Council on Environmental Quality CEQ

The National Environmental Policy Act, signed on January 1, 1970, created the Council on Environmental Quality in the Executive Office of the President, months before the Environmental Protection Agency existed. The law requires federal agencies to study the environmental effects of major actions, such as approving a highway, pipeline, dam, or mine, before deciding, usually through an environmental assessment or a longer environmental impact statement.

For decades CEQ's most important tool was its government-wide NEPA regulations, first issued in 1978, which told every agency how to conduct environmental reviews and were repeatedly revised by successive administrations. CEQ also advises the President on environmental policy, coordinates agencies with overlapping environmental duties, and resolves interagency disputes over projects. Its chair is confirmed by the Senate.

Environmental review has become central to fights over how fast the country can build infrastructure and energy projects. After a federal appeals court ruled in late 2024 that CEQ lacked authority to issue binding NEPA regulations, the administration rescinded them in 2025 and directed each agency to rely on its own procedures. In May 2025 the Supreme Court also narrowed the scope of NEPA reviews. Supporters of these changes say they cut costly delays, while critics argue they weaken public input and environmental protection.