The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires federal agencies, prior to making decisions, to evaluate the environmental and related social and economic effects of their proposed actions and to make these evaluations available for public review and comment.

The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality/Water Quality Division (WDEQ/WQD) participates in the NEPA process as a cooperating agency, providing technical expertise to ensure that potential impacts to the quality of waters of the state are adequately evaluated and that Wyoming’s water quality statutes, rules, regulations, and other requirements are met.

WDEQ/WQD generally recommends federal agencies evaluate and minimize potential impacts to waters of the state, with particular attention to: