Education Dept. and EPA Propose Regulatory Changes; Public Comments Due July 27

Education Department: Rescinding Equity Assistance Center Regulations

The Department of Education has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking proposing to rescind the Equity Assistance Center Program regulations, currently codified at 34 CFR 270. The Department states that rescinding these regulations would provide greater flexibility in carrying out the statutory authority for this program and would enable the Department to align technical assistance activities with current and evolving priorities and needs to best achieve the statutory intent of the program. The notice covers topics including elementary and secondary education, equal educational opportunity, grant programs in education, and reporting and recordkeeping requirements. The Department is seeking public comment on any reason to rescind or not rescind these regulations, and comments must be received on or before July 27, 2026.

Education Department: Grant Application Form Information Collection Extension

Separately, the Department of Education is proposing an extension without change of a currently approved information collection request (ICR) under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995. The collection at issue — OMB Control Number 1894-0017, titled "Grant Application Form for Project Objectives and Performance Measures Information" — serves, according to the notice, as a precursor to the Department of Education Grant Performance Report Form (ED 524 B), in which project objectives, measures, and targets are entered by applicants at the time grant applications are submitted through Grants.gov. The notice explains that the form and its instructions are used by many ED discretionary grant programs to enable grantees to meet ED deadline dates for submission of performance reports to the Department. The affected respondents are the private sector, with a total estimated number of annual responses of 8,800 and a total estimated number of annual burden hours of 44,000. The notice is signed by Ross Santy, Chief Data Officer, Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development.

The Department invites public comment on five specific issues: whether the collection is necessary to the Department's proper functions; whether the information will be processed and used in a timely manner; whether the burden estimate is accurate; how the Department might enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information collected; and how it might minimize respondent burden, including through the use of information technology. Comments on this ICR are also due on or before July 27, 2026. The notice states that written comments received in response will be considered public records.

EPA: Proposed Overhaul of NEPA Implementing Procedures

The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing amendments to its procedures for implementing the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), which are currently codified at 40 CFR 6. The proposed rule would also include technical amendments to improve clarity, correct errors, and update office names and titles.

The EPA's proposed rule is driven by several discrete developments the notice enumerates. It incorporates amendments to NEPA enacted through the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 (FRA) and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 (OBBBA). It also makes changes consistent with Executive Order 14154, Unleashing American Energy, and reflects the Council on Environmental Quality's subsequent rescission of its own NEPA regulations. Additionally, the proposal incorporates the Supreme Court's May 29, 2025 decision in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, Colorado, 605 U.S. 168 (2025). The agency states the proposed rule is intended to create efficiencies in the implementation of NEPA and to harmonize EPA's NEPA implementing procedures with other federal agencies' procedures, where possible. The proposed rule also addresses EPA's procedures for assessing the environmental effects abroad of EPA actions. Topics covered include environmental impact statements, environmental protection, foreign relations, grant programs, reporting and recordkeeping requirements, and waste treatment and disposal. Comments on this proposed rule must be received on or before July 27, 2026.

What to Watch

All three comment periods close on July 27, 2026. Stakeholders in elementary and secondary education equity programs face the nearest substantive regulatory change through the Education Department's proposed rescission of 34 CFR 270. Entities that participate in ED discretionary grant programs should review the proposed extension of OMB Control Number 1894-0017. Parties engaged in federally permitted or reviewed projects subject to NEPA should assess EPA's proposed amendments to 40 CFR 6, which incorporate multiple recent statutory, executive, and judicial developments.

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