**(a)** The Congress, recognizing the profound impact of man’s activity on the interrelations of all components of the natural environment, particularly the profound influences of population growth, high-density urbanization, industrial expansion, resource exploitation, and new and expanding technological advances and recognizing further the critical importance of restoring and maintaining environmental quality to the overall welfare and development of man, declares that it is the continuing policy of the Federal Government, in cooperation with State and local governments, and other concerned public and private organizations, to use all practicable means and measures, including financial and technical assistance, in a manner calculated to foster and promote the general welfare, to create and maintain conditions under which man and nature can exist in productive harmony, and fulfill the social, economic, and other requirements of present and future generations of Americans.
**(b)** In order to carry out the policy set forth in this chapter, it is the continuing responsibility of the Federal Government to use all practicable means, consistent with other essential considerations of national policy, to improve and coordinate Federal plans, functions, programs, and resources to the end that the Nation may—
(1) fulfill the responsibilities of each generation as trustee of the environment for succeeding generations;
(2) assure for all Americans safe, healthful, productive, and esthetically and culturally pleasing surroundings;
(3) attain the widest range of beneficial uses of the environment without degradation, risk to health or safety, or other undesirable and unintended consequences;
(4) preserve important historic, cultural, and natural aspects of our national heritag
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Stable record: federal_law:legal_authorities:record_usc_3f2589f160dee50a560775f1 Source file: Laws/federal/codes/united-states-code/title-42/section-4332-congressional-declaration-of-national-environmental-policy--d980616ab6.md Pages: Not recorded – Not recorded Passage SHA-256: 80ed0cb43ee24d26e361c2d7ba4e947f8e15ac44677d689b664682ae048ff10f Retained source evidence SHA-256: 957452cc19a966c8ccc0546b42407812973554dc087b60bbce4723eec7dee718
Source location: Title 42, Chapter 55, § 4332; chapter-055-national-environmental-policy.md
Stored source content
**(a)** The Congress, recognizing the profound impact of man’s activity on the interrelations of all components of the natural environment, particularly the profound influences of population growth, high-density urbanization, industrial expansion, resource exploitation, and new and expanding technological advances and recognizing further the critical importance of restoring and maintaining environmental quality to the overall welfare and development of man, declares that it is the continuing policy of the Federal Government, in cooperation with State and local governments, and other concerned public and private organizations, to use all practicable means and measures, including financial and technical assistance, in a manner calculated to foster and promote the general welfare, to create and maintain conditions under which man and nature can exist in productive harmony, and fulfill the social, economic, and other requirements of present and future generations of Americans.
**(b)** In order to carry out the policy set forth in this chapter, it is the continuing responsibility of the Federal Government to use all practicable means, consistent with other essential considerations of national policy, to improve and coordinate Federal plans, functions, programs, and resources to the end that the Nation may—
(1) fulfill the responsibilities of each generation as trustee of the environment for succeeding generations;
(2) assure for all Americans safe, healthful, productive, and esthetically and culturally pleasing surroundings;
(3) attain the widest range of beneficial uses of the environment without degradation, risk to health or safety, or other undesirable and unintended consequences;
(4) preserve important historic, cultural, and natural aspects of our national heritage, and maintain, wherever possible, an environment which supports diversity and variety of individual choice;
(5) achieve a balance between population and resource use which will permit high standards of living and a wide sharing of life’s amenities; and
(6) enhance the quality of renewable resources and approach the maximum attainable recycling of depletable resources.
**(c)** The Congress recognizes that each person should enjoy a healthful environment and that each person has a responsibility to contribute to the preservation and enhancement of the environment.
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Federal law — U.S. Code and appendices · legal_authorities
§ 4332. Cooperation of agencies; reports; avail-
ability
of
information;
recommendations;
international and national coordination of
efforts
The Congress authorizes and directs that, to
the fullest extent possible: (1) the policies, regu-
lations, and public laws of the United States
shall be interpreted and administered in accord-
ance with the policies set forth in this chapter,
and (2) all agencies of the Federal Government
shall—
(A) utilize a systematic, interdisciplinary
approach which will ensure the integrated use
of the natural and social sciences and the en-
vironmental design arts in planning and in de-
cisionmaking which may have an impact on
man’s environment;
Page 6140
TITLE 42—THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE
§ 4332
1 So in original. The period probably should be a semicolon.
(B) identify and develop methods and proce-
dures, in consultation with the Council on En-
vironmental
Quality
established
by
sub-
chapter II of this chapter, which will ensure
that presently unquantified environmental
amenities and values may be given appro-
priate consideration in decisionmaking along
with economic and technical considerations;
(C) consistent with the provisions of this
chapter and except where compliance would be
inconsistent with other statutory require-
ments, include in every recommendation or re-
port on proposals for legislation and other
major Federal actions significantly affecting
the quality of the human environment, a de-
tailed statement by the responsible official
on—
(i) reasonably foreseeable environmental
effects of the proposed agency action;
(ii) any reasonably foreseeable adverse en-
vironmental effects which cannot be avoided
should the proposal be implemented;
(iii) a reasonable range of alternatives to
the propo