In one of his first executive orders promoting fossil fuels, President Donald Trump directed the Council on Environmental Quality to rescind National Environmental Policy Act regulations, upending the process by which the federal government assesses its actions for environmental impact.
Set to go into effect April 11, the move is meant to quicken the environmental review process and, in keeping with Trump’s larger goals, make government more efficient. But removing CEQ’s ability to implement NEPA could leave federal agencies with a patchwork of regulations and leave NEPA reviews vulnerable to challenges from environmentalists, environmental lawyers said.