🐋Final Rule on Marine Mammal Takes for Port of Alaska Modernization
NMFS, upon request from the Don Young Port of Alaska (POA), hereby promulgates regulations to govern the taking of marine mammals incidental to the Cargo Terminals Replacement (CTR) project at the existing port facility in Anchorage, Alaska over the course of 5 years. These regulations, which allow for the issuance of a Letter of Authorization (LOA) for the incidental take of marine mammals during the specified activities in the specified geographical region (see Description of the Specified Activities section) during the effective dates of the regulations, prescribe the permissible methods of taking and other means of effecting the least practicable adverse impact on marine mammal species or stocks and their habitat, as well as requirements pertaining to the monitoring and reporting of such taking.
Learn More🌊Critical Habitat Designations and Their Business Implications
We, NMFS, designate critical habitat for five threatened Indo- Pacific coral species, Acropora globiceps, A. retusa, A. speciosa, Fimbriaphyllia paradivisa (formerly Euphyllia paradivisa), and Isopora crateriformis, pursuant to section 4 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Final critical habitat includes 18 specific areas encompassing approximately 237 square kilometers (km\2\; 92 square miles, mi\2\) of marine habitat in American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Pacific Remote Island Areas, and Hawai[revaps]i. We have considered economic, national security, and other relevant impacts of the designations, but are not excluding any areas from the critical habitat designations due to anticipated impacts.
Learn More🏠Restore Dust-Lead Hazard Standards
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or the Agency) is correcting a final rule that appeared in the Federal Register of November 12, 2024, that finalized several revisions to EPA's lead-based paint (LBP) regulations. Subsequent to publication, the Office of the Federal Register (OFR) informed the Agency that there were errors in the amendatory instructions that describe specific revisions for two sections of the regulation. In the Federal Register of December 16, 2024, EPA published a technical correction to the final rule that explained the errors and the corresponding technical corrections that the Agency believed would address the errors identified by the OFR. Unfortunately, that technical correction did not fix the amendatory instructions prior to the effective date of the final rule. As a result, when the final rule became effective on January 13, 2025, three subparagraphs of regulatory text were inadvertently deleted--a change to the post-abatement regulatory activities that EPA did not intend to make. This action corrects that error by restoring the inadvertently deleted text in the regulations.
Learn More🌊NOAA Public Meeting on National Estuarine Research Reserve Evaluation
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Office for Coastal Management will hold a virtual public meeting to solicit input on the performance evaluation of the North Inlet-Winyah Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. NOAA also invites the public to submit written comments.
Learn More🌬️Proposed Consent Decree Under Clean Air Act
In accordance with the Clean Air Act, as amended (CAA or the Act), notice is given of a proposed consent decree in Little Manila Rising, et al. v. U.S. EPA, et al., No. 4:24-cv-07768-HSG. On November 7, 2024, Plaintiffs Little Manila Rising, Medical Advocates for Healthy Air and Sierra Club filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, alleging that the Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA" or the "Agency") failed to perform certain non-discretionary duties in accordance with the Act to take final action on a state implementation plan (SIP) revision submitted by the State of California. EPA is providing notice of this proposed consent decree, which would resolve all claims in the case by establishing a deadline for EPA to take final action as specified in the decree.
Learn More⚓Deepwater Port License Application for ST LNG Project in Texas
The Maritime Administration (MARAD) and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) announce they have received an application from ST LNG, LLC (ST LNG or Applicant) for the licensing of a deepwater port and that the application for the ST LNG Deepwater Port Development Project contains information sufficient to commence processing. This notice summarizes the Applicant's plans and the procedures that will be considered during the application review process.
Learn More🌱Partial Waiver of 2024 Cellulosic Biofuel Requirement by EPA
EPA is partially waiving the 2024 cellulosic biofuel volume requirement and revising the associated percentage standard under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program due to a shortfall in cellulosic biofuel production. This action also makes a minor revision to the biogas provisions of the RFS program.
Learn More🚧NEPA Regulation Revisions and Their Impact on Infrastructure Projects
FHWA, FRA, and FTA are publishing this interim final rule (IFR) to modify the regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) that apply to all three agencies to be consistent with the removal of regulations previously issued by the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), the amendments to NEPA included in the section of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 known as the Building United States Infrastructure through Limited Delays and Efficient Reviews (BUILDER) Act of 2023, and amendments regarding efficient environmental reviews included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021. This rule will become effective immediately while the agencies seek comment on what further changes may be appropriate.
Learn More🏗️NEPA Implementation Changes by Army Corps of Engineers
This interim final rule rescinds the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' (Corps) regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for the Army Civil Works program, except for the Categorical Exclusions contained therein, because the Council on Environmental Quality's (CEQ) NEPA regulations, which the Corps' regulations were meant to supplement, have been removed from the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) and because the DoD is promulgating Department-wide NEPA procedures that will guide the Army Civil Works' NEPA process. In addition, this interim final rule requests comments on this action.
Learn More🌱Update on NEPA Regulations and Compliance Requirements
The Department of the Interior (Department or DOI) is partially rescinding and making necessary targeted updates to its remaining regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which were promulgated to "supplement" now-rescinded Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) NEPA implementing regulations. Mindful that the Supreme Court recently clarified NEPA is a "purely procedural statute," DOI will henceforth maintain the remainder of its NEPA procedures--which apply only to DOI's internal processes--in a Handbook separate from the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). This interim final rule requests comments on this action and related matters to inform DOI's decision-making.
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