Reuters: White House unveils proposed reforms to speed clean energy permitting [View all]
White House unveils proposed reforms to speed clean energy permittingBy Clark Mindock and Timothy Gardner
July 28, 2023 5:16 PM EDT
Summary- Rule would streamline permitting for new energy projects
- Projects with significant positive impacts can avoid some review
(Reuters) - The White House on Friday proposed reforms to the environmental review process for new energy projects that it said would help speed up permitting for electric transmission and other projects needed to curb emissions linked to climate change.
The proposal would revise National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) implementing regulations by encouraging more "programmatic" environmental reviews of multiple projects rather than individual reviews, and by allowing federal agencies to exclude more project categories from review.
It would also limit the need for environmental reviews for projects that federal agencies deem to have significant and long-lasting positive impacts.