On-Demand Webinar | The New NEPA Regulations: A Practical Guide to What You Need to Know
The United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit (“9th Circuit”) addressed in a May 21st Opinion whether the United States Forest Service (“Service”) violated the National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”). See Friends...more
On May 1, 2024, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) finalized a rule to undo most of the remaining 2020 Trump Administration changes to the federal environmental review process under the National...more
As part of the Fiscal Responsibility Act (also known as the debt ceiling bill) in June 2023, Congress made the most significant revisions to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) since the statute was enacted in 1970....more
Introduction On May 1, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (“CEQ”) published its Final Rule implementing revisions to the National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”)—better known as Phase 2 (the “Final Rule”)....more
Based on immediate reactions to the long-awaited final "Phase II" NEPA regulations, one might think that the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) substantially altered long-standing federal environmental review practice....more
On May 1, 2024, the Council on Environmental Quality (“CEQ”) promulgated the Bipartisan Permitting Reform Implementation Rule (“Final Rule”), 89 Fed. Reg. 35,442 (May 1, 2024), which is better known as Phase 2 of the Biden...more
The White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) recently published a proposed rule that makes substantial revisions to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations, implementing the amendments directed by...more
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) was signed into law on January 1, 1970, and it has rarely been amended or revised since then. NEPA is basically a procedural statute which requires Federal permitting authorities,...more
Legislation recently enacted to raise the federal debt ceiling (the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 or FRA) includes major permitting reforms with the potential to streamline federal environmental reviews under the National...more
On June 3, 2023, President Biden signed the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 (“FRA”) into law, extending the U.S. debt limit into 2025. As part of the Congressional deal, FRA also contains amendments to the National...more
President Joe Biden signed into law the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 (FRA), colloquially referred to as the Debt Ceiling Bill, on June 3, 2023.[1] The legislation completes a bipartisan agreement to suspend the public...more
The Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 most notably raised the debt ceiling. But the legislation also made substantive changes to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), with an eye toward simplifying and streamlining...more
On June 3, 2023, President Biden signed into law the Fiscal Responsibility Act. The law increased the debt ceiling and, among other things, amended the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). NEPA is a bedrock environmental...more
Without fanfare or ceremony, on Saturday June 3rd, President Biden signed the bitterly-negotiated Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 (FRA), also known as the Debt Ceiling Limit legislation. While most of the media attention...more
An increased borrowing limit for the U.S. was not the only change brought about by the recently enacted Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023. The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review process was also on the minds of...more
On June 3, 2023, President Biden signed into law the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 (“the Act”), which includes modest changes to the National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”), among other things. The Act amends NEPA in...more
Hiding in plain sight in the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 (FRA)--which is intended to extend the nation’s debt limit into 2025 in order to avoid a federal default--are provisions that seek to amend the National...more
A United States District Court (District of Columbia) (“Court”) in a March 4th Opinion addressed the Farm Service Agency’s (“FSA”) compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”). See Dakota Rural Action, et...more
The Buffalo River Watershed Alliance (“BRWA”) filed a February 21st Complaint for Vacatur of Illegal Agency Decision, Declaratory and Injunctive Relief (“Complaint”) against the United States Forest Service (“Forest Service”)...more
On January 9, 2023, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) published new interim guidance intended to assist federal agencies in analyzing greenhouse gas (GHG) and climate change effects of project proposals...more
On September 21, Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, released the text of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2022 (Act). This comprehensive Act was set to be...more
On April 20, 2022, the Council on Environmental Quality (“CEQ”) published a final rule revising the primary regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”). The final rule largely restored provisions...more
The Sierra Club and two other environmental organizations filed an April 28th Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief (“Complaint”) against the United States Postal Service (“Service”) alleging violation of the...more
On April 19, 2022, the Biden administration finalized a new rule (“Final Rule”) rolling back the Trump administration’s 2020 changes limiting the scope of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The Final Rule...more
What Changed, What Matters for Local Governments and What’s Next - The White House Council on Environmental Quality has reversed three key Trump administration changes that govern how federal agencies implement the...more