US Forest Service Proposes NEPA Streamlining Rule: Implications For The Outdoor Recreation Industry

On June 13, the US Forest Service announced a proposal to streamline environmental review of proposed projects on National Forest System land.¹ The proposed rule would modify the agency's regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). 

NEPA requires federal agencies to assess the environmental impacts of their proposed actions, including approvals of private activities on federal land. Compliance requires considerable agency resources, even when the NEPA process is funded by project proponents. Consistent with widespread federal efforts to streamline regulations, and in the face of skyrocketing Forest Service expenditures on wildland firefighting (which accounted for 57 percent of its annual spending in 2018), the agency is placing a renewed emphasis on efficiency.²