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National Environmental Policy Act Environmental Policies Environmental Impact Statements

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

ArentFox Schiff

Top 3 Supreme Court Environmental and Administrative Trends of 2025

ArentFox Schiff on

Within this term, the US Supreme Court’s major environmental and administrative focus was on statutory text in its environmental and administrative decisions....more

Hogan Lovells

DOT issues updates to NEPA implementing procedures

Hogan Lovells on

The Department of Transportation (DOT) and several DOT agencies have announced a series of updates to requirements for the agency's implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), including updates to the...more

Allen Matkins

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

Allen Matkins on

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

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

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

Flood Project Challenge/Clean Water Act/National Environmental Policy Act: Federal Appellate Court Addresses Standing Issue

The United States Circuit Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (“Fifth Circuit”) addressed in a December 24th, 2024 Opinion a challenge to a United States Army Corps of Engineers (“Corps”) project alleging violations of the...more

Moore & Van Allen PLLC

Course Correction: U.S. Supreme Court Removed Roadblock for Railroad Construction Project, Requiring Substantial Deference to...

Moore & Van Allen PLLC on

A "Course Correction" of NEPA Review - In an 8-0 judgment, the U.S. Supreme Court recently struck down the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals decision that had vacated the U.S. Surface Transportation Board’s (the “Board”)...more

Jones Day

U.S. Supreme Court Instructs Courts to Provide "Substantial Deference" to Agencies in NEPA Cases

Jones Day on

On May 29, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, clarifying the standards for judicial review of challenges to agency action under the National Environmental Policy Act...more

Jones Day

Evolving NEPA Regulations May Facilitate Energy Projects

Jones Day on

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

Vinson & Elkins LLP

Supreme Court Curbs the Scope of NEPA Reviews in Landmark Decision: Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County,...

Vinson & Elkins LLP on

In the first major National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”) case to reach the Supreme Court in almost two decades, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision on May 29, 2025, in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v....more

Allen Matkins

“A Course Correction”: Supreme Court Reinforces Agency Deference and Narrows the Scope of Environmental Effects that Agencies Must...

Allen Matkins on

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

Hanson Bridgett

The Supreme Court Takes Aim at NEPA

Hanson Bridgett on

On May 29, 2025, the Supreme Court issued its Opinion in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition et al. v. Eagle County, Colorado et al., one of the most high-profile National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, cases to reach...more

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

The Supreme Court Update - May 29, 2025

Dorsey & Whitney LLP on

The Supreme Court of the United States issued one decision today: Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, Colorado, No. 23-975: This case concerns the scope of federal court review over an agency’s...more

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP

Council on Environmental Quality Rescinds NEPA Regulations

Federal agencies are now responsible for their own National Environmental Policy Act procedures, creating uncertainty and opportunity for federal environmental reviews....more

Womble Bond Dickinson

Major Changes in National Environmental Policy Act Process

Womble Bond Dickinson on

The Council for Environmental Quality’s (“CEQ”) published an interim final rule yesterday repealing all of its implementing regulations for the National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”). The interim final rule becomes...more

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

Livestock Grazing/National Environmental Policy Act: Federal Appellate Court Addresses Challenge to U.S. Forest Service Allotments

The United States Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit (“9th Circuit”) addressed in a February 11th Memorandum a challenge to a United States Forest Service (“Service”) action pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act...more

Vinson & Elkins LLP

President Trump’s Executive Orders: Rethinking NEPA Regulations and CEQ’s Role in Federal Environmental Reviews

Vinson & Elkins LLP on

In his first two days in office, newly inaugurated President Donald J. Trump signed a flurry of Executive Orders, including several aimed at supporting the traditional energy industry. The Unleashing American Energy Executive...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

Court Finds FERC Appropriately Evaluated Decision to Retain Dams in License Surrender

Troutman Pepper Locke on

On January 14, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (“D.C. Circuit”) held that FERC complied with the National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”) in approving the surrender of a hydroelectric project license....more

Snell & Wilmer

CEQ’s Wings Clipped: D.C. Circuit Invalidates CEQ’s Binding Regulations

Snell & Wilmer on

In a significant ruling, the D.C. Circuit in Marin Audubon Society v. Federal Aviation Administration held that the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) lacks the statutory authority to issue binding regulations under the...more

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

National Environmental Policy Act/Phase II Final Rule: Arkansas and 19 Attorneys General File Judicial Challenge

Twenty Attorneys General (including Arkansas) filed a judicial challenge on May 21st in the United States District Court for the District of North Dakota to the Council on Environmental Quality (“CEQ”) rule styled: ...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

Trust the Process? CEQ’s NEPA Phase II ‎Regulations a Mixed Bag and a Missed ‎Opportunity

Troutman Pepper Locke on

Introduction On May 1, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (“CEQ”) published its Final Rule implementing revisions to the National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”)—better known as Phase 2 (the “Final Rule”)....more

Gray Reed

Texas Deepwater Port Survives Legal Challenge

Gray Reed on

In Citizens for Clean Air & Clean Water in Brazoria County et al v. United States Department of Transportation et al., several environmental groups challenged the DOT’s approval of a license for commercial construction and...more

Venable LLP

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Phase II Regulations Are Here - "Much Ado About Nothing"?

Venable LLP on

Based on immediate reactions to the long-awaited final "Phase II" NEPA regulations, one might think that the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) substantially altered long-standing federal environmental review practice....more

Stoel Rives - Environmental Law Blog

Federal Government Finalizes Significant Changes to NEPA Regulations

On May 1, 2024, the Council on Environmental Quality (“CEQ”) promulgated the Bipartisan Permitting Reform Implementation Rule (“Final Rule”), 89 Fed. Reg. 35,442 (May 1, 2024), which is better known as Phase 2 of the Biden...more

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

Department of Energy Seeks Comments on Reforms to Accelerate Electric Transmission Project Permitting

On August 10, 2023, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) proposed to substantially revise regulations aimed at accelerating the Federal environmental review and permitting processes associated with the development of onshore...more

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