Tagged: NEPA

Natural Resources

Trump Administration Proposes Revisions to Streamline Environmental Review Process under National Environmental Policy Act

For many mining and infrastructure projects in the United States, a primary cause of permitting uncertainty, expense, and delay is compliance with the environmental review process under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). On January 10, 2020, the Council on Environmental Quality (“CEQ”) proposed comprehensive revisions to the regulations implementing the NEPA. 85 Fed. Reg. 1684. NEPA documentation is generally required for any project, public or private, that requires approvals from the federal government. The proposed revisions to the NEPA regulations are part of the Trump administration’s efforts to streamline their NEPA review processes. The proposed regulatory revisions include the following changes, among others: More Exemptions from NEPA Review – The proposed rules...

Natural Resources

Proposed Rulemaking to Update Environmental Review Process under National Environmental Policy Act – How Your Company Can Participate

One of the principal sources of uncertainty, expense, and delay in the permitting process for many mining and infrastructure projects in the United States, especially those generating public controversy, is compliance with the environmental review process under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). On June 20, 2018, the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) seeking public comment on potential revisions to its implementing regulations for the procedural provisions of NEPA. NEPA documentation is generally required for any project, public or private, that requires approvals from the federal government. The ANPR is a continuation of the Trump administration’s efforts to address inefficiencies in the federal permitting process...

Natural Resources

Trump Seeks to Uproot the Obama Climate Change Agenda

Citing concerns over economic harm, President Trump has targeted his predecessor’s climate change agenda. He has sought reversal of a number of key Obama regulations, directives, and other actions, including the Clean Power Plan and the U.S. participation in the Paris accords. The overall blueprint for these actions is found in his March 2017 Executive Order on Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth. This order lays out for the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Interior, as well as other agencies, specific actions to take to promote the development and use of domestically produced oil, gas, coal, and nuclear power. The agencies are only now beginning to undertake these actions, which could have...