In February, the Interior Department, which manages 20 percent of America's land, unveiled a streamlined process for environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The new rule moves the department's NEPA procedures from the Code of Federal Regulations to an internal handbook, giving the department broader discretion in how it implements NEPA review. It also incorporates the page limits and statutory deadlines for NEPA review enacted by Congress in 2023.
NEPA has been an impediment to most energy and infrastructure projects in the United States. While many organizations have invoked the law to delay fossil fuel production, NEPA has disproportionately blocked clean power projects.
