From staff reports
The Biden administration has reversed Trump era National Environmental Policy Act rules that were put into place to streamline how cattle owners received grazing permits, improve range and be eligible for USDA programs. The rules also made it quicker to get producer projects approved.
Biden administration officials say that the rules were reversed to protect community review standards for environmental reviews, which makes up most phase-one. For phase-two, the administration will require permits to include climate change effects changes during reviews.
“This rule will not delay any projects or reviews underway and will not add time to the NEPA process,” the White House’s Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) said in a news release.
Going back to NEPA before the Trump changes means that federal agencies evaluate all the environmental effects of granting permits or range improvement projects, including infrastructure changes. NEPA averaged a four to five year wait time for approvals.
NEPA was created in 1970 to require federal agencies to evaluate the environmental effects of federal actions.