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NEPA Implementation After the Marin Audubon Society Ruling: Enforceability of CEQ Rules, Impact of New Administration

A live 90-minute CLE video webinar with interactive Q&A

This program is included with the Strafford CLE Pass. Click for more information.
This program is included with the Strafford All-Access Pass. Click for more information.

Tuesday, February 4, 2025

1:00pm-2:30pm EST, 10:00am-11:30am PST

Early Registration Discount Deadline, Friday, January 10, 2025

or call 1-800-926-7926

This CLE webinar will discuss the D.C. Circuit's unexpected Nov. 12, 2024, decision in Marin Audubon Society v. Federal Aviation Administration and its potential implications for federal environmental review processes. Our panel will explore the ramifications of this decision for National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) implementation and the future role of the Council on Environmental Quality's (CEQ) NEPA regulations.

Description

In Marin Audubon Society, despite neither party having raised or briefed the issue, a three-judge panel held 2-1 that the CEQ lacks the authority to issue binding regulations under NEPA. This decision raises critical questions about the validity of existing NEPA regulations and other agency actions taken under the CEQ framework, as well as the procedural requirements for federal agencies moving forward. If the decision is not overturned by a full en banc appellate panel or by the U.S. Supreme Court, it could significantly alter the landscape of NEPA review. How the incoming Trump administration will address CEQ's regulatory authority also remains to be seen.

After the court's holding in Marin Audubon Society, federal agencies face a raft of legal issues concerning their reliance on the CEQ regulations and the unavailability of Chevron deference after Loper Bright, making individual agencies' NEPA regulations and project-specific NEPA compliance vulnerable to challenge under the Administrative Procedure Act.

Listen as our authoritative panel provides a comprehensive overview and analysis of the court's decision, its immediate impact on NEPA processes, and the broader implications for environmental law practitioners. The panel will also discuss how this ruling affects federal agency actions, the potential for increased litigation, and strategies for navigating the evolving regulatory environment.

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Outline

  1. Background: Marin Audubon Society v. FAA
  2. D.C. Circuit ruling and the case's future in the courts
  3. Implications for NEPA implementation
  4. Future role of the CEQ
  5. Practical takeaways

Benefits

The panel will address these and other key considerations:

  • Implications of the Marin Audubon Society decision
  • Practical strategies for navigating NEPA compliance in light of the court's ruling
  • Potential risks and uncertainties introduced by the decision and how to mitigate them
  • Potential legislative and administrative responses to the ruling

Faculty

Cruden, John
John C. Cruden

Principal
Beveridge & Diamond

Mr. Cruden provides strategic counsel on high-stakes environmental and natural resources litigation, civil and criminal...  |  Read More

Johnson, Jay
Jay C. Johnson

Partner
Venable

Mr. Johnson serves clients in a wide range of infrastructure and natural resource contexts, both by guiding them past...  |  Read More

Macdonald, Maggie
Maggie Macdonald

Principal
Sive, Paget & Riesel

Ms. Macdonald focuses her practice on environmental litigation, environmental due diligence and transactional...  |  Read More

Rusk, James
James Rusk

Partner
Sheppard Mullin

Mr. Rusk specializes in project permitting, compliance and litigation involving endangered species, wetlands and water...  |  Read More

Attend on February 4

Early Discount (through 01/10/25)

Cannot Attend February 4?

Early Discount (through 01/10/25)

You may pre-order a recording to listen at your convenience. Recordings are available 48 hours after the webinar. Strafford will process CLE credit for one person on each recording. All formats include course handouts.

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