Environmental Impact Review/Permitting
Major Milestones Reached for Important Port Authority Projects
SPR has advised the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) with respect to the environmental impact review of two recently authorized major infrastructure projects. Both projects will play a critical part in the economic recovery and continued vitality of New York City. On May 28, 2021, the Federal Railroad Administration issued a long-awaited…
Appellate Division Dismisses SEQRA Challenge to Capital Region Multi-Use Development, Unanimously Reversing Lower Court
In a unanimous reversal of a decision that stalled a multi-family residential development and proposed Costco outlet in Guilderland, New York, on the border of Albany, the Appellate Division, Third Department reversed in all respects the Albany County Supreme Court’s holding that the Town of Guilderland Planning Board’s Environmental Impact Statement (“EIS”) was deficient. Peter…
Army Corps Reissues Nationwide Permits, Dividing NWP 12 Into Three
On January 13, 2021, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (“Corps”) published a final rule reissuing and modifying twelve existing 2017 nationwide permits (“NWPs”) and creating four new NWPs. The rule goes into effect on March 15, 2021. Nationwide permits provide a streamlined process for the Corps to authorize activities under Section 404 of the…
Council on Environmental Quality’s New NEPA Regulations: An Analysis
On September 14, 2020, the Council on Environmental Quality’s (“CEQ”) Final Rule overhauling its regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”) became effective. The Final Rule represents the first comprehensive revision of the NEPA regulations since their initial issuance in 1978, and introduces process-based and substantive changes to the NEPA regulations, codifies existing case law and…
Public Service Commission Petitioned by NYSERDA To Fund Build-Ready Program
On June 5, 2020, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) petitioned the New York Public Service Commission (PSC) for approval and funding of NYSERDA’s proposed Build-Ready Program, a program that would advance large-scale renewable energy projects by identifying sites that are consistent with New York’s standards and are made build-ready for…
Court Narrows Scope of NWP 12 Ruling; Corps Appeals to Ninth Circuit
Last month, we wrote about a recent decision from the US District Court for the District of Montana vacating Nationwide Permit (“NWP”) 12, the general permit issued by the Army Corps of Engineers (“Corps”) for pipelines and other utility projects. On May 11, the court narrowed the scope of the decision, vacating and enjoining the…