diff --git a/compiler/packages/babel-plugin-react-compiler/src/Entrypoint/Options.ts b/compiler/packages/babel-plugin-react-compiler/src/Entrypoint/Options.ts
index 722c62461d813..ac462fb5cd33a 100644
--- a/compiler/packages/babel-plugin-react-compiler/src/Entrypoint/Options.ts
+++ b/compiler/packages/babel-plugin-react-compiler/src/Entrypoint/Options.ts
@@ -7,8 +7,12 @@
 
 import * as t from '@babel/types';
 import {z} from 'zod';
-import {CompilerErrorDetailOptions} from '../CompilerError';
-import {ExternalFunction, PartialEnvironmentConfig} from '../HIR/Environment';
+import {CompilerError, CompilerErrorDetailOptions} from '../CompilerError';
+import {
+  EnvironmentConfig,
+  ExternalFunction,
+  parseEnvironmentConfig,
+} from '../HIR/Environment';
 import {hasOwnProperty} from '../Utils/utils';
 
 const PanicThresholdOptionsSchema = z.enum([
@@ -32,7 +36,7 @@ const PanicThresholdOptionsSchema = z.enum([
 export type PanicThresholdOptions = z.infer<typeof PanicThresholdOptionsSchema>;
 
 export type PluginOptions = {
-  environment: PartialEnvironmentConfig | null;
+  environment: EnvironmentConfig;
 
   logger: Logger | null;
 
@@ -188,7 +192,7 @@ export type Logger = {
 export const defaultOptions: PluginOptions = {
   compilationMode: 'infer',
   panicThreshold: 'none',
-  environment: {},
+  environment: parseEnvironmentConfig({}).unwrap(),
   logger: null,
   gating: null,
   noEmit: false,
@@ -212,7 +216,19 @@ export function parsePluginOptions(obj: unknown): PluginOptions {
       // normalize string configs to be case insensitive
       value = value.toLowerCase();
     }
-    if (isCompilerFlag(key)) {
+    if (key === 'environment') {
+      const environmentResult = parseEnvironmentConfig(value);
+      if (environmentResult.isErr()) {
+        CompilerError.throwInvalidConfig({
+          reason:
+            'Error in validating environment config. This is an advanced setting and not meant to be used directly',
+          description: environmentResult.unwrapErr().toString(),
+          suggestions: null,
+          loc: null,
+        });
+      }
+      parsedOptions[key] = environmentResult.unwrap();
+    } else if (isCompilerFlag(key)) {
       parsedOptions[key] = value;
     }
   }
diff --git a/compiler/packages/babel-plugin-react-compiler/src/Entrypoint/Program.ts b/compiler/packages/babel-plugin-react-compiler/src/Entrypoint/Program.ts
index 499a4d124ea67..310695b8ddba5 100644
--- a/compiler/packages/babel-plugin-react-compiler/src/Entrypoint/Program.ts
+++ b/compiler/packages/babel-plugin-react-compiler/src/Entrypoint/Program.ts
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@ import {
   EnvironmentConfig,
   ExternalFunction,
   ReactFunctionType,
-  parseEnvironmentConfig,
   tryParseExternalFunction,
 } from '../HIR/Environment';
 import {CodegenFunction} from '../ReactiveScopes';
@@ -296,21 +295,7 @@ export function compileProgram(
     return;
   }
 
-  /*
-   * TODO(lauren): Remove pass.opts.environment nullcheck once PluginOptions
-   * is validated
-   */
-  const environmentResult = parseEnvironmentConfig(pass.opts.environment ?? {});
-  if (environmentResult.isErr()) {
-    CompilerError.throwInvalidConfig({
-      reason:
-        'Error in validating environment config. This is an advanced setting and not meant to be used directly',
-      description: environmentResult.unwrapErr().toString(),
-      suggestions: null,
-      loc: null,
-    });
-  }
-  const environment = environmentResult.unwrap();
+  const environment = pass.opts.environment;
   const restrictedImportsErr = validateRestrictedImports(program, environment);
   if (restrictedImportsErr) {
     handleError(restrictedImportsErr, pass, null);