National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Education and Certificate Program
Permanent URI for this collection
The following is a collection of approved, exceptional capstone papers submitted by students to the Duke Environmental Leadership Program. This collection should serve as a guide for formatting and how to compose your paper. The capstone paper is an original, research-based culminating exercise related to NEPA theory or practice. The paper should be based on what you have learned in the courses and your current or future work in the field; case study examples are encouraged. The rationale of the capstone paper is twofold: to demonstrate knowledge of the subject, and to make a contribution to the field. Exemplary papers may be incorporated into future course offerings and compiled for distribution, with authors' permission. Papers are reviewed by a panel of experts in NEPA. Topics must be approved in advance.
Browse
Browsing National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Education and Certificate Program by Issue Date
Now showing 1 - 20 of 69
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item Open Access CERCLA Remediations and the NEPA Process--Are Environmental Cleanups Forgetting the Socioeconomic Issues?(2005-04-12) Masson, PeterItem Open Access NEPA's Relevance to An Ocean Blueprint for the 21st Century(2006-08-18) Keys, DavidItem Open Access Are Changes Needed to NEPA?(2006-09) Cecchini, DanItem Open Access Green Highways Initiative: Streamlining the Environmental Ethic(2007-06-06) Moore, ChristopherItem Open Access USAID Regional Environmental Advisor(2008-06-07) Donald, MichaelItem Open Access A Discussion of the Implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) within the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's Division of Hydropower Licensing and a Comparison of NEPA within Their Three Licensing Procedures(2009-02) Templeton, CarolynThe National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires federal agencies to integrate environmental values into their decision making processes by considering the environmental impacts of their proposed actions and reasonable alternatives to those actions. Under the authority of the Federal Power Act, as amended,1 the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission or FERC) has the exclusive authority to license most nonfederal hydropower projects located on navigable waterways or federal lands, or connected to the interstate electric grid. Applicants for licenses may use the integrated, traditional, or alternative licensing process. This paper discusses the implementation of NEPA within the Commission’s Division of Hydropower Licensing (DHL) and analyzes the three aforementioned licensing processes. Issues such as purpose and need and establishing reasonable and viable alternatives will be discussed and areas such as tribal consultation, scoping, and preparation of the environmental document will be contrasted and compared.Item Open Access The Importance of Adequately Addressing Alternatives: Identification and Analysis in Environmental Impact Assessment(2009-11-02) Kendrick, MelissaThe National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) was signed into United States Law in 1969 for the purpose of establishing the requirement for adequate environmental analysis of projects occurring on Federal lands or via the utilization of Federal funds. Key to this process is the identification and analysis of viable and feasible alternatives to a proposed action, to include the “No Action Alternative,” often utilized as the baseline against which the potential effects of alternatives are compared (32 CFR 651.7). Screening criteria utilized to develop a proposed action and its alternatives must be presented in clear and concise terms, in order to ensure the public and regulatory community understands the alternative development process. The document must also clearly explain why some alternatives are carried forward for detailed review and analysis, while others are eliminated from further review. Recent litigation has highlighted the significance of the failure to either adequately identify alternatives to a proposed action or to pay due attention to the No Action Alternative. Investigation and discussion of the alternative development and analysis process, as illustrated in several recent court cases, will be the focus of this paper.Item Open Access Item Open Access Data and Adaptive Management: The Critical Role of Quality Data in the Successful Application of Adaptive Management on the Valles Caldera National Preserve(2011-03-15) Rodriguez, MarieSince 2002 the Valles Caldera Trust has invested in the acquisition of “quality” data or, data collected by experts or under the supervision of experts; using specific, repeatable, protocol; and maintained with integrity (established meta-data, limited access). As a result the, the Trust can realize benefits in efficiency, reduced costs over time, increased public confidence, and ultimately learning and improved decision making - all considered benefits and rewards of adaptive management.Item Open Access Klinger Capstone Paper(2011-03-15) Klinger, TimothyItem Open Access How the NEPA Process Served as Valuable Planing Tool: A Case Study of the Folly Road/Camp Road Intersection Improvement Project in Charleston, SC(2011-04-13) Gallagher, StephanieThe National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) was established to make agencies think about the environmental effects that their proposed actions will have prior to making decisions. Requirements of NEPA are generally met through the production of an environmental document that analyzes the proposed action. However, NEPA is about more than just producing a document; it is about examining your choices and making a good decision. This case study will examine a voluntary environmental document (Categorical Exclusion Level C) for an intersection improvement (including new sidewalks and bike lanes) at one of the most congested areas in Charleston County, where no environmental impacts were anticipated from the proposed project.Item Restricted Indirect & Cumulative Effects of Transportation Projects on Land Use and Local Government(2011-04-13) Deaton, RobertItem Restricted An Analysis of Land Use Planner Input in Indirect and Cumulative Effects Analysis(2011-04-13) Snyder, KerriThis paper provides a discussion of a common method used to gain local planner input into indirect and cumulative effects analyses, an example of the analysis of indirect and cumulative effects to land use based on local planner input, and an evaluation of potential pitfalls associated with gaining input from local planners and the evaluation of potential effects to resources required under NEPA.Item Open Access Implementing the Secondary and Cumulative Impact Master Mitigation Plan Concept on a Nationwide Basis(2011-10-19) Jennifer, HaynieItem Open Access Understanding & Planning for Renewable Energy Development Through Programmatic NEPA Analysis: A BLM Case Study on Solar Energy(2011-10-19) Stewart, Shannon C.Item Open Access Decision-making and Public Involvement in NEPA(2012-08-21) LaFontaine, VernonItem Open Access Avoiding Improper Segmentation and Accounting for Cumulative Impacts During Deployment of a Broadband Infrastructure(2012-08-31) Veenendaal, ElijahItem Open Access Back to the Basics in NEPA - A Case Study on the U.S. Air Force’s Rapid Improvement Event (RIE) to Improve Environmental Impact Analysis Process (EIAP) through the Implementation of Preliminary Environmental Impact Analysis Process (PREIAP)(2012-09-07) Martin, DavidThe Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations, Environment, and Logistics (SAF/IE) has set a course for getting “back to basics” in improving Air Force compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Title 42 United States Code, Sections 4321-4347. SAF/IE issued policy memos on 15 Sep 2010 regarding Proponent, Environmental Planning Function (EPF), and stakeholder responsibilities in Air Force NEPA compliance. These policies call for establishment of the “Planning Requirements for the Environmental Impact Analysis Process” (PREIAP); an interdisciplinary process to “…support early internal scoping and statement of work development” for the Environmental Impact Analysis Process (EIAP). As further described and defined in the policy memos, PREIAP is also intended to ensure that appropriate requirements are identified, baseline data is collected, and agreement on a Draft Description of Proposed Action and Alternatives (DOPAA) among key stakeholders is achieved, to the extent possible, in advance of initiation of the formal NEPA analysis process. The objectives of this capstone paper are twofold. First is to examine the Rapid Improvement Event (RIE) that led to the development of PREIAP, and highlight areas in which other agencies may use this process to improve their methods in NEPA compliance. Secondly, this paper will examine and assess the impacts this new PREIAP policy may have on the way the Air Force complies with NEPA, and determine how it will assist and/or limit their efforts for improving the federally mandated CEQ regulations.