SUWA Statement on the Council on Environmental Quality’s 2023 Revisions to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) – 7.31.23
July 31, 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Steve Bloch, Legal Director, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA); (801) 428-3981 (steve@suwa.org)
Salt Lake City, UT – Last Friday, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) released a notice of proposed rulemaking to restore certainty, efficiency, transparency, and meaningful public engagement in federal decision-making under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
“Former President Trump’s misguided attempt to dismantle America’s bedrock environmental law—NEPA—failed. The changes outlined today are necessary to ensure federal agencies are thinking first, then acting—not the other way around—when making decisions that impact each of us,” said SUWA Legal Director Steve Bloch. “By restoring transparency and science-based agency decision-making, these new regulations ensure the public will know and federal agencies will consider the environmental and public health impacts of federal actions. This could run the gamut from analyzing the impacts to disadvantaged communities from uranium waste contamination to being clear-eyed about the devastating consequences leasing, development, and burning fossil fuels has to the climate.”
Information from CEQ: “The proposed rule will be open for public comment through Friday, September 29, 2023 via Regulations.gov. CEQ will hold virtual public meetings on the proposal on Saturday, August 26; Wednesday, August 30; Monday, September 11; and Thursday, September 21. Information about joining these public meetings will be available at www.nepa.gov.“
Additional Resources
- 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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