NEPA or National Environmental Policy Act.

The president  is considering updating its NEPA implementing regulations and has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to modernize and clarify the regulations to facilitate a more efficient, effective, and timely NEPA review process.

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Governor Mark Gordon has issued the following statement regarding President Donald Trump’s announcement today that he is seeking to modernize National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations.

I support President Trump's leadership to direct the Council on Environmental Quality’s (CEQ) reform of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

NEPA is an important policy tool to ensure proper consideration of the environmental effects of proposed major Federal actions. It is not a platform to engage in speculative fancy, nor should it be seen as a convenient mechanism to obstruct development. Rather, the NEPA process should inform and improve proposed actions by facilitating a better understanding of the potential impacts of those actions.

As home to the nation’s first national park, we in Wyoming are particularly proud of our environment and protective of our natural resources. Wyoming has worked closely with our federal partners over the years to balance protection of the environment and opportunities for faster turnaround on decision making. States and cooperating agencies are essential partners and can deploy invaluable resources to assist this process. Wyoming stands ready to help.

Additional Information

  • Note of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM): Update to the regulations implementing the procedural provisions of NEPA (NPRM here)
  • White House fact sheet and press release: Proposal to modernize NEPA implementing regulations (more here)
  • More information from White House on NEPA Modernization (here)

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