Petition Filed Seeking CEQ Guidance on Climate Change Analyses Under NEPA

On Thursday, the International Center for Technology Assessment (ICTA), Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and Sierra Club filed a formal legal petition with the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) seeking to assure that climate change analyses are included in all federal environmental review documents.  Petition The petition builds on the success of environmental groups in recent cases where federal courts found that climate change issues need to be considered during environmental impact review.  Rather than continue to address this on a piecemeal case by case basis, the petition seeks to create systematic review of climate change in NEPA documents.

 

Specifically, the petition requests CEQ:

• Amend the definitions of "significantly" and "effects" as well as the provision on environmental consequences to assure NEPA implementing regulations require climate change effects be addressed in environmental assessments and environmental impact statements; and

• Issue guidance to assure that climate change effects be addressed at each stage of the NEPA from categorical exclusions to the ROD.

• Issue a handbook to guide agencies in this process