Gabby Brown, gabby.brown@sierraclub.org
Washington, DC – This morning, the White House released a set of legislative priorities designed to accelerate federal permitting and environmental reviews for infrastructure projects.
Priorities include expediting the connection of interstate and offshore electric transmission lines by providing for electric transmission siting and cost allocation; reforming the transmission interconnection queue so that new projects are not stuck in line waiting for approval; and improving community engagement, transparency, and accessibility by creating a national map identifying the location of each proposed federal infrastructure project for more transparency and accessibility during project permitting processes. Many of the priorities included in the White House’s action plan are also included in a statement of principles that the Sierra Club and other conservation organizations released last year.
There are also concerning provisions included in the action plan including an expansion of categorical exclusions, which would allow some proposed infrastructure projects to bypass any public participation or consideration of impacts under the National Environmental Policy Act.
In response, Sierra Club Executive Director Ben Jealous released the following statement:
“We are glad to see the White House propose policies to accelerate the deployment of clean energy in order to tackle the climate crisis while strengthening community consultation, increasing transparency around the permitting process, and mitigating environmental harms in vulnerable communities. However, any compromise that would fast track fossil fuel projects or erode bedrock environmental protections like the National Environmental Policy Act or the Clean Water Act is a non-starter – period.
“The principles proposed today provide an important counter to extreme Republican proposals and attempts to force construction of dangerous fossil fuel projects like the Mountain Valley Pipeline, and lay the groundwork for unlocking the clean energy benefits passed in the Inflation Reduction Act. But allowing investments in clean energy to come at the cost of environmental justice or alongside more polluting fossil fuel infrastructure would be unacceptable. We will continue to urge Congressional leaders to reject any legislation that would silence community input and give industry free rein under the guise of advancing clean energy.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.