Fred Wagner, Principal Environmental Advisor, Jacobs
Ted Boling, Partner, Perkins Coie
Tuoya Saren, Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) Candidate, Emory University School of Law
About
Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping how environmental review and permitting are conducted. From drafting support to analysis and project record management, AI-assisted tools are increasingly embedded in environmental review workflows, raising important questions about accuracy, accountability, and legal defensibility. This webinar focuses first on the foundational changes in NEPA to date, including new proposals, and sets the stage for the inclusion of AI as a tool for expediency, with an update on CEQ’s attention on technology to improve efficiency. Topics include legal Ethics in a rapidly changing world, including artificial intelligence and legal ethics, and ethical considerations for environmental professionals, and the ethical duty to incorporate values both in legal representation and environmental practice. The current Supreme Court landscape for NEPA review is discussed, which has direct implications for AI-assisted environmental reviews, the emerging legal tension when AI enters the NEPA process, and a practical legal framework for risk management. Finally, ethical and legal implications of artificial intelligence are explored with practitioner best practices for responsible use of AI, from design and development, deployment, and use.
Bringing together practitioner and policy perspectives, the discussion examines where AI is currently used across environmental review processes, where existing safeguards may be insufficient, and what forms of review, documentation, and transparency can help ensure AI-supported analyses remain reliable and defensible.
The rapid convergence of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Large Language Models, Internet of Things sensor networks, remote-sensing technologies, and geospatial analytics is dramatically changing the environmental sector. These emerging tools are equipping organizations with the capability to collect, analyze, and act upon environmental data at unprecedented levels of precision, speed, and insight-thereby enabling a shift from reactive monitoring toward proactive environmental stewardship.AI and ML are leading this transformation through the most advanced capabilities for pattern recognition, predictive modeling, and anomaly detection in large datasets. These tools underpin real-time environmental risk assessment, climate modeling, and optimization of natural resources. LLMs, as the newest evolution in AI, even further facilitate accessibility and communication by interpreting complex environmental data, automating technical documentation, and providing conversational interaction with geospatial and regulatory databases. Such democratization of data intelligence speeds up decision-making and reduces barriers between technical experts, policy makers, and the public.
Meanwhile, IoT devices and remote sensing platforms-including drones and satellites-are scaling up the coverage and frequency of environmental data acquisition. IoT sensors monitor air and water quality, soil conditions, and emissions on a continuous basis, while drones and satellites provide high-resolution imagery for large-scale environmental assessment, habitat mapping, and disaster response. Linked to AI analytics, these technologies form a near-real-time feedback system to track environmental change and guide mitigation strategies.
Geospatial Technologies and Digital Twins form the heart of this data ecosystem, represented by intelligent, 3D representations of physical environments that integrate spatial data, AI analytics, and real-time IoT inputs. Digital twins thus allow environmental professionals to simulate and visualize complex scenarios involving flood risk, urban heat islands, or infrastructure resilience. By connecting predictive analytics to spatial context, they make environmental management adaptive and evidence-based. Taken together, these technologies are driving a new paradigm of intelligent, data-driven environmental management wherein continuous sensing, spatial analytics, and AI reasoning come together to enhance the sustainability, resilience, and decision-making at every scale, from ecosystems to cities.
Note: This will be a joint panel discussion activity of the Geospatial and Technology in Environmental Planning Working Groups of NAEP
Fred Wagner, Principal Environmental Advisor, Jacobs
Karen Burchardt, Senior Air Quality Specialist, HDR
David Doniger, Senior Attorney and Strategic Director, Natural Resources Defense Council’s Climate and Energy Division
About
Legal proceedings concerning U.S. EPA’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, culminating with the 2007 groundbreaking Supreme Court Massachusetts v. EPA decision, significantly impacted the practice of all environmental professionals. The current administration has proposed to rescind the regulatory underpinning of that debate, the greenhouse gas “endangerment finding” under the Clean Air Act. This webinar will provide an update on the status of the proposed rule, challenges that have already been filed, and likely next steps. You will gain insights from the nation’s leading GHG legal expert who has been involved with complex Clean Air Act issues for over 40 years. Our panel also includes a leading air quality practitioner who will discuss how the original endangerment finding fundamentally altered environmental practice and the potential implications of the proposed regulatory change.
Fred Wagner, NAEP Elected At-Large Board Member, Principal Environmental Advisor, Jacobs
Panel
Pam (Hudson) Danko, President and Environmental Attorney, Hudson Danko Engineering
Charles P. Nicholson, PhD, Senior Environmental Planner/Scientist, HDR
Melanie Hernandez, Esq., CEP, Vice President and Environmental Attorney,Scout
Michael Smith, PhD, Senior Vice President and National Practice Leader,WSP USA
About
The panel is based on a paper that reviews substantive National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) cases issued by United States Courts of Appeals in 2025. The implications of the decisions and relevance to NEPA practitioners will be explained. This session will summarize the more detailed paper prepared for this session. The paper briefly explains, with an emphasis on the substantive NEPA findings, each opinion issued by the U.S. Court of Appeals. The paper identifies statistics regarding the NEPA appellate opinions, such as twelve-year record of NEPA cases, organized by circuit, and by year. The paper also identifies the agencies involved in each case and presents statistics relevant to the agencies; the paper further identifies the prevailing ratio of federal agencies, including by agency and by document type (categorical exclusion, environmental assessment, environmental impact statement). The paper analyzes the trends in the court opinions involving NEPA for 2025, with an emphasis on substantive NEPA practice, and by grouping of the cases. Finally, each court opinion is paraphrased and organized in a manner easy to read for practitioners to find the court's ruling. Appellate opinions are grouped and analyzed by agency. Past trends include challenges to purpose and need, alternatives considered, public comment, scientific impact assessment methodologies, GHG emissions and climate change impact assessment, incomplete or unavailable information, determination of significance, segmentation, duty to supplement, connected actions, federal actions, cumulative impact assessment, mitigation, monitoring and adaptive management. Suggestions for improving the implementation of the NEPA process and to meeting current challenges are offered, looking ahead to the future with renewed emphasis on one of the world's oldest and most forward-looking environmental laws.
Learning Objectives
Gain knowledge of NEPA Case Law Trends at the Federal Appellate Level from 2025.
Understand common pitfalls and best practices as represented in the 2025 cases.
Improve NEPA practice through understanding of accepted impact assessment practices, as interpreted by the Federal Appellate Courts
Charting Your Path: Career Journeys and Lessons Learned from Environmental Professionals
February 10, 2026
Speakers
Jomar Maldonado, Director for NEPA, White House Council on Environmental Quality
Sophie R. Godfrey-McKee, EOP/CEQ, Deputy Director for Permitting and Innovation, White House Council on Environmental Quality
Nicolas Frederick, Department Lead - Environmental Planning & Permitting (EPP) – East Central, Jacobs
About
Emerging environmental professionals often ask the same big questions: How do I navigate my career path? What paths are possible? How do I grow into the professional I want to become? In this special session hosted by the National Association of Environmental Professionals (NAEP) Emerging Professionals Working Group, attendees will hear candid career stories from a panel of three environmental practitioners representing diverse backgrounds, sectors, and trajectories.
Through an engaging, conversational panel format, speakers will reflect on the experiences that shaped their careers—from pivotal projects and unexpected opportunities to challenges faced and lessons learned along the way. Panelists will discuss strategies for building skills, finding mentors, identifying your professional niche, and adapting to a constantly evolving environmental field. Attendees will gain practical guidance and inspiration to support their own career development, along with insights into the many pathways available within environmental planning, policy, consulting, and beyond.
This session is designed for students, early- to mid-career practitioners, and anyone exploring growth opportunities in the environmental profession. Join us for an open, encouraging conversation that highlights real stories, honest reflections, and actionable advice to chart your path forward.
