Trump Administration Issues Final NEPA Rule

Industry News

July 16, 2020

Trump Administration Issues Final NEPA Rule

The final National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) rule issued by the Trump Administration yesterday is designed to streamline project delivery, cut red tape, and modernize the regulatory review process.

Key components of the rule:

• Establishes presumptive time limits of two years for the preparation of environmental impact statements (EISs) and one year for the preparation of environmental assessments (EAs).
• Specifies presumptive page limits for EISs and EAs.
• Requires joint schedules, a single EIS, and a single record of decision (ROD), where appropriate, for EISs involving multiple Federal agencies.
• Strengthens the role of the lead agency and requires senior agency officials to oversee NEPA compliance, including timely resolution of disputes to avoid delays.
• Allows applicants/contractors to assume a greater role in preparing EISs with appropriate disclosure of financial or other interests and with supervision and independent evaluation by the agency.

Click here to view a fact sheet on the final rule.

Click here to view the final rule.

Click here to view the regulatory impact analysis.

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