EPA Reduces Environmental Oversight and NEPA Implementation Following Policy Shifts
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has significantly scaled back its implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and its cross-agency environmental oversight. This reduction in activity is attributed to both policy decisions and a decrease in agency staffing levels, which fell by over 13% in 2025. Historically, the EPA provided crucial comments on other agencies' environmental decisions, identifying unforeseen impacts and suggesting mitigation measures. However, recent guidance from EPA Deputy Administrator David Fotouhi in June 2026 asserts that the EPA has 'broad discretion' in commenting or choosing not to comment, emphasizing that the primary responsibility for environmental review rests with the other agencies. Consequently, the EPA has, in many instances, ceased issuing meaningful substantive comments on other federal agencies' environmental decisions, even responding with 'no comments' to significant projects like a draft EIS for a uranium enrichment facility and a pro...
