On-Demand Webinar | The New NEPA Regulations: A Practical Guide to What You Need to Know
On October 28, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (Fifth Circuit) denied several petitions for review of FERC’s authorization of Gas Transmission NW, LLC’s (GTN) GTN Xpress compressor expansion project...more
A recent European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) decision on the obligations of European states to study carbon-intensive permitting decisions crystallizes how global climate commitments may be beginning to harden into...more
Key Takeaways - • The Department of the Interior (DOI) has issued a third Record of Decision (ROD) reinstating full leasing access to approximately 1.56 million acres in Alaska’s Coastal Plain....more
On October 28, 2025, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sent a draft rule to the Office of Management and Budget’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs that would streamline the NOAA permitting...more
On 30 October 2025, the Australian Minister for Environment introduced three Bills to the federal Parliament that, if enacted, will constitute the most important change to national environmental law in 25 years....more
The US Senate has rejected legislation halting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Barred Owl Management Strategy (Strategy) set forth in its August 2024 Record of Decision (ROD), which aims to protect endangered...more
Environmental reviews can cause major project delays. Manufacturers must navigate complex federal, state, and local approvals that can stall construction if not planned early. Some reforms are streamlining — but vary by...more
The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) issued new guidance and an accompanying template for agency National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review procedures on September 29, 2025, marking the latest in a long line of...more
Permitting reform for energy projects and related infrastructure has been the bipartisan, bicameral white whale of policy for a very long time. Despite broad support for the idea, agreeing on how to actually reform the...more
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued orders on remand for two major liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects on the Brownsville Ship Channel in Cameron County, Texas: Texas LNG Brownsville LLC and Rio Grande LNG...more
FCC Suspends Most Operations During Government Shutdown. The federal government shutdown that took effect October 1, 2025 has led the FCC to furlough ~88% of its workforce and suspend non-essential functions with exceptions...more
The Trump administration has wasted no time in moving to fast-track regulatory approval of liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure. The Department of Energy (DOE) and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)—the two...more
Consistent with other Departments' amendments to National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”) regulations, the Department of Interior updated its regulations to allow for more flexibility both in implementing NEPA's...more
In a recent JDSupra post, I discussed how the NEPA process has historically affected operations at U.S. spaceports and examined how two recent White House executive orders, which roll back the NEPA process and encourage rapid...more
We previously commented on the status of the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program project. Per the IBR Program's June 2025 Fact Sheet, the project is still in the design phase with the expectation that it will publish a...more
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC” or the “Commission”) issued an Order addressing the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit’s (“D.C. Circuit”) second remand concerning Texas LNG...more
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida on Aug. 21 ordered the federal government to refrain from sending additional detainees to the detention center known as “Alligator Alcatraz” and to begin...more
On August 18, 2025, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) advised the public that it is withdrawing notices of intent to prepare environmental impact statements (EIS)...more
David Bowie’s hit song "Space Oddity," about the fictional astronaut Major Tom, was released as a single in 1969. Environmental impact statements (EIS) for rocket launches in the US were not required at that time. Rocket...more
The Ninth Circuit held that the Forest Service’s substantial reduction of a forest thinning project between the Draft and Final EAs did not require repeating the public comment process or considering new alternatives under...more
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that the United States Department of Agriculture did not comply with the National Environmental Policy Act in approving a predator management program for certain...more
U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams on Aug. 7 issued a temporary restraining order to pause construction on the controversial detention center known as “Alligator Alcatraz” for two weeks pending argument on the underlying...more
Last month, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) published an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rule Making (ANPRM) to solicit stakeholder input on future proposed regulations for closed-loop...more
The budget reconciliation bill signed into law on July 4 (also known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill”) adds a new provision to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) that allows project sponsors/applicants to pay for...more
On July 30, 2025, Brazil’s National Environmental Council (CONAMA) published Resolution No. 508/2025 (the Resolution), amending Article 5 of Resolution No. 428/2010. The updated provision addresses the procedures for...more