White House finalizes NEPA rollback to accelerate energy, infrastructure permitting
The White House has finalized a rollback of federal regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), a move the Trump administration says will accelerate approvals for energy and infrastructure projects by reducing regulatory complexity.
The action, announced Jan. 7 by the White House Council on Environmental Quality, rescinds rules governing how federal agencies conduct environmental reviews under NEPA. Administration officials argue the changes will streamline permitting timelines and remove what they describe as duplicative layers of review that have slowed major infrastructure development.
CEQ Chair Katherine Scarlett said the revisions are intended to restore “common sense” to the environmental review process, emphasizing faster decision-making for federally permitted projects. The rollback comes as Congress debates broader permitting reform legislation aimed at expediting reviews for energy, transportation and utility infrastructure while narrowing the scope of judicial challenges.
Lawmakers from both parties have acknowledged that NEPA reviews often result in yearslong delays for large projects. A House-passed bill would impose statutory deadlines on environmental reviews, expand categorical exclusions, and limit who can file lawsuits and the remedies courts may impose. Democrats have expressed concern, however, that the legislation could reduce public input and weaken environmental oversight.
The regulatory changes follow recent political friction over federal permitting policy, including the administration’s suspension of several offshore wind projects. Some lawmakers warned that those actions have complicated efforts to reach bipartisan agreement on long-term permitting reform, even as pressure grows to modernize approval processes for critical infrastructure nationwide.
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