Advocacy Alert:  Comment Now on Revised Changes to the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA)

On January 10, the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) announced that it was considering revisions to the regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in the Federal Register. The NPRM can be found at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/01/10/2019-28106/update-to-the-regulations-implementing-the-procedural-provisions-of-the-national-environmental.

NEPA plays a central role in the federal environmental review process and requires consideration of cultural resources of importance to the preservation community and the public. Further, the Section 106 regulations encourage coordination with NEPA compliance. We wish to make our partners aware of the opportunity to comment on the proposed revisions. CEQ is accepting comments on the proposed revisions until March 10, 2020. Instructions for submitting comments can be found in the NPRM. Public hearings will be held on February 11 (Denver, CO) and February 25 (Washington, DC).The website listed below will provide information about the meetings and any additional outreach.

A fact sheet and rulemaking history for the NEPA regulations can be found at  https://ceq.doe.gov/laws-regulations/regulations.html. We encourage all members and supporters of heritage conservation to research the proposed changes and submit comments.

You may submit comments via any of the following methods:

  • Go to https://www.regulations.gov/ and follow the online instructions for submitting comments to Docket ID No. CEQ-2019-0003.
  • By Fax: 202-456-6546.
  • By mail:
    • Council on Environmental Quality
      730 Jackson Place NW
      Washington, DC 20503
      Attn: Docket No. CEQ-2019-0003
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