Enacted in 1970, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires that federal agencies to engage in a review process to assess the environmental impacts of proposed federal actions, include appropriate disclosure to the public, and be responsive to these factors before making a decision. This process can apply for a variety of projects, including the development of roads, bridges, oil and gas pipelines, energy projects, broadband infrastructure, and water infrastructure, as well as impact forest management and wildfire protection. Environmental review under NEPA applies to federal projects as well as private projects if federal action is involved such as issuance of a permit, federal funding, or approval for activity on federal land.

The NEPA process can take months or years and resource-heavy for both applicants and agencies. For the past several years, the federal government has prioritized the streamlining of the NEPA process.

The Final Rule is the first major revision to NEPA regulations in over forty years. These regulations published in the Federal Register on July 16, 2020 by the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) amend40 CFR零部件1500-1508。The intent of this legislation is to facilitate timelier environmental reviews and to simplify regulatory requirements.

一些主要变化是什么？

• New or eliminated definitions and language
  • 联邦行动被重新定义，以排除“非联邦项目，最小的联邦资金或最小的联邦参与，原子能机构不会对项目结果进行足够的控制和责任。”
  • “效果”被定义为“从拟议的行动或替代方案的变化，这些行动或合理可预见的替代方案以及与拟议的行动或替代方案具有合理的因果关系。”
  • The concept of cumulative effects is removed. This was previously included to evaluate how an activity may incrementally add to environmental impacts in the context of related “past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions.”
• Implements of page and time limits for environmental review
  • Environmental Assessment (EA) must be completed within 1 year in 75 pages or less.
  • 环境影响声明（EIS）必须在150页或更少的2年内完成。
• 实施“一种联邦决定”
  • 指示领导联邦机构在协调协同机构协调审查和批准方面发挥更积极的作用。
  • 该过程将创建联合时间表，共享项目描述和单个NEPA审查文件和决定记录。
• Specific public comment standards
  • 评论必须具体
  • Must be received during public comment period
  • Certification of addressing public comments
• 分类排除
  • 在NEPA下审查的大多数行动都是使用分类排除（CE）批准，以便在不存在“非凡的情况”时，用于预定义的活动。
  • 新规则将允许项目设计或修改，以避免创建“非凡的情况”，否则会妨碍使用CE，而是需要EA或EIS。这将联邦法院接受的“缓解分类排除”正式审查了“减少的分类排除”。
  • 鼓励联邦机构并允许使用其他联邦机构定义的CE。

这将如何影响我们的客户/项目计划计划的NEPA项目？

在短期内，通过已经进行的项目可能对NEPA过程几乎没有变化。CEQ规定为数十个联邦机构提供了一般框架，而又定义了特定的NEPA程序，具体到每个机构的PURVIEW下的活动。近年来，白宫已发布执行订单，CEQ已向联邦机构发出指导，以修改其NEPA程序。许多正在进行的项目已经在新方法下进行审查，例如一个联邦决定。

随着更多机构正式其特定的NEPA条例，新项目将在2020年9月最终确定的CEQ条例的变化。

环境评估服务雷电竞首页

雷竞技好Newbee赞助商Braun Intertec提供全面的环境审查雷电竞首页to assist projects subject to NEPA review. Our scientists and engineers are experienced managing a variety of aspects of NEPA and coordinating with relevant federal agencies. Our role is typically to provide environmental consulting and analysis services for private projects that are subject to NEPA review, such as activities that receive federal funding, require federal permits, or take place on federal lands.

近年来，我们已经完成了Nepa审查，以协助我们的客户从农业农村发展部门和城市发展部，农业农村发展部和美国鱼类和野生动物服务部获得联邦机构等联邦机构的批准。我们将继续跟踪NEPA规定的变更，因为联邦机构在执行新的CEQ条例的条例中。