Our work is based on a representative sample of 489 Forest
Service NEPA processes completed between January 1, 2007 and
December 18, 2009. Using these data we provide preliminary answers to questions that have troubled the agency for over 20
years: what factors contribute to declining efficiency in NEPA
(longer and more costly processes), difficulties in achieving agency
goals, poor disclosure in NEPA documentation, and declining public
trust in the agency? Through an examination of team inputs,
processes, and emergent states, this study focuses on uncovering
elements of the NEPA processes that most strongly predict process
outcomes.