White House introduces reforms to fast-track clean energy, infrastructure approvals
On Tuesday, the White House changed the US environmental review process for large-scale projects. Officials believe these reforms will expedite approvals for various activities, including developing wind and solar power transmission and semiconductor manufacturing.
These adjustments mark the second and final phase of President Joe Biden’s revisions to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). They follow significant alterations made by former President Donald Trump to this longstanding environmental law in 2021.
“We are making reforms in this rule that will help speed infrastructure and permitting, but without losing sight of the environmental and health benefits we need to protect,” Brenda Mallory, the chair of the CEQ, told reporters.
NEPA “was not intended to be used as a roadblock to stop or slow, good projects, it was also not intended to merely be a paperwork exercise.”
Also read: Biden Administration to omit green hydrogen from power sector emission plan
NEPA, a law enacted in 1969, mandates environmental reviews for major projects and often becomes the subject of lawsuits that can stall construction for extended periods.
The White House’s Council on Environmental Quality stated that the reforms aim to streamline reviews by implementing clear one and two-year deadlines for federal agencies, setting page limits for reviews, and assigning lead agencies to coordinate the process.
Additionally, the reforms introduce new methods for agencies to establish categorical exclusions, the quickest and most common type of environmental review.
For example, this could apply to transmission lines where the land has already been disturbed and does not require further tree clearing or habitat disruption.
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