Why It Matters
The U.S. Postal Service extended the public comment deadline on its interim final rule overhauling its environmental review procedures, giving the public until Nov. 9 to weigh in.
The underlying interim final rule has been in effect since Sept. 25 and partially rescinds and revises USPS's prior National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) implementing procedures, which were written to carry out regulations the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) has since rescinded. As of Oct. 24, no public comments had been reported on the interim final rule.
The Big Picture
The extension adds 15 days to the original deadline, moving it from Oct. 25 to Nov. 9, after USPS said it wanted to give the public more time to review and submit comments. USPS published the extension notice two days before the original deadline.
The interim final rule already in effect makes substantive changes to how USPS conducts environmental reviews, not just how it documents them. The rule reduces USPS's NEPA regulations to a core set of provisions, definitions, administrative and routine actions excepted from review, revised categorical exclusions, requirements for determining when NEPA applies, and an emergency-circumstances provision, while moving the remaining internal-process procedures out of the Code of Federal Regulations and into separately maintained agency guidance.
USPS says the rescission of CEQ's regulations, amendments to NEPA and recent judicial decisions prompted the revisions. The underlying interim final rule also cites Executive Order 14154, Unleashing American Energy, which directed CEQ to propose rescinding its NEPA regulations.
The extended comment period gives the public additional time to submit feedback that USPS could consider in making further revisions to the rule. The rule revises the categorical exclusions in Appendix B, including adding exclusions for certain vehicle procurements, fuel conversions, and processing network changes that meet specified environmental criteria.
The Bottom Line
Members of the public who want to comment must submit written comments to Thomas Shepherd, environmental counsel, United States Postal Service, 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Office 6606, Washington, DC 20260-6201, or by email to [email protected], by Nov. 9. All submissions must include the agency name "United States Postal Service" and the subject heading "NEPA Procedures Rulemaking." We do not accept faxed comments, and mailed comments may be delayed by federal security screening. Comments and attachments become part of the public record and are subject to disclosure.
The underlying interim final rule revising 39 CFR Part 775 is already in effect. The extension changes only the comment deadline and does not alter the rule's substantive provisions.
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