More than 35 organizations have formed the Unlock American Coalition to rally support behind the Trump administration’s plans, announced last week, to revamp the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
Coalition members are united in the belief that a modernized NEPA could help the environment, investment, and jobs, claiming that outdated regulating are delaying infrastructure and restricting job growth alike. NEPA, a 50-year-old law that sought to address environmental concerns and founded the President’s Council on Environmental Equality, requires federal agencies to create environmental assessments and environmental impact statements and governs things like permitting, federal land management and highway construction. The Trump administration announced last week that the law needed administrative changes, citing its part in delaying projects for years, especially in the case of highways.
“In many cases, it takes far longer to obtain a permit than it actually takes to build one of these critical projects, and that should not be acceptable,” Tom Donohue, U.S. Chamber of Commerce CEO, said. “That’s why the Chamber strongly supports the Administration’s efforts to streamline permitting processes, and why we are leading a broad coalition representing the business community and workers to support the new rule. We support NEPA’s requirement for environmental reviews and public input. But too often, the current rules are used as a tool to obstruct important projects, such as highways, bridges, public transit, and even renewable energy projects. Reducing delays and uncertainties associated with infrastructure investment and related projects will allow businesses to plan and invest with confidence while enhancing economic productivity and supporting more and better-paying jobs throughout the country.”
Other members include a diverse mix, like the American Road & Transportation Builders Association, which addressed the NEPA announcement last week, Airlines for America, the American Farm Bureau Federation, American Gas Association, Associated General Contractors of America, the Edison Electric Institute, National Association of Realtors, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and more.
As is, the White House claims the proposed new rule would clarify NEPA regulations to make reviews more efficient, reduce delays, and promote decisions in line with national environmental policy. They would do this by setting mandatory time limits on the paperwork involved: one year for environmental assessments and two years for impact studies.