INDIANA – The U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development today announced USDA has adopted a Final Rule to modernize the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the agency is using 7 CFR 1b to determine compliance.
The Final Rule, published April 3, 2026, removes various agency regulations, including Rural Development 7 CFR 1970. This Final Rule adopts the changes introduced in the Interim Final Rule published on July 3, 2025, which consolidated seven agency-specific NEPA regulations into a single, department-wide framework. The changes ensure USDA’s NEPA implementation achieves its purpose, ensuring federal agencies consider environmental impacts while also executing flexibility for faster delivery of USDA Rural Development funding.
All applications for USDA Rural Development funding must follow requirements found at 7 CFR Part 1b.
For more information about the transition to the 7 CFR Part 1b., please contact your local 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.
