Federal Regulation of Land Use

9/27/11

What is NEPA?• NEPA = National Environmental

Protection Policy Act –Mandates an environmental assessment of all

projects involving federal money or federal permits.

What is EIS?• EIS=Environmental impact

statement –Developer’s project proposal outlines the

scope and purpose of the project, describes environmental context, suggests and analyzes alternatives.

What is an environmental mitigation plan?

• A plan stating how it will address the project’s environmental impact.

What is the endangered species act?

• 1973 law designed to protect species from extinction.

Government Interventions (remediation)?

• Regulatory taking• Bioculture restoration• Ecological restoration

What is a regulatory taking?• Government taking over

management of land, while not relinquishing the ownership by private property owner. –declaration of land as a wetland–endangered species habitat –unsuitable for mining

What is ecological restoration?

• The process of repairing damage caused by humans to the biodiversity and dynamics of an ecosystem.

What is bioculture restoration? • Biocultural restoration is a process to

integrate human values in ecological restoration to increase long-term restoration success.

What are International Categories for Public Lands?

• National Parks• Managed Resource Protection Area• Habitat/Species Management Areas• Strict Nature Reserves and Wilderness

Areas• Protected Landscapes and Sea Scapes• National Monuments