President Joe BidenIs it reversing RollbacksFormer president Donald TrumpTo environmental reviews that accompany InfrastructureProjects like HighwaysBridges and tunnels
The Biden administration is reviewing the implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act.
President TrumpThe act, also known as NEPA was amended in 2020. The Nixon-era legisation is one the country’s most important environmental laws that low-income communities and minorities have used for decades in order to combat potential polluters.
The White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), announced Tuesday that it would restore three elements of NEPA. These elements include a reaffirmation by Federal agencies that all relevant environmental impacts must be evaluated, including climate change, during environmental reviews.
Brenda Mallory, CEQ Chair, stated that the restoration of these basic community safeguards will provide regulatory clarity, reduce conflict and ensure that projects are built right the first-time.
These gaps in the environmental review process can be filled to make projects more efficient, more resilient, and offer greater benefits for those who live nearby.
NEPA required federal agencies to consider the environmental impact of infrastructure projects before they signed off on them. NEPA also requested public comment before issuing permits.
The changes made by the previous administration restricted public input and set strict deadlines for environmental studies that could take up to two more years.
It also allowed federal agencies a way to completely omit environmental assessment on certain projects, and void considerations regarding how infrastructure plans would affect the climate crisis.
This rule also meant that cumulative effects of a project would not be considered and would be reviewed in isolation from existing polluting forces.
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