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The United States Army Engineers Corps says that a list published on its website of hundreds of current applications for environmental permits of the project that says it could be accelerated for the Approval of the Executive Order of President Donald Trump, which cites “National Energy Emergency” in the United States
The list of about 700 permit applications, which was published without public ads or previous public comments, are mainly for projects related to fuel energy and include several applications in many cases.
The spokesman for the body, Doug Garman, said in an email response to Enr that the agency “is in the process of reviewing the applications for active permits with respect to” Trump’s order, and added that “the Data field will be added once we have refined what permit actions can be covered by the directive.
The projects that land on the accelerated list include the replacement of the line 5 channel, which transports raw and natural gas from Alberta under Lake Michigan to Ontario and Michigan. The project has waited for the OK body of a federal permission of the clean water law for five years, as they also continue the permit battles with state officials. Accelerated reviews for Louisian Louisian natural gas export terminal, various electric gas plants and a exxonmobil -owned mine project on the northern slope of Alaska could also occur.
The list also has a project of water pipes near Tampa, FLA., Transportation projects, transmission projects that cross the water bodies and a solar energy project, despite the inability of the administration to recognize the progression and viability of renewable energy development in the United States as a key to its mix of energy.
Garman refused to provide added details on how the project selections were made for the approval of accelerated permits; If environmental reviews for these approvals have a more limited scope and/or eliminate criteria under the National Law on Environmental Protection and other laws; The way in which the accelerated designation of the body affects other non -necessary federal and state reviews; and when a revised list will be published.
The body has used emergency designations related to accelerated permits in the past, such as for the reconstruction of disaster recovery, but “emergency permits do not deny the requirements” of environmental analysis and mitigation, or Compliance with legal statutes, says Mark Sudol, a higher regulatory advisor. The Dawson & Associates consultant and an old head of the body regulatory program.
Accelerated projects reviews are shown how the White House Council on environmental quality proposed a temporary final rule that repealed its regulations under the Law of the NEPA and demanded that the federal agencies develop new ones to fulfill the energy order Trump. Last year a court ruling said that the Council had no authority to issue NEPA regulations.
“This rule is the first step in a process where [the council] It will have the opportunity to work with federal agencies to improve the NEPA, “says the Vice President of Builders and Associate Contractors Brubeck.
Sudol says, however, that moving the final rule beyond the provisional stage could take longer to the administration’s estimation throughout the year, as it will involve a public notice and a public commentary, which he will be. Extensive, with the lawsuits.
