TagNEPA(157)
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2025-10-14Final EA Impact Classification Chart
A slide titled 'In the FINAL EA, A Few Items Changed' presents a tiered matrix of environmental impact categories ranging from 'Significant impacts requiring mitigation' down to 'Not present.' Notable changes shown include 'Climate' being struck through and replaced with 'Greenhouse Gas Emissions,' and 'Environmental Justice' similarly struck through within the Socioeconomic category, indicating terminology revisions between draft and final Environmental Assessment versions. -
2025-10-14Sustainable Airport Master Plan Near-Term Projects Update
Port of Seattle presentation updating on the FAA’s completion of NEPA Environmental Assessment for 31 proposed SAMP projects, finding no significant environmental impact. Covers regional growth driving air travel demand, project details, and next steps including Port-led environmental review and public engagement. -
2025-08-12ESA Webinar on recent NEPA policy changes
So many lemons. Maybe some lemonade? Environmental Science Associates (ESA) held a webinar today to provide an overview and meaning to the truly astounding number of policy changes affecting NEPA over the past two years. Although an ‘overview’, the NEPA process is so technical the video may be of interest only to specialists. However, we -
2025-07-07Significant Changes to the National Environmental Policy Act Affecting Airport Projects
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) has seen seismic changes in the past several months. On June 30, 2025, FAA rescinded its previous NEPA procedures and issued new Order 1050.1G, Environmental Impacts: Policies and Procedures, to address the recent rescission of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) NEPA regulations, recent Executive Orders, and a recent -
2025-07-01Regulatory Alert: DOT and FAA Release Updated NEPA Implementation Guidance; Orders Take Effect Immediately
July 1, 2025 Yesterday afternoon, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) released significant updates to the guidance documents that implement the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for the department and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), including a long-awaited update to FAA Order 1050.1. A complete analysis of the new guidance documents from DOT and FAA -
2025-06-26Environmental checklist: Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) Industrial Wastewater Treatment Plant (IWTP) Enhancement Project
The Port of Seattle is proposing upgrades to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport's Industrial Wastewater Treatment Plant (IWTP) to better handle wastewater from aircraft deicing operations, with construction planned from 2026 to 2030. The project involves replacing aging treatment equipment at the existing facility and building a new aerated gravel bed (AGB) treatment system on a 10.6-acre site nearby to process high levels of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) on-site. These upgrades are required to comply with tightening discharge limits set by King County and state environmental permits. -
2025-06-26Environmental checklist: Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) Industrial Wastewater Treatment Plant (IWTP) Enhancement Project
The Port of Seattle is proposing upgrades to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport's Industrial Wastewater Treatment Plant (IWTP) to better handle wastewater from aircraft deicing operations, with construction planned from 2026 to 2030. The project involves replacing aging treatment equipment at the existing facility and building a new aerated gravel bed (AGB) treatment system on a 10.6-acre site nearby to process high levels of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) on-site. These upgrades are required to comply with tightening discharge limits set by King County and state environmental permits. -
2025-06-12
Supreme Court Clarifies NEPA Scope in Light of Loper Bright
By: Steven M. Taber, Esq. In Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, Colorado (May 29, 2025), the U.S. Supreme Court held that the Surface Transportation Board (STB) complied with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) when it declined to evaluate environmental impacts from increased oil drilling and refining that could result from a newly approved railway -
2025-05-30U.S. Supreme Court Narrows NEPA Review
Court removes “indirect effects” requirement The U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision, on May 29, 2025, narrowing the scope of environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). In Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, Colorado, the Court reversed in part the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals’ finding that the Surface Transportation -
2025-05-29Seven County Infrastructure Coalition et al. v. Eagle County, Colorado, et al.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in May 2025 that federal agencies have broad discretion in determining the scope of environmental reviews required under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The case involved a proposed 88-mile railroad in Utah, where the Court held that agencies do not need to analyze the environmental effects of separate upstream or downstream projects — such as oil drilling or refining — when reviewing a specific infrastructure project. Courts must give substantial deference to agency decisions about what to include in environmental impact statements, rather than imposing their own judgment about what details are required.