Biden to again require agencies to consider projects' climate impacts, reversing Trump
The Biden administration will announce Tuesday that it is reinstating key pieces of a "landmark" environmental law requiring federal agencies to consider climate implications and speak with local communities before breaking ground on highways, pipelines, and other such projects, The New York Times and The Washington Post report.
In 2020, former President Donald Trump rolled back parts of 1970's National Environmental Policy Act's implementation to cut down on what he called "mountains and mountains of bureaucratic red tape." Under his changes, many projects were exempted from review and agencies skipped over considering so-called "indirect" climate impacts, the Post notes.
Per President Biden's changes, regulators must now consider how government actions contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, as well as how they burden communities — particularly poor and minority ones "that have already faced disproportionate amounts of pollution," the Post writes.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"Patching these holes in the environmental review process will help projects get built faster, be more resilient, and provide greater benefits to people who live nearby," Brenda Mallory, chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, said in a statement, per the Times. Critics of the law, however, are likely to argue it will conversely slow production and raise costs.
The decision arrives ahead of Earth Day on Friday, and as Biden's climate agenda continues its congressional struggle. High gas prices and the resulting push to boost oil production have also thrown a wrench in the president's environmental plans.
Officials have flagged that the updated rule will not have a large immediate impact considering the administration has already been considering the climate implications of its proposed projects. But it will "force future administrations to abide by the process or undertake a lengthy regulatory process and possibly legal challenges to again undo it," the Times writes.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
Bormio: 'a great Alpine getaway'
The Week Recommends From snowy slopes and hot-spring spas, to high-end food and wine, this Italian town has something to offer everyone
By Asya Likhtman Published
-
Crossword: March 28, 2024
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sudoku medium: March 28, 2024
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Climate change is driving Indian women to choose sterilization
under the radar Faced with losing their jobs, they are making a life-altering decision
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
The hot controversy surrounding solar geoengineering
under the radar Solar geoengineering is feeling the burn
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Citizen science says anyone can be a scientist
The explainer Yes, even you
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Lab-grown meat might be about to meet its maker
Under the radar The controversy at the intersection of cultured meat and agribusiness
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
What is the Anthropocene — and more importantly, when?
Under The Radar Just because a panel of scientists has rejected calls to classify a new global epoch does not mean it hasn't already begun
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Extreme weather events in the last year
In Depth Extreme weather events are becoming more common thanks to climate change, and are 'affecting every corner of the world'
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
An amphibian that produces milk?
speed read Caecilians, worm-like amphibians that live underground, produce a milk-like substance for their hatchlings
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Jupiter's Europa has less oxygen than hoped
speed read Scientists say this makes it less likely that Jupiter's moon harbors life
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published