reaching law that applies to virtually all U.S. federal agencies and most activities that affect the environment. Many state, local, and private undertakings must be evaluated pursuant to NEPA if they receive federal funding, require federal permits, or would take place on federal land. The key to successfully implementing NEPA is attaining a working knowledge of the regulations, legal interpretations, and typical federal agency practices. This workshop will cover all of these aspects of NEPA. Workshop topics include:

• NEPA’s legal and regulatory framework

• Determining whether NEPA applies to a proposed action

• Key steps in the NEPA environmental review process

• Determining which type of NEPA document to prepare

• Scoping for NEPA analyses

• Successful integration of NEPA with other environmental laws

• Direct, indirect, and cumulative impact analysis

• Determining significance of impacts

• Developing and evaluating a reasonable range of alternatives

• Writing adequate and feasible mitigation measures

• Legal adequacy of NEPA documents and NEPA case law