Federal agencies agree to speed up environmental reviews and permits
Natural gas development received a welcome boost with the recent agreement by more than a dozen U.S. federal agencies to reduce the time needed for environmental reviews and permits for major infrastructure projects.
The purpose of the memorandum of understanding signed in April is to “provide a more predictable, transparent and timely federal review and authorization process for delivering major infrastructure projects.” The agreement sets a two-year goal for completing review processes that used to take several years, according to a White House statement.
Participating agencies include the departments of Energy, Interior, Transportation, Commerce and Homeland Security, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Under the agreement, seen as a cornerstone of President Donald Trump’s infrastructure plan, one lead federal agency will guide projects through the regulatory process, establishing timetables for other agencies to follow. Also new is that agencies will conduct their reviews concurrently, meaning faster completion.
The White House says the MOU will reduce costly delays and unpredictability for investors and encourage them to back big projects.
“The president’s One Agency MOU will reduce unnecessary hurdles, provide investors with critical certainty, drive investments and speed up projects that will allow the United States to export more of our newfound energy,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry.
The new procedure could have significant impact on the permitting process for pipelines by giving more authority to states and expediting state and federal review processes.
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt applauded the changes, saying in a statement released by the White House that the MOU “will streamline permitting processes and position EPA as a partner, not an obstacle, to making much-needed infrastructure improvements as quickly and safely as possible.”
