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Stand Up and Speak Out for the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is one of our most powerful environmental protection laws. It requires the federal government to consider the views of communities and take health and environmental concerns into account when making decisions. But currently, the Trump Administration is moving new rules forward that would eliminate the public's voice in how public lands are managed; ignore community input from families living nearby dangerous oil and gas, mining, and other development; and fast-track dirty energy projects without addressing the danger to our climate or our health. 

At the beginning of this month over a dozen federal agencies issued Interim Final Rules announcing sweeping and severe changes and rollbacks to their National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) procedures. While each of the proposals are different, several things are clear – agencies are eliminating any reference to climate change or environmental justice in their reviews, and there seems to be a concerted effort to limit or eliminate opportunities for transparency and meaningful public input.

The list of departments/agencies revising their NEPA procedures is long and includes: Department of Interior, Department of Transportation, Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Army Corp of Engineers, Department of Energy, Department of Commerce,and more. Not only are all of these agencies issuing new and different regulations, they are only providing 30 days of public comment – in most cases having a deadline of August 4, 2025, which is right around the corner.

Here are a few talking points:

• Key NEPA Process Concerns:
  
  • Eliminates requirement for public comments on scoping, but allowed at agency discretion and eliminates requirement for public comments on draft Environmental Assessments (EAs) and draft Environmental Impact Statements (EISs), cutting the public out of key processes for engaging on projects that affect their communities. 
    
  • Expands use of categorical exclusions, which allow projects to go through without robust environmental review. 
    
  • Allows Records of Decision (RODs) and Decision Records (for EAs) to be published at the same time as Final EIS and Final EA. 
  • Eliminates any obligation to examine indirect effects, undermining our understanding of the complete picture.
• Public Concerns:
  • NEPA is often the best and only way to learn about the climate and environmental impacts of our government's choices
  • These changes eliminate the public's voice in how public lands are managed; cutting the public out of NEPA's public process
  • This benefits fossil fuel executives at the public's expense, at the expense of future generations
  • Public lands were meant for all of us to enjoy, not for coal and gas executives to exploit

This is a critical moment to act. Anyone who has ever been to a national park, a national seashore, or grassland; anyone who cares about clean air, clean water, or climate change should care and take action today.

Please take action today. Your voices make a difference!

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If you have any questions, please email allison@friendsoftheinyo.org.

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