Changing the NEPA rules, yet again

Published: Oct. 7, 2021, 9 a.m.

Former President Donald Trump restricted the ability of federal agencies to consider all climate impacts during permitting reviews conducted under the National Environmental Policy Act to narrow the scope of the reviews and speed up the process. Now, President Joe Biden is moving to change NEPA regulations to consider climate change and carbon emissions. But POLITICO’s Zack Colman reports the administration is walking a fine line in expanding the scope of these reviews without threatening the pace at which ambitious infrastructure and green energy developments move forward. Do you listen to a POLITICO podcast? Can’t miss an episode of POLITICO Energy? We want to hear from you! Take part in our 2021 podcast survey and provide valuable feedback on your favorite POLITICO podcast. Tell us what you like or what you would like to see in the future from the POLITICO Audio team! Your responses will help us improve our offerings and help us better tailor our podcast content to fit your needs. Find the survey at politico.com/podsurvey. Zack Colman covers climate change for POLITICO.  Annie Snider covers environment issues for POLITICO and is the host of POLITICO Energy.  Carlos Prieto is a Politico podcast producer. Raghu Manavalan is the host-producer of the Playbook Daily Briefing and a senior editor for POLITICO audio. Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO’s audio department.