The comment is often made that the states are experimental laboratories for environmental legislation.¹ In the instance of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, the opposite has been the case. The federal government has served as an experimental laboratory for the various states. The experiment has proven successful, and that states are now adopting their own "little NEPAs." It is the purpose of this Article to summarize the state provisions.

Seventeen jurisdictions have followed the federal lead.² Ten states and Puerto Rico have legislatively adopted little NEPAs of general application,³ two states have legislatively adopted little NEPAs of limited application,⁴ and four states have administratively promulgated NEPA equivalents.⁵