Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

New Hampshire HB707 – House Concurs On Solid Waste Site Evaluation Committee Bill

New Hampshire’s HB707-FN has advanced with House concurrence on Senate amendments and would create a solid waste site evaluation committee that must certify major private solid waste disposal facilities and certain large expansions before construction can begin. If enacted, the bill would introduce a new state-level siting approval layer, delay new major solid waste capacity approvals until at least mid-2027, and increase fees and host-community payments, meaning longer lead times and higher costs for large landfill and waste operators planning projects in New Hampshire.

24 May 2026, 21:16gc.nh.govUnited States

US FDA Publishes Programmatic Environmental Assessment for "Other" Oral Nicotine Products

In March 2026 FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products issued a programmatic environmental assessment for “other” oral nicotine products (pouches, lozenges, discs, tablets, gums and dissolvables) to support Premarket Tobacco Product Application decisions. The assessment finds minimal environmental impact from manufacturing, use and disposal and low aquatic risk from key hazardous constituents, signalling stable environmental expectations for applicants without introducing new immediate regulatory obligations.

24 May 2026, 21:05fda.govUnited States

EU Committee Of The Regions Issues Opinion On Proposal To Speed Up Environmental Assessments (COM(2025) 984)

In 2026, the EU Committee of the Regions issued its opinion on the Commission's proposal for a Regulation to speed up environmental assessments (COM(2025) 984), signalling continued progress of the file in the EU legislative process. If adopted, this Regulation could streamline EU environmental assessment procedures and shorten permitting timelines, reshaping how large projects are planned and approved across Member States.

24 May 2026, 21:00data.consilium.europa.euEuropean Union

Italy Extraordinary Commissioner Halves Permit Timelines For Palermo And Catania Waste-To-Energy Plants

Italy’s extraordinary waste commissioner has issued an ordinance fast-tracking environmental and permitting procedures for the PFTE phase of new waste-to-energy plants in Palermo and Catania, effective from publication in May 2026. This significantly shortens public-sector decision timelines for these strategic incinerators, signalling strong political commitment to closing Sicily’s waste cycle and likely accelerating investment, construction and future operational obligations for local waste systems.

24 May 2026, 20:39gazzettaufficiale.itItaly

EU And EEA Present 2026 ‘State Of Europe’s Seas’ Assessment Plan Under MSFD

EU environment services and the European Environment Agency are preparing a 2026 State of Europe’s Seas synthesis report that will integrate third-cycle MSFD reporting into an EU-wide assessment of marine ecosystems, pressures and human activities. This assessment and its associated WISE Marine data products will shape the Commission’s MSFD Article 12 assessments, future MSFD revisions and wider marine policy priorities, signalling sustained regulatory focus on marine biodiversity, seabird status and pressure reduction toward the Zero Pollution agenda.

23 May 2026, 19:03water.europa.euEuropean Union

CJEU Advocate General Clarifies Renewable Energy Priority And Permit Balancing (Case C‑325/25)

In May 2026, the CJEU’s Advocate General proposed that Article 3(2) of Regulation 2022/2577 requires permitting authorities to give renewable energy and grid projects principled priority over competing interests, including under the Water Framework, Habitats and Birds Directives and even against landscape and heritage objections. If the Court follows this reasoning it will materially strengthen renewable developers’ position in EU permit and appeal disputes while still demanding robust, well‑reasoned refusals where strong environmental or public interests justify departing from that priority.

23 May 2026, 09:14eur-lex.europa.euEuropean Union

UK OPRED Confirms No EIA Required for Northern Endurance Partnership CO2 Pipeline Phase I

In May 2026 the UK Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning issued a screening direction confirming that no full environmental impact assessment is required for the first phase of the Northern Endurance Partnership’s CO2 pipeline and associated subsea infrastructure, subject to detailed environmental conditions and a validity window to March 2028. This decision materially advances a flagship UK carbon capture and storage project while clarifying the environmental, monitoring and reporting obligations that operators must meet when installing and operating long-distance offshore CO2 pipelines.

23 May 2026, 09:14assets.publishing.service.gov.ukUnited Kingdom

CJEU Advocate General Kokott Clarifies SEA Obligations for S1 Vienna Outer Ring Express Road (Case C-189/25)

On 21 May 2026, CJEU Advocate General Kokott issued an opinion in Case C-189/25 arguing that Austria’s amended route-designation law for the S1 Vienna Outer Ring express road should have been subject to strategic environmental assessment under Directive 2001/42/EC and that omissions at this level can later destabilise downstream permits. If followed by the Court, this would materially raise legal risk for major infrastructure projects whose underlying plans or route choices were modified without SEA, as national authorities could be required to suspend or revoke long-standing consents unless an equivalent assessment has already rectified the gap.

23 May 2026, 09:13eur-lex.europa.euEuropean UnionAustria

Finland STUK Opens Consultation On Draft Nuclear Fuel Handling And Facility Preparedness Orders

Finland’s nuclear regulator STUK has opened consultations on two draft binding orders revising technical safety requirements for nuclear fuel handling and storage and emergency preparedness at nuclear facilities, with comments due by 2 July 2026. These measures form part of a wider overhaul of the Nuclear Energy Act framework and will shape future expectations for licensees’ responsibilities, risk-based safety design and associated environmental assessment obligations.

23 May 2026, 09:13lausuntopalvelu.fiFinland

EU Parliament Questions Commission Over Infringement Complaint on France’s A69 Motorway

In May 2026, several MEPs tabled a written question pressing the European Commission to act on a 2024 infringement complaint alleging that France’s environmental permits for the A69 motorway and other road projects breach EU climate and environmental obligations. The move signals growing parliamentary pressure for potential infringement or CJEU proceedings and tighter enforcement of EU greenhouse gas and permitting rules on large infrastructure projects in France and, by extension, other Member States.

23 May 2026, 08:58europarl.europa.euEuropean UnionFrance

Netherlands Opens Consultation On Draft Scope And Detail Note For CO2 Highway Europe Offshore CO2 Pipeline

The Netherlands has opened a public consultation (22 May–2 July 2026) on the draft scope and detail note that will frame the environmental impact assessment for the CO2 Highway Europe offshore CO2 pipeline through Dutch waters. This early-stage step signals active government support for cross-border CCS infrastructure that could later offer large-scale CO2 transport capacity for European heavy industry, foreshadowing future permitting, investment and decarbonisation decisions around carbon capture and storage.

23 May 2026, 08:57zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nlNetherlands

Netherlands Opens Consultation On Abeona CO2 Transport And Storage Project

From 22 May to 2 July 2026 the Netherlands is consulting on the Voornemen and participation plan for the Abeona CO2 transport and storage project, which would reuse the depleted Helm and Helder oil fields under the North Sea to store 30–50 million tonnes of CO2. The project would add large-scale open-access CCS capacity to help hard-to-abate industrial emitters meet Dutch and EU climate and Net-Zero Industry Act targets, so operators should monitor permitting milestones and potential access to the new CO2 transport and storage infrastructure.

23 May 2026, 08:57zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nlNetherlands

UK OPRED Approves Pelican Offshore Decommissioning Programme

In May 2026 the UK offshore regulator recorded approval of a further offshore oil and gas decommissioning programme, adding a Pelican project entry to its public OPRED decommissioning register. This signals continued progression of UKCS assets into the decommissioning phase under the Petroleum Act regime, reinforcing removal obligations and associated cost and environmental management expectations for operators and their supply chains.

23 May 2026, 08:56gov.ukUnited Kingdom

US NOAA Seeks Comment on Supplemental Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Coral Reef Conservation Program

NOAA has launched a supplemental programmatic environmental impact statement under NEPA for its Coral Reef Conservation Program and is seeking public comment by mid-June 2026 on the scope, alternatives, and new restoration and conservation methods to be evaluated. The outcome will steer future design, scale, and mitigation expectations for coral reef conservation, restoration, and watershed projects across multiple U.S. coral jurisdictions, so agencies, grantees, and other stakeholders may wish to engage early to influence priorities and safeguards.

23 May 2026, 08:55federalregister.govUnited StatesPuerto RicoGuamNorthern Mariana Islands

US FERC Sets Environmental Assessment Schedule for Kenai LNG Cool Down Expansion Project

FERC has published the NEPA Environmental Assessment schedule for Trans-Foreland Pipeline Company LLC’s Kenai LNG Cool Down Expansion Project, with the EA planned for October 2026 and federal authorization decisions targeted for mid-January 2027. This locks in the regulatory review window for the Alaska LNG expansion, giving operators, offtakers, and service providers a clearer horizon to align permitting strategies, commercial planning, and environmental risk management.

23 May 2026, 08:54federalregister.govUnited States

UNECE Draft Decision X/4–VI/4 on Mediterranean Cooperation Under the Espoo Convention and SEA Protocol

UNECE has issued a draft decision for its June 2026 Working Group meeting that would formalise Mediterranean-region cooperation on transboundary environmental and strategic impact assessments under the Espoo Convention and its SEA Protocol for the 2027–2029 workplan. If adopted, this will push Mediterranean governments and multilateral lenders towards more systematic, harmonised scrutiny of large marine and coastal projects, strengthening links to the Barcelona Convention and the emerging high seas biodiversity regime without yet creating direct new obligations for companies.

EU Council: Hungary Comments on Second Compromise Text of Draft Permitting Directive

Hungary has submitted detailed comments on the second EU Council Presidency compromise text of the Permitting Directive, pushing back on strict deadlines, broad tacit approvals and mandatory digital permitting portals for clean energy infrastructure. If these positions gain traction in Council, the final directive may still tighten EU-wide permitting rules but with more flexibility for national authorities on timelines, digitalisation and environmental assessment safeguards, affecting how quickly energy and grid projects can move from planning to operation.

22 May 2026, 19:00data.consilium.europa.euEuropean Union

EU Council: Czech Republic Comments on Permitting Directive for Energy Infrastructure (WK 4760/2026, ST 7042/2026)

In March 2026 the Czech Republic submitted detailed comments on the EU “Permitting Directive” proposal, which amends core renewable, electricity and gas/hydrogen legislation to accelerate permitting for energy, grid, storage and charging infrastructure. The comments push back on strict EU-level rules on tacit approval, single digital portals, benefit-sharing, environmental assessment exemptions and grid-connection deadlines, signalling that final permitting obligations for developers and network operators may be softened or reshaped during negotiations.

22 May 2026, 19:00data.consilium.europa.euEuropean UnionCzechia

EU Council: Finland Comments on Permitting Directive 2nd Presidency Compromise Text

Finland has submitted detailed comments on the EU Permitting Directive compromise text, backing faster energy permitting but challenging mandatory benefit-sharing for projects above 10 MW, tacit approval mechanisms, strictly digital-only portals and broad environmental assessment exemptions. These positions suggest that key elements of the future EU permitting regime for renewables, grids, storage, recharging and hydrogen projects remain negotiable, so companies should expect further changes to benefit-sharing, permitting timelines and EIA obligations as the directive moves through Council.

22 May 2026, 19:00data.consilium.europa.euEuropean Union

Estonia Comments on EU Permitting Directive 2nd Presidency Compromise Text

In March 2026 Estonia submitted detailed comments on the Council Presidency’s 2nd compromise text for the EU Permitting Directive, which will amend core energy and environmental directives to accelerate permitting for renewables, grids, storage and electric vehicle charging. The comments support faster permitting but push for greater Member State discretion on tacit approval, environmental assessments and small‑installation authorisation, signalling that the eventual directive may offer more flexible, nationally tailored permitting obligations for energy project developers.

22 May 2026, 19:00data.consilium.europa.euEuropean UnionEstonia