Organizations Involved: Initiative on Climate Risk and Resilience Law, Environmental Defense Fund, Sabin Center
Source: Initiative on Climate Risk and Resilience Law, Environmental Defense Fund, Sabin Center
Abstract
This report finds that in order to meet the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirement that federal agencies take a “hard look” at the environmental effects of proposed actions, agencies must consider how the changing weather and environmental conditions brought by climate change might impact an action and alter its environmental effects. However, none of the 65 Environmental Impact Statements that agencies issued in relation to onshore energy activities from 2016 through 2020 contained sufficiently holistic, specific, and actionable climate impact analysis to inform agency decision-making. The report recommends actions that the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and other agencies can take to bridge the gap between NEPA’s requirements and agencies’ current practices on climate impact analysis.
