Tag: NEPA

NEPA Rule Resurrected

On April 20, 2022, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) published a final rule in the Federal Register restoring the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) provisions requiring detailed environmental reviews of infrastructure projects to include climate change-related impacts. The rule, which goes into effect May 20, 2022, will impact projects like pipelines, oil […]

Expect More Stringent NEPA Reviews

The White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) on October 6 announced it will “restore three core procedural provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations to provide communities and decision makers with more complete information about proposed projects, their environmental and public health impacts, and their alternatives.” What is NEPA? NEPA was signed […]

EPA Headquarters

Examining Proposed Revisions to the NEPA Process

In a live statement and backed by a coterie of industry leaders and agency heads, President Donald Trump unveiled the administration’s proposal to amend regulations for implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), commonly referred to as the NEPA process. Given that the announced action is a proposal and not a final rule and also […]

Environmental Policy, Law

NEPA Reviews: Should Climate Be a Factor?

The responsibilities of the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) are clearly spelled out in the 1969 National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). But the gap between Republicans and Democrats over how the CEQ should implement those responsibilities is so wide that an objective observer might conclude that the two parties are not talking about […]

white house

Much of White House Infrastructure Request Centers on Environmental Changes

Reforming environmental laws, rules, and policies occupies about a half of President Donald Trump’s Legislative Outline for Rebuilding Infrastructure in America. Since moving into the White House, the administration has taken up the call to simplify and speed up the process of conducting environmental reviews of federal actions, including major infrastructure projects, as required under […]

Arctic drilling, ANWR, oil and gas

Arctic O&G Development: BLM Offers Alternatives

The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has released its Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for development of oil and gas (O&G) resources on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) Coastal Plain. The DEIS is required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and would cover leasing only; actual development would be […]

Appalachian Trail marker

Pipeline Crossing Appalachian Trail Halted by 4th Circuit Court

An apparent attempt by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to reverse its previous findings about the potentially detrimental impacts of a proposed 600-mile natural pipeline crossing two national forests as well as the Appalachian National Scenic Trail (ANST) was in violation of multiple federal laws, including the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), concluded a panel […]

The United States Department of Commerce in Washington, D.C.

NEPA and Cooperating Federal Agencies

The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) recently invited public comment on potential revisions to regulations implementing the 1969 National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (June 20, 2018, Federal Register (FR)).