Week 4 DQ 1 Geology & Soils The Farmland Protection Policy Act of 1981 (FPPA) (amended in 1987) provides specific criteria for projects that attempt to convert viable agricultural land to nonagricultural purposes. The impetus is the protection of a potential food source for an expanding population. The federal government can halt any project if a Section 1006 score is near 160 (out of 260 points). On the other hand, environmentalists endeavor to ensure that natural lands are afforded the same stringent protection. Review the FPPA in Chapter Sixteen of Environmental Impact Assessment: A Practical Guide. Is it important to provide a special section for protecting farmland within the NEPA regulations? Does it appear that these two purposes contradict one another by protecting open...