CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTORY COMMENTS

• Jurisdiction: United States

Natural Resources Environmental Law
(Feb 1972)
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTORY COMMENTS
H. Stanley Dempsey, Esq.
Division Attorney Climax Molybdenum Company
Golden, Colorado

As General Chairman, it is my pleasure to welcome you to this Natural Resources Environmental Law Institute sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation.

As you can see from the program, this Institute will focus on the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. The Act was signed into law January 1, 1970, and during the past two years, it has become evident that the NEPA is one of the most important pieces of environmental legislation enacted to date and is having a significant impact on our society.

Several states have recently enacted statutes similar to the National Environmental Policy Act (e.g., Montana, New Mexico). The Colorado Legislature now has before it a proposed environmental policy act that would cover private as well as state actions having or likely to have an environmental impact. Although these state

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acts are obviously important, the Planning Committee felt that there would not be sufficient time at this one-day Institute to...