PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP IS COMMITTED TO MODERNIZING ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES AND PAVING THE WAY FOR VITAL INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS

Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 9, 2020 PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP IS COMMITTED TO MODERNIZING ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES AND PAVING THE WAY FOR VITAL INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS  “The administration is committed to ensuring that we are good stewards of our environment, while supporting American prosperity.” – President Donald J. Trump   MODERNIZING ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEWS: President Donald J. Trump is modernizing environmental regulations to deliver infrastructure projects that will improve our communities. The Administration is proposing a rule to modernize and accelerate environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) so that infrastructure can be built in a timely, efficient, and affordable manner. Modernizing environmental regulations will help bring new infrastructure projects to our communities that benefit American workers, farmers, and families. The proposed rule would establish time limits of 2 years for completion of environmental impact statements and 1 year for completion of environmental assessments. The proposal specifies page limits, promotes information sharing through modern technology, and better defines environmental effects and other key terms. The proposed rule would reduce unnecessary burdens and delays for environmental reviews. Agencies would be allowed to establish procedures for adopting another agency’s determinations to increase efficiency. The proposed rule would improve collaboration with State, local, and tribal governments. IMPROVING AMERICAN INFRASTRUCTURE: Outdated environmental regulations have tied up vital infrastructure improvements across the country for too long. It is important for our national economic prosperity and for the wellbeing of all our communities that these regulations be reformed. Regulations guiding NEPA processes have not been comprehensively updated in over 40 years. Since 1978, the Council on Environmental Quality has made only one limited substantive amendment to the regulations, in 1986. The time taken to complete an environmental impact statement is now almost 5 years on average, and for highways has averaged over 7 years. Securing approval for roads, bridges, airports, railways, and waterways has been significantly hindered under the existing regulations. ADVANCING A SMART REGULATORY AGENDA: The President is delivering on his promise to transform our government and reform regulations to work for the American people. The President has far exceeded his promise to cut two existing regulations for every new one. The Trump Administration has taken nearly eight deregulatory actions for every new significant regulatory action. The President’s historic regulatory reform is projected to deliver a $3,100 income increase for American households in the coming years.  President Trump’s Governors’ Initiative on Regulatory Innovation is working to cut outdated regulations, advance occupational licensing reform, and align Federal and State regulation. The President signed an executive order to establish a One Federal Decision policy to create more efficient and effective environmental decisions for infrastructure projects. The President is rolling back the previous administration’s overreaching regulations, including providing relief to farmers by repealing the Obama-era Waters of the United States Rule.