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1 tha£ there is still a great deal of controversy, and I 
2 see NEPA as the ideal tool, or the best tool that we have 
3 available today, to resolve these controversies, to really 
4 address them objectively and forthrightly. 
5 Now, NEPA requires the preparation of an 
6 Environmental Impact Statement for all major federal 
7 actions which could significantly affect the human 
g environment, and it requires that such a statement 
g be prepared before taking any action. The CEQ guidelines 
10 and extensive HEW procedures in Chapter 30 of the General 
11 Administration Manual of HEW govern NEPA compliance. 
12 NEPA is a fundamental environmental law which 
13 provides the only mandatory, formal mechanism for 
14 technology assessment. It also provides for public 
15 input in government decisions affecting the environment. 
16 The basic idea underlying NEPA is: Think before you act, 
17 tell everyone what you are thinking, and act wisely. 
18 From the beginning of the recombinant DNA 
19 program at NIH, only the most feeble effort has been made 
20 to comply with NEPA. The final Environmental Impact 
21 Statement on the 1976 guidelines came out over a year 
22 after the guidelines were promulgated. The excuse that 
23 the guidelines were urgently needed does not exist 
24 with respect to the revisions now being considered, 
25 and the efforts of NIH thus far constitute a failure 
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