NWC President Amy Larson participated in a panel discussion at the American Bar Association’s 48th Spring Conference Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources focused on One Federal Decision and Regulatory Streamlining. The abstract accompanying a paper submitted to the ABA summarize her comments thusly:
“Efforts to accelerate the planning and development of the nation’s water resources infrastructure projects under the domain of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE or Corps), as well as to streamline the regulatory permitting process, began in earnest with recent water resources legislation, starting with the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 (WRRDA 14), followed by the Water Resources Development Act of 2016 (WRDA 16), and most recently, the Water Resources Development Act of 2018 (WRDA 18). The Trump Administration’s “One Federal Decision,” which establishes a coordinated and timely process for environmental reviews of major infrastructure projects, seeks to implement lasting changes to the cumbersome regulatory review of infrastructure projects across the federal government. This paper sets forth the background on these initiatives and provides an update on the progress of the efforts to date as they apply to the USACE Civil Works program.”
After an in-depth discussion, the article offers the following conclusion:
“When considered collectively, EO 13807 and One Federal Decision, as well as WRRDA 14, WRDA 16, and most recently, WRDA 18, enhance and improve the development and oversight of water resources projects to provide much needed certainty, predictability, and a timely decision process, while adhering to the environmental protections provided by NEPA and similar authorities. Across the federal government, they provide the opportunity to accelerate infrastructure investments, reduce or eliminate unnecessary duplication, and produce better coordination of the activities of various agencies that may be involved in any particular project.”
Download the complete article Larson One Federal Decision and Regulatory Streamlining (316KB)