Republican governors from 17 states– including South Dakota– have sent a letter to Council on Environmental Quality Chair Brenda Mallory opposing implementation of revisions to Phase 2 of the National Environmental Policy Act.

The Proposed Rule would undo many of the changes made by the rules passed on July 16, 2020, which were designed to increase the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the NEPA process.

The governors say the purpose for the Proposed Rule is to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the NEPA process, but it fails. Instead, they say, the Proposed Rule eliminates the clarity of the existing rule, decreases NEPA’s efficiency and drastically increases the potential for litigation related to NEPA decisions.