Building Energy Infrastructure Has Bipartisan Support — But Not If The Permitting Process Guts Climate Protections

January 08, 2020

Right now, national infrastructure projects must carefully consider their eco-implications. But the Trump administration would change the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to make it easier to get those deals built and without considering the “cumulative impact” — code for climate change.

The White House Council on Environmental Quality says that the law must be modernized to get such things as natural gas pipelines built. It says that years of reviews take a toll on the nation’s economy. Environmental groups, conversely, argue that the law has worked to safeguard communities. The courts now serve as the ultimate arbiter in case of disputes.

“(R)egulations guiding NEPA processes have not been comprehensively updated in nearly four decades. During this time, securing approval for projects and land management decisions has become hampered by unreasonable costs and long project delays. It is time to modernize NEPA processes,” says a letter from 80 business groups to the Council on Environmental Quality. Such groups include the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Petroleum Institute.

The letter goes on to say that for every $1 billion spent on infrastructure, it creates 13,000 jobs. America’s infrastructure and natural resources are vital to economic activity and capital investment, it adds. That includes roads, bridges, airports, railways, waterways, and telecommunications networks — not to mention energy and industrial facilities.

While the framing of the proposal to be introduced this week sounds innocuous, critics fear that allowing major infrastructure without a thorough review would mean short-circuiting climate change concerns. Stated differently, an individual natural gas pipeline may have a limited impact on greenhouse gas emissions. But if it is part of an expanded gas and electric network, the picture changes. Without proper review, critics fear that projects could be rushed through.

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The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is a critical law that has helped local communities protect themselves and their environment from dangerous, rushed, and poorly planned federal projects for over 45 years.

We teach our children to “look before you leap.” The NEPA process simply and sensibly requires our government to do the same by identifying any significant impacts a project may have on our health, environment, and livelihood before construction begins.

NEPA and its implementing procedures provide a strong foundation for informed, science-based decision-making and already provide ample flexibility.

As such, I am strongly opposed to CEQ’s proposed rule as well as any other changes to NEPA’s implementing procedures that would in any way restrict public input, limit consideration of project alternatives, establish hard deadlines for project approval, or narrow or eliminate federal agencies’ obligations to consider a project’s climate impacts.

I urge CEQ to abandon this rulemaking process altogether.

By signing this petition, I acknowledge that I may receive email updates from Protect NEPA coalition partners.

The Protect NEPA campaign works with a coalition of over twenty of the country’s largest environmental, labor, and civil rights advocacy groups – including Sierra Club, Defenders of Wildlife, Natural Resources Defense Council, and League of Conservation Voters – to advance and defend NEPA across a broad range of key issue areas.

Building Energy Infrastructure Has Bipartisan Support — But Not If The Permitting Process Guts Climate Protections

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