President Trump says projects were being slowed down by ‘an outrageously slow’ federal approval process.
Nepa was the US’s first major environmental law and designed “to create and maintain conditions under which man and nature can exist in productive harmony”. It has proved an obstacle to Trump’s efforts to accelerate fossil fuel extraction. Trump told reporters that he was acting because projects were being “tied up and bogged down by an outrageously slow and burdensome federal approval process,” adding he would not stop until “gleaming new infrastructure has made America the envy of the world again”.The proposals, which are subject to a 60-day review period for public comments before taking effect at a later date, would raise the threshold for what types of projects require an environmental impact assessment.
“Over time, implementation of Nepa has become increasingly complex and time-consuming for federal agencies, state, local, and tribal agencies, project applicants, and average Americans seeking permits or approvals from the federal government,” she said.