Green group sues Trump over major environmental rollback

An environmental group is trying to block one of President Trump’s most far-reaching environmental rollbacks from taking effect, arguing the administration has not provided proper access to public documents on a new rule that would limit the scope of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) is seeking an injunction from the U.S. District Court in Charlottesville that would block changes to the bedrock environmental law that are slated to take effect in early March. The suit is the latest move in SELC’s 17-month battle to get public records from the White House detailing the reasoning behind the January rule, which the administration has said it will not be able to provide until November. The administration is holding commenting sessions before the rule is finalized. NEPA requires agencies to evaluate how pipelines, highways and some oil and gas developments affect the environment and nearby communities. The law has been a repeated target of President Trump, who has vowed to speed the construction of fossil fuel infrastructure and eliminate barriers to construction projects. Trump’s changes would limit the breadth of the law, excluding some projects from undergoing NEPA review, like those that receive little federal funding. It also opens the door for more industry involvement in reviewing the environmental impacts of their projects. The SELC suit marks the first major legal action against the law, though a number of environmental groups have said they are weighing their legal options...MORE