The future of the White House Council on Environmental Quality is murky after a court decision and executive order vacated its decades-old authority to issue environmental regulations.
The CEQ implements the National Environmental Policy Act across the federal government, coordinating environmental reviews and permitting for major infrastructure projects such as highways and pipelines, while acting as an adviser to the president. When NEPA established the small White House office in 1970 it didn’t have the explicit authority to issue regulations. It only gained that power under a 1977 executive order issued by President Jimmy Carter.
Now, that appears to be in serious jeopardy.
