The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) announced on Wednesday a proposed rule affecting how National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations are implemented.
The National Environmental Policy Act, signed into law in 1970, requires Federal agencies to assess the environmental impacts of major Federal actions in their decision making processes. The proposed rule posted to the Federal Register aims to reinstate NEPA provisions that were modified by the Trump Administration in 2020.
The 2020 modifications were intended to speed up the approval process for Federal projects by narrowing the scope of environmental considerations to the siting, building and operating of a project. The Biden Administration argues the “cumulative” impacts must be considered in the project approval process. This would require the assessment of climate change impacts, environmental justice considerations and analysis of carbon emissions outside of the project value chain.
This rule would affect any project that requires Federal permitting approval, therefore the Council plans to submit public comments on the proposed rule expressing the perspective of Member Companies.
If you would like to work with the Council on the formulation of these comments, contact SVP Government Affairs & Counsel Tim Tarpley.
Deidre Kohlrus, Director Government Affairs, writes about industry-specific policies for the Energy Workforce & Technology Council. Click here to subscribe to the Council’s newsletter, which highlights sector-specific issues, best practices, Council activities and more.
