"President Barack Obama has vowed to tackle climate change in his second term, but so far has not acted to strengthen a tool that does not require backing from Congress - the National Environmental Policy Act."
"NEPA, a statute that dates to the Nixon administration, calls on officials to weigh whether projects such as highways, dams or oil drilling could harm the environment.
While it does not have the power to block development, NEPA forces officials to consider the environment before approving federal projects, and the White House has proposed that climate change should rank high among those concerns.
In early 2010, the White House suggested it would make an update to NEPA that would require counting greenhouse gas emissions among the impacts worthy of a NEPA review. But those standards have been on ice ever since they were written."
Patrick Rucker and Valerie Volcovici report for Reuters June 16, 2013.
SEE ALSO:
"GOP Senators Call on CEQ To Drop NEPA Climate Guidance" (GHG Reduction Technologies Monitor)
"Draft NEPA Guidance on Consideration of the Effects Of Climate Change And Greenhouse Gas Emissions" (White House: 2/18/2010)
"Obama Will Use Nixon-Era Law to Fight Climate Change" (Bloomberg: 3/15/2013)
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