Industry Warns Setting NEPA Rule As ‘Floor’ Will Drive Inter-Agency Disputes

Industry representatives are broadly warning the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) that its plan to make its National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) rules a “floor” for other agencies’ NEPA regulations will cause confusion, drive inter-agency conflicts and drag out review times, stymieing important infrastructure projects. The warning was delivered during CEQ’s Oct. 19 virtual public hearing on its recent phase 1 proposal to restore a range of NEPA analysis requirements that the Trump administration dropped in its controversial...