{"id":31207,"date":"2025-07-05T18:26:25","date_gmt":"2025-07-06T01:26:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/defense-department-simplifies-nepa-reviews\/"},"modified":"2025-07-05T18:26:25","modified_gmt":"2025-07-06T01:26:25","slug":"defense-department-simplifies-nepa-reviews","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/defense-department-simplifies-nepa-reviews\/","title":{"rendered":"Defense Department simplifies NEPA reviews"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> [ad_1]<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"text-to-speech\">\n    <button class=\"text-to-speech__button button\"><\/p>\n<p>            <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"text-to-speech__button__icon\" src=\"https:\/\/www.constructiondive.com\/static\/images\/audio_icon.svg?482016190122\" alt=\"-\"><\/p>\n<p>        Listen to the article<br \/>\n        <span class=\"text-to-speech__button__audio-length\">3 min<\/span><br \/>\n    <\/button><\/p>\n<div class=\"text-to-speech__controls\">\n        <audio controls=\"\" class=\"js-text-to-speech\" preload=\"none\"><source src=\"https:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/dmgi9movl\/video\/upload\/q_1\/v1751461085\/news\/text_to_speech\/defense-department-nepa-permit-reform_drbiej.wav\" type=\"audio\/mp3\"><\/source><\/audio><\/p>\n<div class=\"text-to-speech__controls__text\">\n            This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.constructiondive.com\/contact\/\" target=\"_blank\">feedback<\/a>.\n        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3 class=\"standard-heading\"><span><span><span><span><span><span>Dive Brief:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><span><span><span><span><span><span>The <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.defense.gov\/News\/Releases\/Release\/Article\/4230680\/dod-streamlines-environmental-reviews-to-accelerate-infrastructure-projects\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Department of Defense has streamlined<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span><span><span><span><span><span> its National Environmental Policy Act implementing procedures, the agency said in a Monday news release. It\u2019s part of a government-wide effort to ensure consistent and timely environmental reviews for infrastructure projects.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span><span><span><span><span><span>The changes will slash the time and cost associated with the NEPA process, enabling faster construction in the defense industrial base and of military construction projects, according to the release.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span><span><span><span><span><span>The updated procedures align with recent amendments to NEPA in President Donald Trump\u2019s January <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.federalregister.gov\/documents\/2025\/01\/29\/2025-01956\/unleashing-american-energy\" target=\"_blank\"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Unleashing American Energy executive order<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span><span><span><span><span><span>, in the <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.constructiondive.com\/news\/debt-ceiling-deal-speed-environmental-permit-infrastructure\/651547\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>BUILDER Act provisions<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span><span><span><span><span><span> within the 2023 debt ceiling deal and with the Supreme Court&#8217;s October 2024 decision in <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/opinions\/24pdf\/23-975_m648.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span><span><span><span><span><span>, per the release.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 class=\"standard-heading\"><span><span><span><span><span><span>Dive Insight:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>In addition to the DOD, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, the Interior, Energy and Transportation have all <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/fact-sheets\/2025\/06\/fact-sheet-president-trump-is-delivering-historic-permitting-wins-across-the-federal-government\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>updated their respective NEPA<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span><span><span><span><span><span> implementing procedures, the White House said in a news release Monday.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>The updates will ensure \u201cthat burdensome Federal environmental reviews cannot be weaponized to stall the growth of the American economy or halt energy infrastructure construction,\u201d according to the White House.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Here\u2019s what the changes will do for all agencies, per the White House:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span><span><span><span><span><span>Implement deadlines and page limits on environmental reviews required under recent amendments to NEPA, in order to expedite infrastructure development and reduce costs.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span><span><span><span><span><span>Provide clarification that NEPA does not apply to every action that a federal agency takes, but only to federal actions where the agency has sufficient control and discretion to take environmental effects into account.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span><span><span><span><span><span>Ensure simple and expeditious processes to create categorical exclusions and adopt other agencies\u2019 categorical exclusions to minimize repetitive NEPA analyses.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Since resuming office, the president has taken a series of steps to overhaul the federal permit process and speed up construction projects.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>On the day of his inauguration in January, Trump signed executive orders that <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.constructiondive.com\/news\/trump-executive-orders-energy-permits-nepa\/738089\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>cut back the White House\u2019s NEPA rulemaking powers<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span><span><span><span><span><span> and declared a \u201cnational energy emergency\u201d in order to accelerate permits for oil, gas, nuclear, coal, hydropower and biofuel projects, along with mines that gather critical materials.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>In April, Trump signed a memo requiring <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.constructiondive.com\/news\/trump-permitting-tech-reform-construction-environment\/745871\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>federal agencies to integrate technology<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span><span><span><span><span><span> into their review workflows in order to accelerate the processing time for infrastructure projects. It requires the Council on Environmental Quality to issue a Permitting Technology Action Plan, with the goal of eliminating the paper-based application and review process and reducing project delays.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>[ad_2]<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.constructiondive.com\/news\/defense-department-nepa-permit-reform\/752135\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">This article was originally posted at Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[ad_1] Listen to the article 3 min This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. Dive &#8230; <a title=\"Defense Department simplifies NEPA reviews\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/defense-department-simplifies-nepa-reviews\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Defense Department simplifies NEPA reviews\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[457],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31207","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-construction-dive","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31207","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31207"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31207\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31207"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31207"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31207"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}