Regulatory Tracker

The Izembek National Wildlife Refuge consists of 315,000 acres where the Alaskan Peninsula meets the Aleutian islands, including 307,892 acres designated as wilderness and the Izembek Lagoon. The Izembek Refuge is one of the most unique areas in Alaska, home to diverse wildlife such as caribou, brown bears, and federally-protected species such as the Steller’s eider, northern sea otter, and Steller sea lion.

The United States has recently become a major producer and net exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG)—natural gas that has been cooled to a liquid state. Historically, LNG has been transported by pipeline, ships, or trucks. Transportation by rail is new. The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), both within the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), have shared regulatory authority over the transportation of hazardous materials, such as LNG, by rail. The two agencies previously considered the bulk transport of LNG in rail tank cars to be too dangerous to permit on a categorical basis, though rail transport of LNG was allowed ad hoc under a PHMSA special permit or in a special portable tank with FRA approval.

Current Status On Jan. 27, 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture restored protections in the Tongass National Forest, prohibiting most timber harvesting and road construction activities. Why It Matters Alaska […]

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) consists of more than 19 million acres of wilderness in northeastern Alaska. The refuge includes some of the most pristine, untouched lands and waters within the United States, with no roads, marked trails, or campgrounds. It is home to diverse wildlife, including over 40 kinds of mammals and over 200 bird species. It is a critical area for the Porcupine caribou, as thousands of them migrate through the Arctic Refuge to reach calving locations each year.

This page tracks the administration’s changes in approach to onshore energy leasing but does not attempt to track every lease sale. For detailed information on some of the regulatory changes described above, and others, see the links at the bottom of this page.

he process of refining crude oil is very complex and can result in pollutant leaks and releases to the atmosphere through flares and vents at the facility. These emissions impact the air quality and health of local communities. One of the most harmful components of crude oil, and one of the pollutants most at risk of leaking, is benzene, a known carcinogen.

The Forest Service publishes an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Request for Comment. The proposed rule seeks to revise the Forest Service’s formal NEPA regulations as well as its internal NEPA procedures. The Forest Service requests comments on methods to improve efficiency, approaches to authorize many projects under a singular NEPA review, actions that could be categorically excluded from NEPA procedures, and ways the agency may better coordinate environmental review with other government entities.

Trump’s April 28, 2017 Executive Order 13795, “Implementing an America-First Offshore Energy Strategy,” directed the Department of Interior to reconsider efforts to limit or regulate offshore oil and gas development. Interior Secretary Zinke’s May 1, 2017 Secretarial Order 3350 instructed its sub-agencies on how to implement the Executive Order.

The Endangered Species Act provides protections for threatened and endangered species, but the level of protection given to each species and the amount of species protected depend on how the Act is interpreted and applied through its regulations. The regulations contain detailed definitions and the steps that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service and other agencies need to take in order to apply the protections in the Act to species and their habitats.

EELP is compiling other environmental law and policy trackers.

Haze occurs when small particles of air pollution scatter and absorb sunlight, blurring scenic views and decreasing the distance that can be seen from overlooks. In response to this problem, Congress enacted Section 169A of the Clean Air Act to protect visibility in national parks and wilderness areas.

Following a treaty between the US and Great Britain to protect migratory birds, Congress enacted the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), 16 U.S.C. § 703-711, making it illegal to “pursue, hunt, take, capture, kill, attempt to take, capture or kill, possess, offer for sale, sell, offer to purchase, purchase, deliver for shipment, ship, cause to be shipped, deliver for transportation, transport, cause to be transported, carry, or cause to be carried by any means whatever, receive for shipment, transportation or carriage, or export, at any time, or in any manner, any migratory bird, . . . or any part, nest, or egg of any such bird” unless permitted by regulation. (16 U.S.C. 703)

As part of the Clean Air Act (CAA), EPA regulates Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs). HAPs include benzene, metals, and other pollutants that are known to cause cancer and other serious health effects. A facility is considered a major source if it has the potential to emit 10 tons per year of any one HAP or 25 tons per year of any combination of HAPs. All other facilities are considered area sources.

Bristol Bay watershed, located in southwestern Alaska, is home to some of the world’s largest runs of wild salmon, including the world’s largest sockeye salmon run. The watershed’s aquatic habitats support sport and commercial fishing, providing significant economic benefits and employment opportunities to the region. In addition, many Alaska Natives live near Bristol Bay and rely on its natural resources to maintain a subsistence-based lifestyle.

This executive order was used to justify rolling back many climate and environmental protections in the interest of fossil fuel development.

Properly valuing revenues from publicly held mineral rights provides certainty to lessees about their investments and ensures taxpayers get a fair return for their public resources.

The National Park Service issues a memorandum encouraging individual parks to ban the sale of disposable plastic water bottles within the parks.

Greater sage-grouse are native to sagebrush and juniper grasslands throughout the Western US, and north into Canada. They are the largest North American grouse and are known for their charismatic mating dance. They are also an “umbrella species” – indicating how healthy the habitat is that they share with hundreds of other wildlife species. Habitat fragmentation and degradation have led to plummeting populations across their range.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages over 260 million acres of land and 700 million acres of subsurface mineral rights. This rule was crafted to bring more stakeholders into the land management process, and to better account for ecological systems and the multiple uses and pressures on public lands.

Hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, are among the most potent greenhouse gases, causing thousands of times more warming than carbon dioxide over the short term. HFCs are also commonly used in refrigeration, air conditioning, building insulation, and aerosols. The 1987 Montreal Protocol, which was created to protect the diminishing ozone layer, led to a large increase in the use of HFCs.

The United States is the second largest greenhouse gas emitter in the world and the largest historical emitter. America’s approval of the Paris Climate Agreement in 2016 signaled our intention to cooperate globally in reducing our emissions and helping others reduce theirs.