The White House Council on Environmental Quality today announced that it is seeking comments by Monday, Nov. 22 on its proposal to modify National Environmental Policy Act regulations to restore provisions addressing the purpose and need of a proposed action, agency NEPA procedures for implementing CEQ’s NEPA regulations, and the definition of “effects.”
Specifically, the proposed rule would require federal agencies to evaluate all relevant environmental impacts of decisions under review (direct, indirect, and cumulative), provide agencies with authority to
work with communities to develop and analyze alternative approaches that could minimize environmental and public health costs, and establish CEQ’s NEPA regulations as a floor for environmental review standards that agencies should be meeting.
In announcing the proposed rule, CEQ said that the effort would “restore community safeguards” by providing communities and decision-makers with “more complete information” on proposed projects, their environmental and public health impacts, and alternatives, with CEQ Chair Brenda Mallory saying that the proposal would “help ensure that American infrastructure gets built right the first time, and delivers real benefits – not harms – to people who live nearby.”
A “Phase 2” rulemaking effort to commence in the coming months will address broader changes to NEPA regulations that CEQ said would help ensure “full and fair public involvement,” meet environmental climate change, and environmental justice challenges, provide regulatory certainty, and promote better decision-making.
