April 30, 2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SUWA Statement on Biden Administration’s release of final NEPA Rules – 4.30.24
Contacts:
Steve Bloch, Legal Director, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA); (801) 859-1552 travis@suwa.org
Grant Stevens, Communications Director, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA); (319) 427-0260; grant@suwa.org
Washington, DC – Today, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) released a second set of final rules to restore certainty, efficiency, transparency, and meaningful public engagement in federal decision-making under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The first set of rules was released in 2022. Below is a statement from SUWA Legal Director Steve Bloch and additional information.
“We’re grateful to see the Biden administration’s work to restore NEPA’s goal of promoting sound and proactive environmental analysis reach another milestone with today’s release of an important update to the Act’s implementing regulations,” said SUWA Legal Director Steve Bloch. “At the highest level, NEPA’s goal is to require federal agencies to think before they act, to disclose the potential environmental consequences of a proposed project, and to engage and respond to public comments and concerns, including those of Tribal Nations and local communities. We see this play out every day across Utah’s redrock landscape, such as when federal agencies grapple with proposals regarding motorized use, mineral leasing and development, and renewable energy.”
Additional Resources
- News Release and fact sheet from the White House Council on Environmental Quality
- SUWA Statement on the Council on Environmental Quality’s 2023 Revisions to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (July 31, 2023)
- SUWA Statement on CEQ Proposed Revisions to NEPA (Oct. 6, 2021)
- SUWA Blog Post “Protect Your Public Lands and Public Voice: Tell Congress to Defend NEPA!” (June 29, 2020)
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The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) is a nonprofit organization with members and supporters from around the country dedicated to protecting America’s redrock wilderness. From offices in Moab, Salt Lake City, and Washington, DC, our team of professionals defends the redrock, organizes support for America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act, and stewards this world-renowned landscape. Learn more at www.suwa.org.
