Effects of NEPA's Review and Comment Process on Water Resources Planning: Results of a Survey of Planners in the Corps of Engineers and Soil Conservation Service

The guidelines of the Council on Environmental Quality for implementing the National Environmental Policy Act require that environmental statements be circulated to other agencies and publics for review and comment. Effects of the ‘review and comment’ (R&C) process spawned by this requirement are assessed in the context of water resources planning in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) and the Soil Conservation Service (SCS). The assessment, which relies on data from questionnaires administered to personnel in all Corps districts and SCS state offices in 1974, concerns the extent to which increased coordination and information transfer brought about by the R&C process have influenced decision making. Obstacles serving to impede the functioning of an effective R&C process are also noted.