Environmental Review

A projected rejection of Proposition 45 leaves California’s existing CEQA approval process intact, rather than limiting review for projects designated as essential. Contractors pursuing housing, transportation, water, clean energy, public facilities, and broadband work should plan bids and schedules around current environmental review requirements.

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service issued a Finding of No Significant Impact for a federally assisted project to replace and modernize six irrigation canal diversion structures in Keith and Lincoln Counties, Nebraska. The notice marks environmental review progress, but includes no solicitation, award, project value, or proposal deadline; implementation action is not expected before December 15, 2026.

The bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act could streamline federal reviews for transmission infrastructure supporting data centers and require facilities with at least 20 MW of capacity to cover additional costs. A Senate vote may come as soon as the week of November 9, 2026, but the legislation remains pending; if enacted, it would also direct the Energy Information Administration to distinguish electricity use by AI, cloud computing, and cryptocurrency mining.

The U.S. Air Force plans to restart community town halls in November 2026 as it prepares a supplemental environmental impact statement for the restructured LGM-35A Sentinel program. The engagement will address revised basing plans, but no schedule, solicitation, contract value, or procurement contact has been announced.

FERC will hold public scoping sessions in Honolulu and Ewa Beach as part of its NEPA environmental review of the Longboard LNG Project. The sessions offer stakeholders a venue to raise environmental issues and alternatives; written comments are due November 27, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, with no solicitation or contract award announced.

FERC is holding four public scoping sessions from October 26–29, 2026, in Texas and Louisiana for the environmental impact statement on Gulf South Pipeline Company’s proposed Texas Gateway Project. Comments on impacts, alternatives, and mitigation are due November 12; the process informs environmental review but is not a procurement or contracting opportunity.

FERC is holding four in-person environmental scoping sessions from October 26–29 in Texas and Louisiana for Gulf South Pipeline Company’s Texas Gateway Project (Docket No. CP26-547-000). The sessions are part of an environmental review, not a solicitation; firms can submit project-related comments by November 12, 2026, to inform the review process.

The Tennessee Valley Authority is accepting comments through November 19, 2026, on a draft programmatic environmental impact statement for transmission activities tied to generator interconnection requests. The process could shape environmental review for future projects, but it is not a solicitation or award; TVA separately cites more than $13 billion in planned power-system investments through fiscal year 2029.

The Marine Minerals Administration has issued the final leasing notice for Lease Sale PACM-1, offering two Outer Continental Shelf mineral lease areas offshore American Samoa, with an auction scheduled for November 19, 2026. A lease would permit preliminary activities such as mapping only; physical exploration, testing, and harvesting would require additional regulatory review.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is facilitating a public scoping session for the decommissioning of the Potter Valley Hydroelectric Project. Stakeholders will have the opportunity to provide input, influential for potential procurement and project requirements.

The South Carolina Department of Transportation aims to streamline environmental reviews through NEPA Assignment, enhancing project timelines. This move represents a pivotal shift for procurement professionals and contractors involved in state infrastructure projects, expecting significant reductions in federal review times and cost efficiencies.