The US government is taking action to expedite the build-out of clean energy infrastructure in the country. The Biden-Harris administration has proposed reforms to streamline the permitting process, with a focus on improving efficiency and predictability.
To build infrastructure both quickly and responsibly, the necessary reviews, permits, and approvals must be robust and completed within a predictable timeframe, resulting in prompt and legally defensible decisions. The White House has recommended that Congress take action to improve coordination of federal data sharing and reviews, expand the use of programmatic and tiered reviews, and reduce the length of federal decision documents.
In addition, the government is calling for reasonable decision time frames for projects and the creation of a fund to provide resources for programmatic reviews. These reviews can allow environmental review work to be re-used for multiple projects, and Congress should authorize agencies to impose a fee on project sponsors to cover costs associated with a study upon which their project relies.
The White House is also advocating for the responsible use of administrative categorical exclusions, which are the most expedited form of environmental reviews and are already used for more than 95% of Federal actions. Congress should require federal agencies to examine and propose the use of categorical exclusions for clean energy projects where feasible.
Furthermore, the government is recommending long-term programmatic review use, clarifying that it may be relied upon for five years unless there are new circumstances, and that the analysis should be able to be relied upon after five years so long as the agency re-evaluates the study and finds that it continues to sufficiently analyze the project's effects.
These reforms are crucial to the United States' goal of expanding clean energy infrastructure, while also ensuring that the process is responsible and efficient. By streamlining the permitting process, the US can make significant strides in achieving a sustainable future.
