Environmental Review Clearinghouse

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) was signed into law on January 1, 1970. NEPA requires federal agencies to assess the environmental effects of their proposed actions prior to making decisions. Using the NEPA process, agencies evaluate the environmental and related social and economic effects of their proposed actions. Agencies also provide opportunities for public review and comment on those evaluations.

The State of North Carolina's State Environmental Review Clearinghouse allows for the evaluation of potential negative environmental impacts of proposed projects according to the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). Environmental documents prepared for SEPA compliance allow state government agencies to make informed decisions about whether, and under what the conditions, a project with potential adverse impacts should proceed. This is a public process that allows all views to be heard regarding the sufficiency of the impact analysis.

In addition to its role pursuant to SEPA and NEPA, the Clearinghouse was previously the State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for the intergovernmental review of federal grant proposals and other activities. This role was terminated in June 2002. Therefore, it is no longer necessary to obtain Clearinghouse comments for federal grant applications.

However, for some federal grant applications, it is still necessary to obtain intergovernmental review comments. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires that applications be submitted to the Council of Governments office responsible for the area(s) affected or that may be affected by the proposed project. For more information, please visit EPA Region 4's website.

Projects:

Click link below to review any current project (if applicable).