The 2017 amendments to the German Environmental Appeals Act (Umwelt-Rechtsbehelfsgesetz) have extended the scope for lawsuits brought by private environmental associations. In future, private associations are entitled to challenge almost any state act which can be subject to a strategic environmental impact assessment. These new lawsuits cover a wide range of plans which are quite inhomogeneous in form and substance. In the course of their judicial examination, the notable differences among these plans result in rather diverse legal problems. Moreover, not all of the Environmental Appeals Act’s procedural decisions turn out to be completely consistent.