Washington — Thursday’s Biden administration regained and reduced its power to deny gas pipelines, coal terminals, and other energy projects if states and tribes contaminate local rivers and streams. Overturn the rules.
For fifty years, the Clean Water Act has given states and tribes the ability to review federal permits for industrial facilities and thwart projects that could release pollution into rural waterways. Without their certification, the federal government cannot approve the project.
The Environmental Protection Agency’s administrator, Michael S. Regan, said the Environmental Protection Agency “is coveted at the same time that states, territories and tribes use the powers granted by Congress to protect their precious water resources. He said he is proposing the rule “Build on this foundation by supporting your infrastructure.” A project that creates jobs and strengthens our economy. “
In a statement, Regan said that water resources are “essential to a thriving community, a vibrant ecosystem and sustainable economic growth.”
Biden administration’s environmental agenda
President Biden is pushing for stronger regulation, but faces a narrow path to achieving his goals in the fight against global warming.
In some states, the authority under the Clean Water Act is used to suspend or postpone fossil fuel projects. 2017, Governor Jay Inslee of Washington Rejected proof Federal water permit for coal export facilities on the Columbia River. It lists the risk of significant spills and the impact on air quality. In 2020, Andrew Cuomo, then Governor of New York, pipeline It would have shipped natural gas from Pennsylvania to his state on the basis of the project’s “unverifiable” of being able to comply with water quality standards.
In 2020, the Trump administration reduced its review rights and implemented rules that limit the amount of time states and tribes can grant or deny permits. Trump officials argued that democracies are essentially implementing climate policies under the guise of laws aimed at different purposes. They said they wanted to curb the abuse of the law that “hostaged” fossil fuel projects.
Environmental groups and Democrats have accused the Trump administration of implementing a radical energy project at the request of the oil and gas industry.
Richard L. Leves, a professor of environmental law at New York University, said:
The proposed changes to the Biden administration will essentially restore the state that existed before President Trump.
They come when Mr Biden is calling on the oil and gas industry to step up production to mitigate high pump prices. Energy industry groups said they were concerned that new regulations could block the infrastructure they believe is needed to meet demand.
Mr Leves said he does not believe that the actions of the Biden administration will affect the price of pumps. The Trump administration’s restrictions are probably in effect until next year, when Biden’s rules are finalized.
“Keeping the Trump rules doesn’t keep gas prices low, and removing Trump rules doesn’t raise gas prices,” he said.
Republicans have criticized the Biden administration’s plan to add unnecessary red tape while allowing fossil fuel opponents to create barriers to oil and gas projects.
“It shouldn’t take longer than building a pipeline to get a permit and permit for the pipeline,” Karen Herbert, chairman of the American Gas Association, said in a statement Wednesday. She said the company “allows the proposed rules to deviate from the intent that Congress had in enacting the Clean Water Act, delaying and increasing the cost of essential energy infrastructure in some states. I’m worried about doing that. “
Julia Anastasiao, Managing Director of the Association of Clean Water Managers, which represents water permit managers in all 50 states, said the rejection of Washington’s coal terminals and New York’s gas pipelines would not be a major trend.
While these incidents have become “poster kids” for fossil fuel industry proponents, Anastasio said: The state was doing their job and doing it well. “
She said the changes in the Trump era were overkill, although the provisions of the Clean Water Act may need to be fine-tuned. The right to review projects that cross local waterways is “a clear authority given to the state by Congress,” Anastasia said.
The proposed rules must undergo 60 days of public comments and reviews before they are finalized.