Building big infrastructure projects in the US is expensive and slow, impeding economic growth and the green energy transition.
A big contributor to these shortcomings is the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the centerpiece of the federal government’s environmental permitting regime.
This report proposes legislative actions to reform NEPA: streamlining permitting by balancing a reduction in back-end litigation with more robust and inclusive front-end planning, preserving NEPA’s core values while adapting it to modern needs.
Taken together, the reforms comprise a “green bargain,” speeding construction and lowering costs, allowing the construction of the infrastructure needed for the green transition, and empowering the broader public over narrow interests.