ARRA citation

American Reinvestment and Recovery Act

SEC. 1609.

(a) FINDINGS.—

(1) The National Environmental Policy Act protects public health, safety and environmental quality: by ensuring transparency, accountability and public involvement in federal actions and in the use of public funds;

(2) When President Nixon signed the National Environmental Policy Act into law on January 1, 1970, he said that the Act provided the ‘‘direction’’ for the country to ‘‘regain a productive harmony between man and nature’’;

(3) The National Environmental Policy Act helps to provide an orderly process for considering federal actions and funding decisions and prevents ligation and delay that would otherwise be inevitable and existed prior to the establishment of the National Environmental Policy Act.

(b) Adequate resources within this bill must be devoted to ensuring that applicable environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act are completed on an expeditious basis and that the shortest existing applicable process under the National

Environmental Policy Act shall be utilized.

(c) The President shall report to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and the House Natural Resources Committee every 90 days following the date of enactment until September 30, 2011 on the status and progress of projects and activities funded by this Act with respect to compliance with National Environmental Policy Act requirements and documentation.