Open AccessIntegrating a life-cycle assessment with NEPA: Does it make sense?
Author(s) -
Charles H. Eccleston
Publication year - 1998
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Reports
DOI - 10.2172/16952
Subject(s) - national environmental policy act , life cycle assessment , charter , iso 14000 , environmental planning , environmental impact assessment , environmental policy , engineering , environmental resource management , risk analysis (engineering) , business , environmental science , political science , environmental management system , economics , law , ecology , production (economics) , biology , irrigation , macroeconomics
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 provides the basic national charter for protection of the environment in the US. Today NEPA has provided an environmental policy model which has been emulated by nations around the world. Recently, questions have been raised regarding the appropriateness and under what conditions it makes sense to combine the preparation of a NEPA analysis with the International Organization for Stnadardization (ISO) - 14000 Standards for Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA). This paper advantages a decision making tool consisting of six discrete criteria which can be employed by a user in reaching a decision regarding the integration of NEPA analysis and LCA. Properly applied, this tool should reduce the risk that a LCA may be inappropriately prepared and integrated with a NEPA analysis