United States President Joe Biden's administration on Tuesday announced that it was restoring parts of a bedrock environmental law that would once again require that climate impacts are considered and local communities have input before approval of various projects.
The new order would require federal agencies to comply with the law whenever they want to get approval for highways, pipelines, and other major infrastructures. The administration has resurrected the requirements of the 50-year-old National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) that former United States President Donald Trump removed.
Biden Reverses Trump on Environmental Law
The Republican businessman complained that the policy slowed down the development of mines, road expansions, and other similar projects. The final rule was announced Tuesday and will mandate federal agencies to first conduct an analysis of the greenhouse gases that could be emitted over the lifetime of a proposed project and how climate change might affect new highways, bridges, and other infrastructure.
The White House Council on Environmental Quality will be responsible for enforcing the rule that will take effect in 30 days. It would also work to ensure that agencies give communities directly affected by projects a greater role in the approval process, as per the New York Times.
The law was first signed by President Richard Nixon and enacted in 1970 and supporters of the order argue that it is essential in protecting the environment from climate change. They argued that it also ensures that federal agencies coordinate with communities to consider alternatives if the proposals pose too great of a risk.
The chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, Brenda Mallory, said in a statement that the restoration of basic community safeguards would provide regulatory certainty, reduce conflict, and ensure that projects are built right the first time around. She added that patching these gaps in the environmental review process will help them get built faster, be more resilient, and provide greater benefits to people who live nearby.
Effect on Infrastructures
According to USA Today, many environmental groups expressed their agreement with the Biden administration's Tuesday announcement. They said that they were hoping the Democrat will go further in restoring policies that former President Trump rolled back.
The recent announcement underscores how Biden is searching for ways to push forward with his climate agenda amid the rising concerns about cost increases in the economy. On Friday, the Democratic administration announced that it would resume issuing oil and gas leases, a move triggered by a court order and due to pressure to increase energy supply, a decision that drew ire from climate activists.
Furthermore, the Biden administration is working to implement a roughly $1 trillion infrastructure bill that passed last fall. On the other hand, Biden's Democratic allies in Congress praised the White House for undoing another Trump-era environmental rollback.
The chair of the House Natural Resources Committee, Rep. Raul M. Grijalva said that he was glad the Biden administration recognized how egregiously wrong the Trump administration's actions were. He praised Biden for his restoration of protections that would help protect our environment while also promoting sustainable development for decades, the Washington Post reported.
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