Last month, APGA joined several other trade associations in a meeting with the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regarding the Council for Environmental Quality’s (CEQ) proposed rule to amend the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). While the language of the proposed rule has not yet been released, it is currently under review at OMB and is expected to be published later this month. The CEQ proposal is anticipated to be the first of two that are intended to make significant changes to NEPA, which was recently updated under the previous administration but whose changes have not yet gone into effect.
APGA previously joined with numerous others on comments related to a similar interim final rule (IFR), which would delay the date agencies will be required to propose updates to their NEPA implementing procedures by two years. The joint letter indicated support for the environmental stewardship goals of NEPA while identifying concerns that the new rule would create confusion and uncertainty, which ultimately leads to further delays in agency decision-making, associated infrastructure construction, and economic development for communities that need it most.
The Unlock American Investment Coalition, a broad group of trade associations led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, is focused on modernizing NEPA to prevent outdated regulations from delaying American infrastructure development, restricting job growth, and delaying environmental improvements. APGA has joined with the coalition in meetings such as this and responses to comments because the ambiguity currently surrounding NEPA impacts projects, such as new pipelines, whose environmental reviews are currently underway or will start in the near term.
For questions on this article, please contact Erin Kurilla of APGA staff by phone at 202-905-2904 or by email at
ekurilla@apga.org.