National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA)

DOE-HDBK-XXXX-2005

06/30/2005

pollutants which are not covered by National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) and

which may, at sufficiently high levels, cause increased fatalities, irreversible health effects, or

incapacitating illness. These standards are given in 40 CFR Parts 61 and 63. NESHAPs are

given for many specific categories of sources (e.g., equipment leaks, industrial process cooling

towers, dry cleaning facilities, petroleum refineries). (See hazardous air pollutants.) [Derived

from EPA Terms, 40 CFR 61, 40 CFR 63]

121. NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT OF 1969 (NEPA). NEPA is the basic

national charter for protection of the environment. It establishes policy, sets goals (in Section

101), and provides means (in Section 102) for carrying out the policy. Section 102(2) contains

"action-forcing" provisions to ensure that Federal agencies follow the letter and spirit of the

Act. For major Federal actions significantly affecting the quality of the human environment,

Section 102(2)(C) of NEPA requires Federal agencies to prepare a detailed statement that

includes the environmental impacts of the proposed action and other specified information.

[Derived from 40 CFR 1500.1(a)]

122. NATIONAL POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM (NPDES). A provision

of the Clean Water Act which prohibits discharge of pollutants into waters of the United States

unless a special permit is issued by the Environmental Protection Agency, a state, or, where

delegated, a tribal government on an Indian reservation. The NPDES permit lists either

permissible discharges, the level of cleanup technology required for wastewater, or both.

[Derived from EPA Glossary]

123. NATIONAL PRIORITIES LIST (NPL). The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) list

of the most serious uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites identified for possible

long-term remedial action under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation,

and Liability Act (CERCLA). The list is based primarily on the score a site receives from the

Hazard Ranking System described in 40 CFR Part 300, Appendix A. EPA must update the

NPL at least once a year. (See Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and

Liability Act.) [Derived from EPA Terms]

124. NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES. The official list of the Nation's cultural

resources that are worthy of preservation. The National Park Service maintains the list under

direction of the Secretary of the Interior. Buildings, structures, objects, sites, and districts are

included in the National Register for their importance in American history, architecture,

archeology, culture, or engineering. Properties included on the National Register range from

large-scale, monumentally proportioned buildings to smaller scale, regionally distinctive

buildings. The listed properties are not just of nationwide importance; most are significant

primarily at the state or local level. Procedures for listing properties on the National Register

are found in 36 CFR 60. [Derived from 106 SBS, 106 RV, NRHP]

125. NATURAL URANIUM. Uranium with the naturally occurring distribution of uranium

isotopes (approximately 0.7 weight percent uranium-235, and the remainder essentially

uranium-238). (See uranium, depleted uranium, enriched uranium, highly enriched uranium,

and low-enriched uranium.) [10 CFR 71, 49 CFR 173.403]

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