法學專業(yè)外文翻譯--國家環(huán)境政策法

1、<p><b>　　中文2040字</b></p><p><b>　　外文文獻翻譯</b></p><p><b>　　國家環(huán)境政策法</b></p><p><b>　　庫巴塞克，西爾弗曼</b></p><p>　　環(huán)境法（第四版），清華大

2、學出版社，2003</p><p><b>　　國家環(huán)境政策法</b></p><p>　　國家環(huán)境政策法（NEPA）于1970年1月1日簽署生效，而且將被定性為一個規(guī)劃章程。它包括了以下三個方面的內(nèi)容：</p><p>　　建立了監(jiān)管環(huán)境政策的環(huán)境質(zhì)量委員會（CEQ）</p><p>　　這之前，因為考慮到當他們做出某

3、些決定，會對環(huán)境造成一定的影響，而這種影響也很少為某些機構制定相關政策來扶持，所以NEPA不能要求聯(lián)邦機構采取造成相應環(huán)境后果的措施政策</p><p>　　要求環(huán)境影響報告書（EIS）準備的每一個主要立法建議或其他聯(lián)邦機構的行動，都產(chǎn)生于能產(chǎn)生重大影響質(zhì)量的人文環(huán)境</p><p>　　環(huán)境質(zhì)量委員會（CEQ）</p><p>　　NEPA的第一項任務是解決最有爭

4、議的問題：建立環(huán)境質(zhì)量委員會（CEQ）。CEQ由三人組成，其中一人被指定主持會議。CEQ的作用是咨詢，主要是提供總統(tǒng)關于環(huán)境問題的相關咨詢。CEQ負責收集和分析數(shù)據(jù)，通知總統(tǒng)有關國家正在進行的環(huán)境清理的進展情況，并對需要注意和解決的問題通過立法的方式固定下來。每年CEQ使用其收集的數(shù)據(jù)向公眾發(fā)布總統(tǒng)的年度環(huán)境質(zhì)量報告。</p><p>　　CEQ也有助于聯(lián)邦機構根據(jù)NEPA的要求，通過審查這些報表的草案，制定相應

5、的程序以滿足其EIS的要求。</p><p>　　環(huán)境質(zhì)量報告書（EIS）</p><p>　　遠比設立CEQ更具有爭議性的是環(huán)境影響報告書（EIS）的要求。這個要求對一些政府機構具有廣泛的影響，同時，對于私營公司而言，也影響到其通過與政府機構間的合同和政府機構出具的許可證去尋求做生意的途徑。盡管這一進程被許多受到影響的群體批評，大多數(shù)研究環(huán)境保護的效力已經(jīng)結束，但它依然迫使政府在更多的機

6、構中設置環(huán)境保護相關的工作以及制定更為細致的環(huán)境保護規(guī)劃。</p><p>　　從誰必須提交EIS，何時提交，一份聲明中必須包含何種糾紛的解決方式，以及環(huán)境影響的測評進程等是否有效等等若干個重大問題的分析中，都充分貫徹了EIS的要求。</p><p><b>　　閾值的思考</b></p><p>　　每次一個聯(lián)邦機構開展一項活動，它必須決定是

7、否需要提交一份EIS。立卷一份不必要的EIS是在浪費時間和金錢。提交一份不必要的聲明可能付出與缺乏EIS和尋求禁令同樣的甚至于更加高昂的代價。然而，要知道一項EIS的提交是否完全有必要也并非一件容易的事情。NEPA指定了提交EIS的三個必要條件。首先，必須是聯(lián)邦活動。聯(lián)邦活動是相當廣泛的定義。舉例來說，如果一個私營公司的建筑部門要建造一個建筑物，這就需要政府的許可或者說如果該項目的部分資金是由政府貸款的，而發(fā)牌或者發(fā)貸的機構所進行的正是

8、聯(lián)邦的活動。</p><p>　　一個聯(lián)邦活動是否需要EIS取決于其他兩個標準是否得到滿足。聯(lián)邦政府的活動必須是主要的。但是沒有資源的保障是構不成一項重大活動的。理論上說，一般的活動需要大量的資源承諾，資源廣泛的定義即包括財政和人力資源。對任何一種資源的大量承諾都是不可行的，資源總會出現(xiàn)短缺。</p><p>　　第三項準則是擬議的活動必須有重大影響的人文環(huán)境。產(chǎn)生重大影響人類生存環(huán)境是如

9、此含糊不清以至于產(chǎn)生了大量的訴訟。于是，在1979年，CEQ試圖解決一些爭議，通過了一系列執(zhí)行環(huán)境保護的指導方針的程序性規(guī)定。在這些指導方針中，CEQ試圖更清楚地界定“產(chǎn)生重大影響”的含義是什么。CEQ指出，確定這個影響的定義需要審查行動的范圍和強度。需要考慮聯(lián)邦活動對環(huán)境產(chǎn)生的短期或者長期的影響，以及其對局部地區(qū)、整個地區(qū)甚至整個社會的影響。</p><p><b>　　EIS的要求的程序</b

10、></p><p>　　有關EIS的編制程序費時性的批評是其中的一個主要方面。最初，該機構要求提交的EIS將成立一個專家小組編寫一份報告草案。在許多情況下，這個團隊將包括外部顧問，他們中的許多人可能有既得利益，以至于他們會準備積極的評價。其次，草案文本將分發(fā)到各個機構內(nèi)，接受幾個政黨的審查。有可能在誰親的機構或有利行業(yè)和那些誰更環(huán)保的爭端之間的審查是受到廣泛關注的。而由于這些初步意見，該草案可能會修改。&l

11、t;/p><p>　　隨著相關機構完成這一草案，CEQ對這份文件涉及到的問題進行審查并提出意見。然后，按照行政程序法的規(guī)則制定非正式規(guī)則的，草案需要刊登在聯(lián)邦登記冊上供公眾提供意見。許多其他機構，包括環(huán)保局、公民團體以及涉及商業(yè)利益的群體，將在這個時候提交評論。</p><p>　　在公眾的意見被收集了以后，將繼續(xù)遵循一個類似的程序以制定最后的草案。如果草案遭到嚴厲批評，該機構將在幾個月內(nèi)面臨

12、著選擇是否嘗試修復遭到嚴厲批評的草案。試圖編寫一份新的草案是費時和昂貴的，因為所有的步驟都必須通過新的聲明加以重復。然而程序的不足，EIS可能導致各方反對該行動的人的法律挑戰(zhàn)。一旦該機構制定并發(fā)布的草案是受到肯定的，那么該草案將作為最終草案發(fā)表在聯(lián)邦登記冊中。對于常規(guī)的程序而言，這個過程需要6到9個月。法院的挑戰(zhàn)配合這一進程可能需要一年甚至更長的時間。</p><p>　　最后出版的草案，草案是否能夠充分通過，還

13、可能需要經(jīng)歷法庭上的質(zhì)疑。相對來說，那些未能提交的EIS在必要時也可能會受到質(zhì)疑。EIS的這一司法審查過程，招致了環(huán)境保護主義者的批評。在審查EIS時，法院設立一個行政執(zhí)法是一種較為普遍的傳統(tǒng)形式，這意味著法院將不能運用其審判職能判斷該機構的草案是否可行。只要該機構遵循適當?shù)某绦颍ū匾沫h(huán)境影響要素，法院將允許該機構的立場和活動。在任何情況下，當事人可以爭取的，局限在該機構所列出任何不良后果的聲明中。法院將永遠禁止活動的理由是，后果

14、太嚴重。</p><p><b>　　外文文獻翻譯原文</b></p><p>　　National Environmental Policy Act</p><p>　　Nancy K. Kubasek, Gary S. Silverman</p><p>　　Environmental Law, Fourth Edi

15、tion, Cambridge University Press，2003</p><p>　　National Environmental Policy Act</p><p>　　National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) was signed into law on January 1, 1970, and may be characterize

16、d as a planning statute. It does three things directly:</p><p>　　Establishes the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), the federal watchdog of environmental policy</p><p>　　Requires federal ag

17、encies to take environmental consequences into account when they make certain decisions, which prior to NEPA, they could not do because consideration of such effects was rarely listed in agencies' enabling acts as a

18、factor to be taken into account in agency decision making</p><p>　　Requires that an environmental impact statement (EIS) be prepared for every major legislative proposal or other federal agency action having

19、 a significant impact on the quality of the human environment</p><p>　　Council on Environmental Quality</p><p>　　The least controversial aspect of NEPA was its first mandate: the creation of the

20、 Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), The CEQ is made up of three persons, one of whom is designated the chair. The role of the council is primarily advisory, mainly advising the president about environmental matters.

21、 The CEQ gathers and analyzes data, informs the president about the progress the nation is making toward cleaning up the environment, and recommends legislation that needs to be passed and issues tha</p><p>

22、　　The CEQ also helps federal agencies to meet their EIS requirements under NEPA by reviewing drafts of these statements. The CEQ establishes regulations pertaining to NEPA procedures.</p><p>　　Environmental

23、Impact Statement (EIS)</p><p>　　Far more controversial than the creation of the CEQ was the requirement of the environmental impact statement (EIS). This requirement has a widespread impact on several govern

24、ment agencies, as well as on private firms seeking to do business under governmental agency contracts or licenses. Although the process has been criticized by many of the groups affected, most studies of NEPA’s effective

25、ness have concluded that it has forced greater governmental awareness and more careful planning in many a</p><p>　　Several major issues pervade an analysis of the EIS requirement, ranging from who must file

26、the EIS, and when, to disputes over what must be included in the statement, to whether the process is effective.</p><p>　　Threshold Considerations</p><p>　　Every time a federal agency undertakes

27、 an activity, it must decide whether to file an EIS. Filing an unnecessary EIS is a waste of time and money. Failure to file a necessary statement can be equally or more expensive if someone challenges the lack of an EIS

28、 and seeks an injunction. However, it is not always easy to know when an EIS is required. NEPA specifies three conditions that must be met for an EIS to be required. First, the activity must be federal. A federal activit

29、y is fairly broadly de</p><p>　　Whether an EIS is required for a federal activity depends on whether the other two criteria are met. The federal activity must be major. There are no dollar guidelines as to w

30、hat constitutes a major activity. The courts generally say that the activity requires a substantial commitment of resources, with resources being broadly defined to include both financial and human resources. A substanti

31、al commitment of either type of resources is sufficient.</p><p>　　The third criterion is that the proposed activity must have a significant impact on the human environment. The phrase significant impact on t

32、he human environment is so ambiguous that it initially generated substantial litigation. Then, in 1979 the CEQ tried to resolve some of the controversy by adopting a series of guidelines for the implementation of NEPA’s

33、procedural provisions. In these guidelines, the CEQ tried to define better what was meant by "significant impact". The CEQ stated that dete</p><p>　　Procedure Under the EIS Requirement</p>&

34、lt;p>　　One of the major criticisms of the EIS process is related to the time-consuming nature of the procedures necessary for preparing an EIS. Initially, the agency required to file the EIS will assemble a team of sp

35、ecialists to prepare a draft report. In many cases, this team will consist of outside consultants, many of whom may have a vested interest in preparing positive assessments so that they will be able to secure contracts f

36、rom the agency in the future. Next, a draft version will be circulated</p><p>　　Following the agency's completion of that draft, the document goes to the CEQ for review and comments. Then, in accordance

37、with the Administrative Procedure Act's rules for informal rule making, the draft is published in the Federal Register for public comment. Many other agencies, including the EPA, will submit comments at this time, as

38、 will citizens' groups and business interests. </p><p>　　After the public comments have been received, a similar process will be followed for the final draft. If a draft has been severely criticized, the

39、 agency is faced with the difficult decision of whether to try to repair the heavily criticized draft or months. Preparing a new draft is time-consuming and costly because all the steps have to be repeated with the new s

40、tatement. However proceeding with an inadequate EIS may lead to a successful legal challenge by parties opposed to the action. Once th</p><p>　　After publication of the final draft, the sufficiency of the dr

41、aft may be challenged in court. The failure to file an EIS when required may also be challenged. This process of judicial review of the EIS has led to criticism by environmentalists. When reviewing the EIS, the court gen

42、erally operates in an administrative law tradition, which means that the court will not substitute its judgment for the agency's. As long as the agency followed the proper procedures and included the requisite elemen