Earlier this year, the Trump Administration announced a proposal to reform and update the regulations surrounding the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The Administration’s goal is to “simplify and clarify requirements” and to reform regulations that have not been modernized in 40 years. NEPA impacts all types of energy and infrastructure projects, and there is a great diversity of views on NEPA reform. The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC), a Washington, DC think tank, has examined this issue closely and supports some modernization actions. In BPC’s recent statement they said, “We must reconcile the imperative for a massive clean energy transition with an inefficient environmental review and permitting process” (see BPC NEPA post). This week, the U.S. Department of Energy began outreach efforts to encourage state energy officials to submit formal public comments on the NEPA modernization effort before the March 10, 2020, deadline. For more information on the proposed changes and to submit formal comments, please visit the White House CEQ NEPA modernization site and this fact sheet. NASEO will cover the proposed NEPA reform during the February Government Affairs Call.