As expected, legal challenges to the changes to the NEPA regulations unveiled in July have been filed by various groups. Three major actions have been filed in (follow links to see full complaints):
- New York,
- California, and
- Virginia.
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) issued a press release last week regarding the suit filed in New York:
A broad coalition of justice and environmental groups sued the Trump administration today over its regulations that would gut environmental reviews and silence community input.
The rules from the Council on Environmental Quality would eliminate environmental reviews for many projects, curtail the harmful impacts that are considered when reviews do take place, and hinder public participation. The parties filed the case in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
“We are standing up today to ensure each of us is guaranteed the right to a healthy and safe community,” said Michele Roberts, national co-coordinator of the Environmental Justice Health Alliance. “The Trump administration’s assault on democracy undermines our ability to fight egregious projects and gives industry free rein to put pipelines through our backyards or incinerators near our schools.”
Read the full release from the NRDC here. ACRA and its partners at the Coalition for American Heritage are reviewing the challenges and determining whether and how adding our voice would be appropriate. Stayed tuned to the ACRAsphere for more information on these lawsuits and the implementation of the new NEPA guidelines.