Prior to NEPA , Federal agencies were mission oriented . An example of mission orientation was to select highway routes as the shortest route between two points . NEPA was necessary to require Federal agencies to evaluate the environmental effects of their actions . NEPA 's most significant outcome was the requirement that all executive Federal agencies prepare environmental assessments ( EAs ) and environmental impact statements ( EISs ) . These reports state the potential environmental effects of proposed Federal agency actions . Further the U.S. Congress recognizes that '' each person '' has a responsibility to preserve and enhance the environment as trustees for succeeding generations . NEPA 's procedural requirements do not apply to the President , Congress , or the Federal courts since they are not a " Federal agency " by definition . However , a Federal agency taking action under authority ordered by the President may be a final agency action subject to NEPA 's procedural requirements . A U.S. District Court describes the need for even the President to have the NEPA analysis information before making a decision as follows : " No agency possesses discretion whether to comply with procedural requirements such as NEPA . The relevant information provided by a NEPA analysis needs to be available to the public and the people who play a role in the decision-making process . This process includes the President . " " And Congress has not delegated to the President the decision as to the route of any pipeline . " NEPA grew out of the increased public appreciation and concern for the environment that developed during the 1960s , amid increased industrialization , urban and suburban growth , and pollution across the United States . During this time , environmental interest group efforts and the growing public awareness resulting from Rachel Carson 's 1962 book '' Silent Spring '' led to support for the 1964 Wilderness Act and subsequent legislation ( including the 1970 Clean Air Act and 1972 Clean Water Act ) . The public outrage in reaction to the Santa Barbara oil spill in early 1969 occurred just as the NEPA legislation was being drafted in Congress . The Cuyahoga River fire occurred just before the unanimous vote in the Senate . Another major driver for enacting NEPA were the 1960s highway revolts , a series of protests in many American cities that occurred in response to the bulldozing of many communities and ecosystems during the construction of the Interstate Highway System
Santa Barbara oil spill
1969 Santa Barbara oil spill
National Environmental Policy Act