Permitting Reform-Environmental Review Process

What it does

The Surface Transportation Board (Board) proposes to clarify, update, and streamline its existing environmental regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and to add delegations of authority related to environmental review. The Board is taking this action to conform its regulations to current practices and changes in the law and to support government-wide consistency in the NEPA process to the extent practicable and in accordance with Board authorities. Among those changes are the Council on Environmental Quality's (CEQ) rescission of its NEPA implementing regulations, the 2023 and 2025 amendments to NEPA, changes to other relevant statutes, executive orders, and case law relating to the implementation of NEPA, including recent U.S. Supreme Court precedent. These revisions will also ensure the development and continuance of a sound rail transportation system and reduce regulatory barriers to entry into and exit from the rail industry. The Board asks for comments on the proposed changes.

The Surface Transportation Board's summary, as published in the Federal Register.

What it would change

2 parts of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations:

49 CFR 1011, 49 CFR 1105

What happens next and when

Comments on the proposed regulations are due by April 24, 2026.

The agency's dates, word for word.

Check it yourself

• The document in the Federal Register
• Title 49 on eCFR

The record as published

Source: the Federal Register (public domain). The document in the Federal Register