The mission of the Office of Environment and Energy (OEE) is to advance and sustain environmental compliance in HUD-assisted projects and programs, foster environmental and cultural stewardship, and support the provision of decent, safe, and high-performing housing. OEE manages the environmental review process across HUD programs and supports energy-efficient, high performance buildings.

The Environmental Planning Division (EPD) is a headquarters team of subject matter experts to develop policy, standards, criteria, and guidelines for environmental review processes. The EPD develops innovative methods for environmental planning and assessment and provides technical assistance to HUD program offices and constituents.

An environmental review is the process of reviewing a project and its potential environmental impacts to determine whether it meets federal, state, and local environmental standards. OEE is responsible for oversight of the HUD’s compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) through the environmental review process required for all HUD-funded programs and projects.

• Visit the Environmental Review page

OEE supports HUD’s program offices and provides assistance to HUD program offices, partners and grant recipients to advance high-performance building policies and practices in Public Housing and HUD-assisted and HUD-insured multifamily housing. This includes promoting best practices in lowering water and energy costs, improving disaster resilience, and ensuring investments in existing affordable multifamily housing improve both energy performance and resident health and comfort.

• Visit the High-Performance Buildings page

On March 24^th, HUD published a Proposed Rule in the Federal Register, which would better protect communities and taxpayer-funded investments from flooding. HUD is soliciting public comment on the proposed rule until May 23^rd. This Rule would amend HUD’s existing floodplain regulations to require a greater level of flood protection for new construction and substantial rehabilitation projects. Building to this standard would increase the Nation’s resilience to flooding, reduce the risk of flood loss, and minimize the impact of floods on households across the country.

• Visit the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard page

OEE staff helps support the implementation of HUD’s Climate Action Plan through the Climate and Environmental Working Group. The Climate Action Plan is HUD’s ambitious plan to tackle the climate crisis will help communities across the nation build more resilient infrastructure, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and create well-paid jobs for disproportionately impacted communities.

• Learn about the Climate Action Plan

HUD published the Preliminary Determination of Minimum Energy Standards for HUD and USDA Financed Housing in the Federal Register on May 18^th and is soliciting public comments until August 7^th. This Preliminary Determination addresses the Department’s proposal for the adoption of the latest energy codes, which would improve the performance and efficiency of new homes and help homeowners and renters save money.

• Visit the Minimum Energy Standards page 

• OEE Staff

Content current as of January 24, 2025.