The Obama administration has proposed new guidance [1] intended to increase transparency and public involvement in the implementation of one of the nation's oldest and most important environmental laws, the National Environmental Policy Act [2] (NEPA).
The 40-year-old National Environmental Policy Act creates a process where federal agencies must review the environmental impacts of their actions and evaluate alternatives while working to include public participation in the process.
Links:
[1] http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/wp-srv/nation/documents/post-carbon/02810NEPA.pdf
[2] http://ceq.hss.doe.gov/