State and local governments need to assess the potential environmental impacts of their projects and decisions.

• The federal National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) only requires federal government actors – not state or local government actors – to assess environmental impacts of their proposed actions.
• Well-crafted state versions of NEPA, often called “little NEPAs,” or state environmental quality acts, can ensure that state and local governments include environmental protection as a component of all actions significantly affecting the environment.

Citizens should be informed about the potential environmental impacts of proposed state government actions, and they should have a voice in how and whether those projects will be implemented.

• State Environmental Quality Acts (SEQAs) inform the public about proposed governmental actions through draft and final copies of environmental impact statements. These statements include detailed information about how the environment will be affected, what mitigating measures may be adopted, and what alternatives exist to the proposed action.
• The procedural requirements of SEQAs allow for public participation at a number of stages in the assessment process. Citizens can submit comments to the acting agency, participate in hearings and other adjudicatory proceedings and, in some states, can sue if the provisions of their states’ environmental policy acts have not been followed.

State SEQAs have demonstrated their ability to protect the environment and save taxpayers money in the long run.

• SEQAs can guarantee the inclusion of environmental protections in state, county, and municipal government project plans. For example, SEQAs can ensure that plans for industrial sites, waste landfills, and other projects are implemented in more environmentally-friendly ways.
• Government agencies following SEQA procedures identify and address environmental problems before a project is implemented. SEQAs thus reduce litigation arising from environmental devastation and public health risks, and they save taxpayers money in the long run.