Final rule · 2026-11973

Implementing Regulation for National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA): Environmental Effects of the Department of Veterans Affairs Actions

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is issuing this interim final rule to amend its agency procedures for implementing the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Since VA last updated its NEPA regulations in 1989, Congress amended NEPA through the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025, the Council on Environmental Quality rescinded its NEPA regulations, and substantial changes have occurred in VA's delivery of care and benefits to veterans. The revisions to VA's NEPA regulations improve the efficiency and quality of VA's NEPA process and align the NEPA process with decision-making across VA by more clearly focusing on the planning stages of VA actions, improving consistency in NEPA implementation throughout VA, updating the VA categorical exclusion list to reflect current VA activities, and complying with NEPA, as revised.