Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ)
The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ)—a Federal agency within the Executive Office of the President—coordinates the Federal Government’s efforts to improve, preserve, and protect America’s public health and environment. CEQ advises the President and develops policies to foster and promote the improvement of environmental quality and meet the Nation's conservation, social, economic, health, and other requirements and goals.
The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) created CEQ. As the agency responsible for overseeing Federal agencies’ implementation of NEPA, CEQ consults and coordinates with Federal agencies, providing guidance on the implementation of NEPA reviews to ensure timely environmental review and permitting processes across the Federal government.
CEQ principally oversees NEPA implementation by consulting with agencies on their methods and procedures to implement NEPA, issuing guidance on NEPA for government-wide consistency, working with agencies to develop alternative ways to comply with NEPA during emergency situations, and helping to resolve disputes that sometimes arise during the environmental review process.
For more information on CEQ and its work, please visit WhiteHouse.gov/CEQ. For additional information about NEPA, visit the Law and Guidance page.