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Environmental Policies National Environmental Policy Act Regulatory Reform

Baker Donelson

Seven County Infrastructure Coal. v. Eagle Cnty., Colo. – Supreme Court's "Course Correction" on NEPA Already Steering Decisions...

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The United States Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, Colorado, on May 19, 2025, clarifying that the scope of judicial review of federal agency environmental...more

Latham & Watkins LLP

A “Golden Age” of Data Center Dominance

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A new executive order seeks to streamline funding for and construction of data center projects by reducing regulatory red tape. On July 23, 2025, the Trump administration issued an executive order titled “Accelerating...more

Beveridge & Diamond PC

Trump Administration Issues Executive Order to Facilitate Data Center Development

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Key Takeaways - President Trump issued a new Executive Order (EO) that directs agencies to streamline reviews, prioritize high-capacity projects, and support infrastructure critical to AI and national security. The move...more

Morrison & Foerster LLP

Another Step Change for USDA’s GE Regs: APHIS Ceases NEPA Review of Petitions for Nonregulated Status

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced on July 9, 2025, that it will no longer conduct environmental analyses under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) when...more

Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck

NEPA Reimagined: The Ongoing Overhaul of Federal Environmental Review

Over the past eight months, the legal framework governing environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) has undergone significant upheaval—with additional changes still on the way. Here’s what’s...more

Allen Matkins

Project Applicants Can Now Pay for Expedited Federal Environmental Review Under NEPA

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The budget reconciliation bill signed into law on July 4 (also known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill”) adds a new provision to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) that allows project sponsors/applicants to pay for...more

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

FERC Eases NEPA Review for Hydropower Projects With New Categorical Exclusions

In a decision notable enough to merit a novel docket prefix (CX25-2-000), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) adopted two new categorical exclusions under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) aimed at...more

Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP

Supreme Court Limits Scope of Judicial Review in NEPA Cases

On May 29, 2025, the Supreme Court issued its decision in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition et al. v. Eagle County, Colorado et al. This decision held that agencies are afforded substantial deference in National...more

Vinson & Elkins LLP

The New NEPA: Federal Agencies Overhaul Procedures for Environmental Reviews

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On July 3, 2025, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC” or the “Commission”), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (“Army Corps”), and the Departments of Energy (“DOE”), Interior (“DOI”), Transportation (“DOT”),...more

K&L Gates LLP

FERC and DOE Roll Back NEPA Rules to Accelerate Permitting

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On 30 June 2025, both the US Department of Energy (DOE) and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or the Commission) announced revisions to their respective National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) procedures to...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

Extreme Makeover – NEPA Edition: Permitting Agencies Strip Their Environmental Review Regulations Down To The Studs

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In the past two weeks, six federal permitting agencies — the U.S. Departments of Interior (USDOI), Agriculture (USDA), Energy (DOE), Commerce (DoC), Defense (DoD), and Transportation (USDOT) — withdrew most of their National...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

FERC Revises Regulations Implementing NEPA; Adopts Two Hydropower-Related Categorical Exclusions

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On July 3, 2025, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a final rule revising its regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) to remove references to the recently rescinded...more

Jones Day

The Climate Report | Second Quarter 2025

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Trump Paves Way for Coal Renaissance and Targets State Climate Change Efforts - In early April, President Trump issued several presidential actions to revive the coal industry, including rolling back environmental...more

Jones Day

Evolving NEPA Regulations May Facilitate Energy Projects

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The National Environmental Protection Act ("NEPA") requires that federal agencies assess the environmental effects of their proposed actions prior to making final decisions, including decisions on issuing federal permits,...more

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

Stopping Radical Environmentalism to Generate Power for the Columbia River Basin (Trump EO Tracker)

Revokes the September 27, 2023 Presidential Memorandum on restoring fish populations in the Columbia River Basin and directs relevant agencies to withdraw from the associated litigation MOU, halt the current SEIS process, and...more

Carlton Fields

Supreme Court Ruling Speeds Environmental Reviews, Limits Legal Challenges to Energy Projects

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On May 29, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, Colorado, a case concerning the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) that limits judicial review of...more

Holland & Knight LLP

EPA Proposes Significant Budget Reduction for Fiscal Year 2026

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) budget proposal for fiscal year (FY) 2026 fundamentally reimagines the federal government's role in environmental policy and regulation. If enacted by Congress, EPA's budget...more

Maynard Nexsen

Supreme Court Reduces Burden of National Environmental Policy Act Review

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In a highly unusual unanimous decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on May 29, 2025 that federal agencies are entitled to “substantial judicial deference” with respect to how they review projects subject to the National...more

Allen Matkins

Renewable Energy Update 6.6.25

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On May 29, 2025, the Supreme Court held that the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) — which requires federal agencies to analyze the environmental impacts of projects that they carry out, fund, or approve — does not...more

Winstead PC

Supreme Court Reins in NEPA Reviews - Clearing the Path for Developers

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On May 29, 2025, the Supreme Court handed down its decision in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, No. 23-975, 605 U.S. ___ (2025), sharply limiting the scope of environmental review obligations under the...more

Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard,...

National Environmental Policy Act/Environmental Permitting: Council on Environmental Quality Issues Permitting Technology Action...

The Council on Environmental Quality (“CEQ”) issued what is titled: Permitting Technology Action Plan (“PTAP”). The PTAP is stated to have been developed in consultation with the National Energy Dominance Council and...more

Carlton Fields

Everything (Including Inconsistent Things) All at Once: The Trump Administration’s Initial Steps Toward Permitting Reform

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President Trump came into office pledging to speed up federal environmental permitting, and he has issued a series of executive orders that touch on some aspect of expediting environmental reviews....more

Troutman Pepper Locke

Fifteen States Sue the Trump Administration Over “Energy Emergency” Executive Order

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On May 9, 2025, fifteen democratic states (“Plaintiff States”) sued the Trump Administration in Washington District Court, claiming that President Trump’s executive order “Declaring a National Energy Emergency” (“Executive...more

Morgan Lewis - Up & Atom

NRC Withdraws Environmental Justice Policy Statement

The NRC recently withdrew its Policy Statement on the Treatment of Environmental Justice (EJ) Matters in NRC Regulatory and Licensing Actions (EJ Policy Statement). The NRC did so in response to Executive Order (EO) 14173,...more

Holland & Knight LLP

New Executive Action Aims to Streamline Environmental Reviews Through Digital Modernization

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The Trump Administration has issued a Presidential Memorandum, "Updating Permitting Technology for the 21st Century," aimed at modernizing and streamlining the federal environmental review and permitting processes through...more

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