Back in January, President Donald Trump announced he was rolling back regulations for the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). At an event in Atlanta, GA, July 15, Trump finalized the rollbacks, calling NEPA reviews the “single biggest obstacle” to construction projects.
Describing
the rollbacks as a “top to bottom overhaul,” the changes would help
speed up the NEPA review process by eliminating environmental and
community considerations before approving projects on federal lands. The
new rules would set a two-year limit for agencies to issue
environmental impact statements (EIS).
“So
we’re cutting the federal permitting timeline for a major project from
up to 20 years or more—hard to believe—down to two years or less,” Trump
said. “And our goal is one year.”
...In a fact sheet, the Council on
Environmental Quality (CEQ) said NEPA is the most litigated
environmental law in the country. CEQ issued a proposed rulemaking on
Jan. 10 to modernize NEPA regulations, and a 60-day public comment
period took place. The agency held two public hearings and more than 1.1
million comments were received.
In
addition to two-year time limits for EISs, the new rule sets page
limits for EISs and environmental assessments; requires joint paperwork
for EISs involving multiple agencies; requires senior agency officials
to oversee NEPA compliance; and allows applicants and contractors a
greater role in preparing EISs.
The final rule was published in the Federal Register July 16 and will take effect 60 days after its publishing. However, if congressional review changes the effective date, CEQ will update the Federal Register with a new effective date or terminate the rule.
The final rule was published in the Federal Register July 16 and will take effect 60 days after its publishing. However, if congressional review changes the effective date, CEQ will update the Federal Register with a new effective date or terminate the rule.
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