As it was going up, however, two entirely new hurdles were thrown in Tellico’s path. One was the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, which requires an environmental-impact statement and a discussion of alternatives before any major federal project can proceed. (The TVA claimed it was exempt from NEPA and had to be taken to court before it complied.) The other hurdle, which no one paid much attention to at first, was the Endangered Species Act of 1973.
