# Plain Language Summary: Congressional Disapproval of NEPA Regulations

Congress is voting on whether to reject new environmental rules that the Council on Environmental Quality recently created. These rules update how the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) works—a law that's been around since 1970 and requires the government to study environmental impacts before approving major projects like highways, pipelines, dams, and other large developments.

The new rules (called "Phase 2" revisions) change how thorough these environmental reviews need to be and how long the process takes. If this resolution passes, it would cancel those new rules and keep the old requirements in place instead. This is a special type of vote called a "disapproval resolution"—Congress uses it to reject rules created by government agencies without going through the normal lawmaking process.

The practical effect depends on which side you care about. Environmental groups and conservation advocates generally want stricter reviews before projects get approved, so they'd likely oppose this resolution. Companies and developers often want faster approvals with less red tape, so they'd likely support it. If the resolution passes, projects would need to go through the more detailed environmental review process that existed before these new rules took effect, which could slow down approvals but might catch more potential environmental problems before projects move forward.

A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Council on Environmental Quality relating to "National Environmental Policy Act Implementing Regulations Revisions Phase 2".