The Trump administration has announced it will use emergency authorities to rapidly increase the pace of approving fossil fuel and mining projects on public lands.
The Interior Department announced late Wednesday that it will drastically cut down timelines for environmental reviews of projects that produce coal, oil, gas, uranium and other minerals.
It will also shorten the timeline for climate-friendly power sources like geothermal and hydropower, but wind and solar are notably absent from the list of fast-tracked projects.
The Interior Department will initiate what it described as an “alternative” process to typical environmental reviews, which recent laws limited to one or two years but have historically taken several years.
Now, projects will be analyzed in either 14 or 28 days, according to a press release from the department.
The department is also curtailing Endangered Species Act consultations, saying that such consultations only need to occur once President Trump’s energy emergency declaration is lifted.
“The United States cannot afford to wait,” said Interior Secretary Doug Burgum in a statement.
“We are cutting through unnecessary delays to fast-track the development of American energy and critical minerals—resources that are essential to our economy, our military readiness, and our global competitiveness,” he added.
Environmental advocates, meanwhile, said that shortening these reviews could have serious consequences.
“These arbitrary time limits make a complete review of the risks of potentially hazardous projects impossible,” said Athan Manuel, director of Sierra Club’s Lands Protection Program, in a statement.
Welcome to The Hill’s Energy & Environment newsletter, I’m Rachel Frazin — keeping you up to speed on the policies impacting everything from oil and gas to new supply chains.
Arkansas is appealing the Trump administration’s denial of federal aid for the state’s recovery efforts after a string of deadly and destructive tornado storms.
A Republican-authored proposal in the Texas Legislature seeks to open up state funds aimed at encouraging fossil fuel development to a form of renewable energy.
Join us for The Hill’s Energy & Environment Summit, where we’ll gather leaders in government, sustainability and global energy solutions to discuss how rapidly changing policies will impact the future of U.S. energy and environmental policy.
Key speakers include:
Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.)
Rep. Bob Latta (R-Ohio)
Christine Todd Whitman, Former Administrator of the EPA
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