US environmental reviews just got easier to remove

The US Council on Environmental Quality is removing its rules for how federal agencies must conduct environmental reviews. This means agencies will have more flexibility to decide how and when to assess the environmental impact of their projects.

For decades, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) has required federal agencies to consider environmental impacts before building roads, pipelines, or other major projects. These rules set a baseline for public input and environmental protection. Removing them makes it easier for agencies to bypass or shorten these reviews, potentially speeding up project approvals but reducing environmental oversight.