Page "National Environmental Policy Act" Paragraph 12

The NEPA process consists of an evaluation of relevant environmental effects of a federal project or action undertaking, including a series of pertinent alternatives.

The NEPA process begins when an agency develops a proposal to address a need to take an action.

Once a determination of whether or not the proposed action is covered under NEPA is made, there are three levels of analysis that a federal agency may undertake to comply with the law.

These three levels include: preparation of a Categorical Exclusion ( CE ), preparation of an Environmental Assessment ( EA ) and Finding of No Significant Impact ( FONSI ); or preparation and drafting of an Environmental Impact Statement ( EIS ).