Industry News & Trends

DOE Joins Federal Pilot to Digitize Environmental Review Data

By Marshall Benveniste 

KEY POINTS  

  • The US Department of Energy is the first federal agency to provide machine-readable exclusions to CEQ’s Explorer, which lists more than 2,100 exclusions from over 80 agencies.

  • The update could help agencies find exclusions relevant to federally reviewed nonresidential projects, but time savings are unquantified.

The Department of Energy is the first federal agency to provide machine-readable categorical exclusions to the Council on Environmental Quality’s updated Categorical Exclusion Explorer, CEQ announced Nov. 5.

The live data feed replaces manual updates and is intended to help agencies identify exclusions that may apply to projects. The Explorer lists more than 2,100 categorical exclusions from over 80 federal agencies, according to CEQ.

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires Federal agencies "to consider the environmental effects of proposed major Federal actions prior to making decisions."

CEQ defines "categorical exclusion as a category of actions that a Federal agency has determined normally does not significantly affect the quality of the human environment within the meaning of section 4332(2)(C) of 42 USC." It adds that the tool is an aid in finding categorical exclusions across federal agencies. 

CEQ did not quantify whether the update will shorten review times. Other agencies are expected to join the pilot.

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Marshall Benveniste
As Managing Editor of ConstructConnect News and Senior Content Marketing Manager with ConstructConnect’s Economics Group, Marshall Benveniste brings construction-sector insight and economic perspective to every article. He leads coverage of U.S. nonresidential construction and the broader construction economy, translating complex data and market movements into practical narratives for industry professionals. Before joining ConstructConnect in 2021, Marshall spent 15 years shaping marketing communications for financial services and specialty construction firms, giving him a front-row view of how capital, risk, and project delivery intersect in the built environment. His Ph.D. in Organizational Management and MBA further inform his work, grounding his reporting in how companies and project teams make sound decisions.
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