The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) proposes to reform the way it carries out the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). If finalized, USEPA says the changes would make environmental reviews faster, clearer, and more predictable.
The proposal would restore NEPA to its original purpose of setting firm timelines, keeping documents focused and concise, and expanding proven, low-risk review pathways, all while keeping environmental protections fully intact, according to USEPA.
Proposed Reforms
The proposal would tackle the following criticisms of the Federal review process while ensuring environmental impacts are fully considered and addressed:
- Streamline the process without weakening environmental protections. Every project must still comply with all applicable environmental laws, including the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act.
- Set reasonable page limits. The average final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) runs 661 pages. USEPA’s proposed rule would cap an EIS at 150 pages or 300 pages for actions of extraordinary complexity so reviews can stay focused on what matters.
- Enforce firm deadlines. Currently, an EIS takes an average of four years to complete. The proposal would require USEPA to finish an EIS within two years and certify it has met its statutory deadlines.
- Sharpen the scope. The proposed rule would clarify that NEPA analysis covers the proposed action and its reasonably foreseeable environmental effects rather than speculative or indirect effects unrelated to the action itself.
- Simplify Categorical Exclusions (CEs). The proposal would create a faster, straightforward process for establishing new CEs and adopting those by other agencies existing ones to reduce duplicative analyses. CEs are categories of actions an agency has determined, after review by the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), do not have a significant effect on the human environment. CEs typically do not require an EIS or Environmental Assessment (EA).
Public Comment Period
Public comments on the proposed NEPA rule will be accepted via the Federal Register through July 27, 2026.