text: The Association of Environmental Professionals (AEP) is a California-based non-profit organization of interdisciplinary professionals including environmental science, resource management, environmental planning and other professions contributing to this field.  AEP is the first organization of its kind in the USA, and its influence and model have spawned numerous other regional organizations throughout the United States, as well as the separate National Association of Environmental Professionals (NAEP). From inception in the mid-1970s the organization has been closely linked with the upkeep of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), California being one of the first states to adopt a comprehensive law to govern the environmental review of public policy and project review.