CEQ Pilots Tech to Improve Interagency Coordination in Establishing, Adopting Categorical Exclusions under NEPA
Updates to the CE Explorer will enable agencies to streamline permitting by eliminating redundant processes.
Today, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) announced a major technology update to its Categorical Exclusion Explorer (CE Explorer) in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). DOE becomes the first Federal agency to join the pilot program to host machine-readable versions of its CEs on the updated platform — with other agencies expected to follow.
The CE Explorer was initially launched in June 2025 to advance President Trump’s mandate to modernize permitting technology by providing a searchable database of each Federal agency’s existing CEs established under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for improved interagency coordination.
With the update, the CE Explorer can now automatically pull an agency-published source to display CEs for public access. This includes CEs adopted from other agencies and information on how to apply them.
This live data feed replaces the time-consuming manual update process. By delivering real-time, reliable agency-sourced data, the CE Explorer can now better assist Federal agencies seeking to identify or adopt CEs applicable to their projects.
The update to the CE Explorer builds upon the Trump Administration’s “CE-first” guidance to streamline Federal permitting by improving access to over 2,100 listed CEs from more than 80 Federal agencies. Under President Trump’s leadership, agencies are prioritizing CEs, enabling a speedier NEPA review process while focusing resources on the issues of greatest importance.
