Joint Public Comment: The National Environmental Policy Act: Relevance to Open Government and Public Participation

In collaboration with the Federation of American Scientists and the Open Environmental Data Project we submitted public comments [LINK SQUARESPACE PDF] to the 6th U.S. Open Government National Action. Each of our organizations is involved in efforts to help federal agencies improve the efficiency and rigor of environmental reviews.

We recommend that the Plan include commitments to improve public engagement and environmental review processes mandated by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Meeting essential climate goals depends on private and public stakeholders’ ability to responsibly site, build, and deploy proposed critical clean energy and restoration projects. Improved deployment of technology, data, and talent must be pursued in parallel in order to facilitate public participation and transparency in the interest of a more efficient, robust NEPA process. In our comment, we highlight opportunities, innovative approaches, and resources and recommendations that can be incorporated into the 6th US Open Government National Action Plan with regard to NEPA.

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Contact Jessica Mahr | jessie@policyinnovation.org