STAKEHOLDER ANNOUNCEMENT: USDA Rural Development Programs Extending Implementation of USDA NEPA Regulations for Determining Compliance

WASHINGTON, Jan. 15, 2026 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development today announced it will fully implement 7 CFR 1b, issued on July 3, 2025, to determine compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) after final rulemaking is complete.

On June 30th, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced that the USDA was revising NEPA regulations to reduce unnecessary red tape that kills jobs and raises prices for Americans. This reform allows the Department to efficiently deliver the critical services and funds America's ranchers, farmers, loggers, and rural communities rely on and corrects the harms caused by decades of unnecessarily lengthy, cumbersome NEPA reviews.

Beginning on the date USDA issues a final rulemaking for 7 CFR1b, all applications for funding from Rural Development will need to follow requirements found at 7 CFR 1b. Applications filed prior to this date finalization will continue to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis under prior NEPA policies and procedures or 7 CFR 1b. The agency will issue a new stakeholder announcement once this process is complete.

This notice replaces the instruction issued August 6, 2025.

For more information about the transition to the 7 CFR 1b, please contact your RD State Office representative at https://www.rd.usda.gov/about-rd/state-offices or National Office representative at https://www.rd.usda.gov/contact-us.

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