By Callie Patteson
The Trump administration is swiftly moving to reform environmental reviews required by federal law in an effort to expedite permitting and approvals for energy projects, infrastructure upgrades, and more.
Over the weekend, the Council on Environmental Quality submitted an interim final rule titled “Removal of National Environmental Policy Act,” which seemingly would undo all current regulations under the bedrock environmental law. In this form, the rule bypasses the traditional notice and comment period, allowing for it to take immediate effect.
As of Tuesday, the exact text of the rule had yet to be published. However, it comes less than a month after President Donald Trump, through executive order , required the agency to provide new, nonbinding guidance on implementing the National Environmental Policy Act and asked the CEQ to rescind all existing regulations.
Since 1970, the NEPA has required federal agencies to study the environmental impacts of projects such as new transmission lines, highways, or pipelines that require federal permits. Implementation of the law is overseen by the CEQ, which issues guidance and interprets existing regulations.
Critics of the law have long claimed that the NEPA contributes to slower domestic infrastructure development, increased costs, and in some cases, extensive litigation. However, supporters of the law say it is critical to avoid the endangerment of public lands and wildlife and to counter climate change.
For months, the NEPA has remained at the forefront of the permitting reform debate in Washington, with some Republicans insisting accelerated permitting and approval processes cannot come about without eased NEPA regulations.
As Congress still weighs critical permitting reform through legislation, Trump has seemingly taken matters into his own hands to simplify the process.
