A coalition of 18 Democratic Attorneys General (AGs) recently filed a comment letter expressing their support for the U.S. Council on Environmental Quality’s (CEQ) notice of proposed rulemaking. The CEQ has proposed revisions to its regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which mandates that federal agencies carry out assessments of the environmental impacts of proposed actions before making final decisions. The actions in question involve a range of sectors, including energy, infrastructure projects, and public lands management.
This significant move by the AGs is serving as a call to reinstate sections of the NEPA regulations that have been modified or repealed during the previous administration. NEPA’s environmental evaluations are crucial when deciding on large-scale projects, potentially capable of impacting ecosystems, wildlife, and local communities. By reinstating more rigorous regulations, they believe federal agencies would ensure a more comprehensive review of these potential effects, safeguarding public interest and the environment.
With a history of being extensively utilized since its inception in 1970, NEPA provides a procedural framework for the integration of environmental factors into federal decision-making. The proposed changes by CEQ aim at streamlining, modernizing, and improving the application of these regulatory processes.
For more detailed information on the letter filed by the coalition of Democratic AGs and the proposed NEPA regulation changes, click here to read the full article on JD Supra.