The guidance will significantly affect infrastructure
projects located on federal land and federal permitting of major
energy projects.
On December 18, the White House's Council on Environmental
Quality (CEQ) issued draft guidance regarding how federal agencies
should evaluate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and climate change
impacts when conducting environmental reviews under the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The guidance updates an earlier
draft issued in 2010 and responds to recommendations submitted to
the White House in November by the State, Local, and Tribal Leaders
Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience.
NEPA reviews apply to major federal actions and, thus, are
critical in a wide variety of contexts, including agency licensing
proceedings for, inter alia, power plants, pipelines, or
liquefied natural gas export facilities; resource management
decisions and approvals for projects on federal lands or under
federal jurisdiction (such as
