A new White House rule removing environmental regulations will cause project delay, confusion, and uncertainty, NACTO wrote in a recent comment letter.
Although NACTO supports meaningful reforms to the federal environmental review and permitting process, a new interim rule from the White House Council for Environmental Quality (CEQ) that revokes all CEQ National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations will create unnecessary complications for infrastructure projects.
NEPA regulations aim to ensure that environmental factors are considered in planning and approving infrastructure projects. This move from the White House doesn’t remove the requirement that agencies consider environmental factors: it just removes standardized guidance for doing so.
In late March, NACTO submitted a comment letter to CEQ, emphasizing that the change will disrupt a system that has provided regulatory certainty to over 80 federal agencies. With clear regulations from CEQ, agencies complete NEPA reviews significantly faster. Just last month, CEQ reported that timelines were significantly shorter than just a few years ago. Now, a lack of standardization will lead to unnecessary confusion, delay, and litigation.
NACTO and our members are ready to suggest changes to the NEPA process to streamline project review. An efficient process benefits everyone.
Photo Credits: Header photo via NYC Department of Transportation
