On October 7, 2021, the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ)
proposed certain changes to its regulations implementing the
National Environmental Quality Act (NEPA). Originally promulgated
in 1978, the NEPA regulations went largely unaltered until 2020
when CEQ made several revisions to the regulations. Based on
Thursday's federal register notice, CEQ's proposed updates
are considered "Phase 1" of a two-phased revision process
intended to modify NEPA regulations sections that address the
purpose and need of proposed actions, reintroduces the term
"cumulative effect", and gives federal agencies the
discretion to develop NEPA procedures beyond CEQ's regulatory
requirements.
Comments on the proposed rule must be submitted by November 22,
2021 on Regulations.gov to Docket Number:
CEQ–2021–0002.
CEQ will hold two virtual public meetings at the following dates
and times:
- October 19, 2021, from 1:00-4:00 p.m. EDT
- October 21, 2021, from 5:00-8:00 p.m. EDT
You can register for the public meeting on CEQ's NEPA page.
The federal register notice for proposed action can be found here.
The full-text PDF of the rule can be found here.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
