The American Trucking Association praised the Trump Administration for its efforts to reform the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which it says will speed up the review process for infrastructure investments.
The White House announced on July 15 that the Council on Environmental Quality had finalized its rule to comprehensively update and modernize NEPA – the first such reform in 40 years. The reform comes after a multi-year review of NEPA regulations.
The final rule will modernize NEPA regulations by simplifying and clarifying regulatory requirements, incorporating key elements of President Trump’s One Federal Decision policy, including a two-year goal for completing environmental reviews. The final rule also updates regulations to reflect current technologies and agency practices and eliminates obsolete provisions from the regulations. The rule will also exempt certain loan guarantee programs from the NEPA process, which advocates say will reduce the burdens on small businesses and family farms.
In addition to hosting public hearings on the reform measures and conducting other public outreach, the council received over 1 million public comments from stakeholders across the spectrum.
“This is good news for truckers, the motoring public, our economy, and the environment,” said ATA President and CEO Chris Spear. “It currently takes an average seven years for a highway construction project to get through federal permitting, which is counterproductive in the extreme. This cumbersome review process presents an enormous obstacle to modernizing our outdated infrastructure, contributing to more traffic congestion and the harmful emissions that come with it.”
According to the ATA, the trucking industry loses $74.5 billion per year to traffic congestion on the national highway system, the equivalent of 425,000 truck drivers sitting idle for an entire year emitting more than 67 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
“Infrastructure investment is a surefire way to reduce our nation’s environmental impact, and this action by President Trump will help accelerate construction projects that reduce waste and result in a more efficient and resilient supply chain and transportation system for decades to come,” said Randy Guillot, ATA Chairman and president of Triple G Express and Southeastern Motor Freight.
However, Guillot said, without funding to invest in infrastructure, the reform measures are meaningless.
“Of course, streamlining project approvals won’t matter if states don’t have the funding needed to plan projects and break ground. COVID-19 has caused a 14% drop in Highway Trust Fund revenue, widening the investment gap and hurtling us closer to the funding cliff,” said Guillot. “If Congress fails to act this year on its Constitutional responsibility, it risks derailing our economic recovery.”