The White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) is an Executive-level Federal agency that oversees Federal agency National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) implementation. CEQ engaged the Clark Group to support their 2003-2004 NEPA Regional Roundtables in the West, Rocky Mountain West, South, and East of the United States and to engage stakeholders and Federal agency representatives to discuss potential improvements to the NEPA process. TCG worked closely with CEQ to develop the results of the discussions into a report with high-level recommendations for improving NEPA policy and practice including opportunities for modernization.

Participants in the NEPA Regional Roundtables voiced the need for a guide that provides an explanation of NEPA, how it is implemented, and how people outside the Federal government – individual citizens, private sector applicants, members of organized groups, or representatives of Tribal, State, or local government agencies – can better participate in the assessment of environmental impacts conducted by Federal agencies.

In response to this need, TCG worked with CEQ to develop A Citizen’s Guide to the NEPA: Having Your Voice Heard (2007) which describes the NEPA process and provides information on how citizens can get involved. A Citizen’s Guide to the NEPA is still a useful and highly utilized resource for Federal agencies and for the general public for participation in the NEPA decision-making process.