# Authority Status — `environmental-impact-statement`

**Last full review: 2026-04-26.** Re-verify any item older than 12 months.

## Statutory authority (current)

| Authority | Citation | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| NEPA (statute) | 42 U.S.C. § 4321 et seq. | Current; **amended by FRA 2023 (Pub. L. 118-5)** | [Cornell LII](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/42/chapter-55) |
| NEPA § 102(2)(C) — content of detailed statement | 42 U.S.C. § 4332(2)(C) | Current | Cornell LII |
| FRA 2023 — threshold and EA framework | 42 U.S.C. § 4336 | Current | Cornell LII |
| FRA 2023 — page limits, deadlines, lead/cooperating agencies | **42 U.S.C. § 4336a** | Current | Cornell LII; [CEQ FRA page](https://ceq.doe.gov/laws-regulations/fra.html) |
| FRA 2023 — programmatic environmental documents | 42 U.S.C. § 4336b | Current | Cornell LII |
| FRA 2023 — categorical exclusions | 42 U.S.C. § 4336c | Current | Cornell LII |

## Implementing regulations

| Authority | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|
| **CEQ NEPA implementing regulations (formerly 40 C.F.R. Parts 1500–1508)** | **Rescinded effective 2025-04-11** by Interim Final Rule (2025-02-25); Final Rule 2026-01-08 | [Federal Register notice (2025)](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/02/25/2025-03014/removal-of-national-environmental-policy-act-implementing-regulations); [CEQ page](https://ceq.doe.gov/) |
| Lead-agency NEPA implementing procedures | **Now controlling** | Per agency |

## Common lead-agency NEPA implementing procedures

| Agency | Citation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| USDA | 7 CFR Part 1b | Revised 2025 IFR |
| DOE | 10 CFR Part 1021 | Pre-2025; revisions in process |
| DOI | 43 CFR Part 46 | Pre-2025; revisions in process |
| FHWA | 23 CFR Part 771 | Pre-2025; revisions in process |
| FAA | FAA Order 1050.1F + FAA Order 5050.4B | |
| USACE | 33 CFR Part 230 + ER 200-2-3 | |
| EPA (when EPA leads NEPA analysis) | 40 CFR Part 6 | |

Each agency's procedures may pre-date the 2025 CEQ rescission and continue to reference 40 CFR Parts 1500–1508. The agency's own procedures are the controlling rules; the CEQ regulations they reference are no longer binding as a separate matter of federal law.

## Case law — key recent decisions

| Case | Citation | Holding | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marin Audubon Soc'y v. FAA | D.C. Cir. Nov 2024 | CEQ lacks statutory authority to issue binding NEPA regulations | D.C. Circuit |
| Sackett v. EPA | 598 U.S. 651 (2023) | Narrowed CWA WOTUS jurisdiction (relevant to NEPA-paralleling 404 reviews) | [Supreme Court](https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/22pdf/21-454_4g15.pdf) |

## Executive orders affecting NEPA practice

| EO | Date | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| EO 14154 (Unleashing American Energy) | Jan 2025 | Repealed EO 11991; directed CEQ to rescind NEPA regulations |
| EO 11991 | (pre-2025) | Originally directed CEQ to issue binding regulations; **repealed by EO 14154** |
| EO 12898 (Environmental Justice) | 1994 | Historically required EJ analysis in NEPA documents; status under post-2025 EOs requires verification at draft time |
| EO 13175 (Tribal Consultation) | 2000 | Government-to-government tribal consultation requirements |

## Items pending verification in next review

- Lead-agency NEPA implementing procedure revisions — most major federal agencies are revising their procedures in 2025–2026 to align with FRA 2023 amendments and the CEQ rescission. Verify current version of any cited agency procedure at draft time.
- Status of Marin Audubon-related litigation; cert petitions and any en banc proceedings.
- Status of EJ-specific NEPA requirements under operative executive orders.
- 2026 CEQ Final Rule implementation — agency-by-agency adoption.

## Notes on use

- A 2026 EIS that cites 40 CFR Parts 1500–1508 as binding regulatory authority is materially incorrect. The lead agency's procedures control.
- Hard-look review survives all of the above changes — the substantive review standard applied by federal courts to NEPA documents has not changed. Page limits and deadlines have changed; the substantive analysis must still meet hard-look.
- Programmatic EISs (§ 4336b) and tiering remain available; lead-agency procedures specify mechanics.
- Project applicants may now prepare EAs and EISs themselves under § 4336a; the lead agency must still independently evaluate and approve.