Because you all are the best people, we're getting lots of questions about NEPA. Let's review.

The National Environmental Policy Act was signed by President Nixon in 1970. It requires the government to consider the environmental consequences of major changes.

Courts have said NEPA requires agencies to consider the cumulative effects of new infrastructure. Think greenhouse gas emissions and rising sea levels.

On January 9, the Trump administration, as part of its rollback of more than 100 hundred (not hyperbole) environmental regulations, said, you know, this is just too much red tape. Let's make it easier to green light new projects.

The new regs will put in hard deadlines for environmental review (1-2 years), allow agencies to exempt entire categories of projects from any review, and, most significantly, make cumulative climate consideration optional.

States,non-profits, 167 members of Congress asked for an extension of the public comment period on these changes because of covid-19. The administration said, nah! And issued a June executive order allowing certain projects to bypass NEPA and the Endangered Species Act.

Here's the good news: Congress can undo this! Within 60 days.

And if Congress doesn't, it's like to draw numerous court challenges (everybody remember "arbitrary and capricious" rule making?). So, the work continues.