nepa gets a 21st century refresh
On April 30, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) finalized regulations updating the requirements for how federal agencies conduct reviews of the health, economic, and environmental impacts of decisions under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). NEPA is our nation’s foundational environmental law to ensure actions our federal government takes considers the potential direct, indirect and cumulative impacts on our environment. The final rule:
Promotes early and meaningful engagement with communities, fostering community buy-in, reducing or avoiding conflict, and improving project design, while also considering environmental justice.
Sets clear deadlines for agencies to complete environmental reviews, requiring a lead agency and setting specific expectations for lead and cooperating agencies, and creating a unified and coordinated federal review process.
Provides agencies with other new and faster tools to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of environmental reviews.
Expands the use of programmatic environmental reviews, which allow agencies to review the environmental impacts of categories of projects to speed up approvals for specific projects.
Addresses climate change, protects public health, and encourages better environmental outcomes by clarifying that agencies should consider climate change effects in environmental reviews and encourage identification of reasonable alternatives that will mitigate climate impacts.
This update is one of the most consequential actions this Administration has taken to ensure that the permitting process for federal activities is more efficient, equitable, and justice-oriented.
You can read more here.