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State Attorneys Want Biden to Further Undo Trump’s NEPA Rule

/in , , /by /Bloomberg Law by Jennifer Hijazi and Stephen Lee

The Biden administration’s proposal to bolster environmental permitting review is a good first step but doesn’t go far enough towards scrapping Trump-era rules, according to a coalition of Democratic attorneys general.

The changes included in President Joe Biden’s National Environmental Policy Act proposed rule fall short of undoing Trump-era regulations that undermined the environmental review process, the attorneys general said in their comment letter submitted Tuesday.

 

 

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Biden CEQ Pick Signals NEPA Changes

/in , /by /E&E Newsby Kelsey Brugger

President-elect Joe Biden last week picked veteran environmental attorney Brenda Mallory to help guide federal environmental permitting as the incoming administration gears up to build massive infrastructure projects across the United States.

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Colorado, 5 Other States Promise Lawsuits if Feds Fast-Track Approval of Utah’s Lake Powell Pipeline Project

/in , , /by /9News and Colorado Sunby Jason Blevins

For more than 20 years, negotiations among the seven states that rely on the Colorado River have avoided lawsuits, even as drought and population growth threaten the river’s flows.

That may change as a promise to rush the environmental review of a diversion project between the Colorado River’s upper and lower basins has six states suggesting lawsuits challenging the project could topple years of agreements.

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California Leads Suit Against Trump Administration Over Weakened Environmental Laws

/in , , /by /Times of San Diegoby Chris Jennewein

California and 20 other states sued the Trump administration over its plan to curtail environmental regulations in permitting infrastructure projects that can take years to complete and have long-lasting consequences on land and communities. Led by California and Washington, the lawsuit seeks to block changes the administration has proposed to how the 50-year-old National Environmental Policy Act is implemented. It was filed in federal court in San Francisco against the White House Council on Environmental Quality and its chairman, Mary Neumayr.

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21 States Sue White House Over Rollback of Bedrock Environmental Law

/in , , /by /The Hillby Rebecca Beitsch

A coalition of 21 states [including California] sued the Trump administration Friday for rolling back what they say is a “rule that is, at its heart, the gutting” of America’s bedrock environmental law.

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Opinion: President Trump Takes a Step Backward on Protecting Our Environment

/in , , /by /Times of San Diegoby Georgette Gómez

On July 15, President Trump’s Council on Environmental Quality issued its long-dreaded “final rule,” a comprehensive weakening of the National Environmental Protection Act. NEPA is not only the nation’s most important federal protection against projects that threaten our environment and climate, it is also a cornerstone of our efforts to promote environmental justice, ensuring that projects assess and mitigate the disproportionate adverse impacts that minority and low-income communities often suffer.

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White House Loosens Environmental Law to Speed Up Infrastructure Projects

/in , , /by /Construction Diveby Kim Slowey

The White House’s Council on Environmental Quality today published its final rule to update the National Environmental Policy Act. The effective date is Sep. 14; however, it is subject to congressional review, which could delay or even prevent its implementation.

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EPA Challenged on Limiting State Veto Power Under Water Act

/in , , /by /Bloomberg Lawby Amena H. Saiyid

The EPA is facing two separate challenges from environmental groups over its water rule that narrows the ability of states to veto energy infrastructure projects such as oil and gas pipelines if they adversely affect water quality.

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Opinion: NEPA Suspension, Infrastructure Bill Put Wetlands at Risk

/in , , /by /Bloomberg Lawby Jeremy Schewe

Rollbacks of the Clean Water Act and the executive order to suspend the National Environmental Policy Act are meant to save costs and cut red tape. However, Jeremy Schewe, professional wetland scientist, explains these efforts will ultimately lead to far greater expense to business, society, and the planet, especially when combined with the House proposed infrastructure stimulus package.

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Trump Uses ‘Emergency’ to Speed Up Infrastructure Projects

/in , , /by /Bloomberg Lawby Bobby Magill and Stephen Lee

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday calling on federal agencies to use emergency powers to “accelerate” infrastructure projects on federal lands as a response to the coronavirus pandemic.

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