This audio is automatically generated. Please let us know if you have any comments.
President Donald Trump took steps Monday to reduce the rulemaking powers of the White House’s National Environmental Policy Act and to speed up permits for energy infrastructure projects powered by oil, gas, nuclear, coal, hydropower and biofuels , as well as efforts to extract critical minerals.
Trump also ordered his administration to prepare recommendations for Congress on how to reform the federal building permit process.
After an energy-focused inaugural address in which he declared, “We’re going to drill, baby, we’re going to drill,” Trump signed an executive order. declaring a national energy emergency. The directive calls for the use of emergency regulations, including the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act, to fast-track energy infrastructure projects.
In section 5 of a Monday directive entitled Unleashing American Energythe president revoked a longstanding executive order that gives the White House Council on Environmental Quality the power to make rules about how agencies comply with NEPA.
NEPA, other permit changes
The President’s Unleashing American Energy order directs the Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, currently Brenda Mallory, to provide guidance on the implementation of NEPA and propose canceling CEQ’s NEPA regulations within 30 days.
Trump’s actions follow a surprise finding last year by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit CEQ has no authority to draft regulationsreported E&E, downplaying the White House’s role in orchestrating environmental reviews for major projects. Rather than creating rules about how federal agencies should comply with NEPA, CEQ would provide guidance and lead a coordinated effort to update relevant agencies’ environmental review procedures.
The order also directs agencies to eliminate delays in their respective permitting processes, such as through the use of general permits and permits by rule. It dictates that agencies use all possible authorities, including emergency powers, to expedite federal permits “for any project an agency head deems essential to the nation’s economy or national security.”
Lift environmental restrictions
Trump’s directive also removes some existing environmental restrictions, requiring federal permitting processes to meet only legal requirements for environmental considerations and to use only “the most robust methodologies” to assess environmental impacts.
Trump cited inadequate energy infrastructure and high energy prices as threats to national security when he invoked the National Emergencies Act, laying the blame mostly at the feet of his predecessor. But the oil and gas industry really gained ground under former President Joe Biden. The The US now produces more crude oil than any country, everaccording to a US Energy Information Administration update published on December 24.
At a press conference Tuesday at the White House, several tech giants announced plans to invest $100 billion in artificial intelligence infrastructure, including data centers, which create huge demand for energy. Trump pledged to streamline permits and accelerate project timelines to ensure the success of the initiative, and these energy projects will play a key role in supporting these data centers.
Big blow to the wind
While Trump promised to jump-start energy projects, wind, the nation’s largest source of renewable energy, according to the Energy Department, was a notable distinction. On Monday he signed one executive order suspending new permitsapprovals and loans for all wind projects and temporarily removing all federal waters from consideration for offshore wind leasing.
Wind and solar projects, a major focus of the Biden administration, include approx 14% of the country’s power supply, according to the EIA. Although the The top producers of wind power are red statesaccording to the EIA, Trump has repeatedly promised to end such projects.
Your order it stops before freezing construction of offshore projects along the East Coast, which wind opponents sought and industry supporters feared, according to E&E News. Still, it’s a powerful blow to the growing industry: Wind energy is one of the fastest growing sources of electricity in the US, according to the Department of Energy.
The order also directs the administration’s selection of Interior Secretary former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum to lead a comprehensive review of federal wind leasing and permitting practices. From 2023, wind generated 36% of North Dakotathe power of, according to the US Energy Information Administration.
While Trump’s emergency declaration and other orders will it will almost certainly be challenged in courtLittle can happen until agencies determine what options are available and take action, NPR reported.
